Your customers are at the very heart of everything that you do. To encourage customer loyalty and continue to grow, it’s vital to prioritise high levels of service. If you’re looking for a few ways to up your customer service game- the following should come in handy! 

 Use a CRM

 A customer relationship management system (CRM) works to digitally organise and manage the exchanges with potential customers and existing ones. Such a system stores all customer information in one place such as their contact details, social media info and their preferences. You can organize the different interactions between potential leads and work on driving sales. Using a CRM system, your team can track exchanges across all different social platforms and build a better relationship with each customer. Learning as much as you can about your customers can help you to offer a more personalised service. Some businesses will use the info that they have to send customers a digital birthday card (with a special offer)! 

Consider using chatbots 

Chatbots are a type of AI software which functions to simulate a human conversation with a customer. Chatbots are generally used via messaging, social media or websites. They’ll have a series of responses and queries that they can deal with. In the case that the customer asks a question which the chatbot cannot answer, the question can be passed onto a real employee. Chatbots can improve customer service because the software can provide a 24/7 service. Many customers now expect to contact your company via messaging or social media. It’s sometimes difficult to respond to social media and messaging on a large scale (depending on the size of your business). With Chatbots, you allow yourself the opportunity to do so. 

Try a virtual receptionist 

 A virtual receptionist takes on the same duties as a traditional receptionist; however, they work remotely for your business via a separate service provider. Virtual receptionists can answer your business calls 24/7 so that there’s no downtime. With a virtual receptionist your customers will always receive the service that they desire. These trained professionals will get to know your company perfectly to provide the highest levels of customer service. While automated message systems are on the rise, many customers still prefer to speak to an actual person. Using a virtual receptionist service is highly affordable so you can save your business money as well as saving yourself time. Companies such as Virtual Headquarters can offer a top quality virtual receptionist service. 

Get some feedback 

 One of the best things that you can do to improve is to ask your existing customers to provide feedback. You could do this via a survey, a pop-up form on your website, or on a call. Remember to get feedback on your website too. Great UX design is essential when it comes to customer service. If those visiting your website don’t find it easy to navigate, they are only going to go elsewhere! Once you’ve gathered enough feedback, you’ll likely see some patterns and know where improvements need to be made. 

Train your customer service staff 

A disengaged customer service team will do nothing for your business. If you want to improve your service, start by giving your team some extra training. It can help to ask your team questions about anything that they are struggling with. Problem-solving together as a team is often the best solution. Invest in an external customer service training course for your staff; show them that you want to help them ongoing. You can begin to improve your customer service from the very first stages of your hiring process. Choose staff who are empathetic, charismatic and experienced. 

Offer a fast response 

The modern customer wants fast results and doesn’t take to kindly to waiting around! If you’re going to keep your customer service efficient; you’ll need to hit at least a 24-48 hour window of response. Of course, some issues will take longer to fix than others. In the case of a more complex problem, offer your customer a reply to tell them the query is being looked into. Provide them with an estimated time frame if you can. Mistakes will sometimes be made, but the best policy is always honestly. If your customer has a legitimate complaint, own up to the problem and fix it as quickly as you can. Disappointed customers are often quick to voice bad feedback on social media. The sooner that you sort out the issue the more likely that you’ll be out of the firing line!