Social media has given businesses a whole new way to interact with customers and even handle a lot of customer service issues that used to be done over the phone or in person.
However, a lot of businesses are still struggling to use this tool to the best advantage.
Using the Internet to communicate with customers requires a different type of focus than in person.
The basics of serving your customer are essentially the same whether you are dealing with someone inside your store or a person who has ordered from you online.
Many employees still have a lot to learn about taking care of the customer, which makes them the place to start when you want to correct the issues you have.
Here are the three common issues that businesses face when it comes to online customer service and what you can do to fix them: Lack of consistency If you ask several people at a company what it means to put the customer first, you will probably hear several different answers.
If your employees are not really sure what it is they need to be focused on when it comes to serving the customer, you cannot expect a consistent approach for handling your patrons.
Sit down and define what service means to you and what it needs to mean to your employees.
What are you trying to do for the customer? How do you expect to achieve that goal? Employees will understand how important something is if you discuss it with them often.
Make a point of going over your definition of service and making sure that the employees know exactly what you expect when it comes to serving customers so that you will see consistency.
Focusing on the customer In today's world, the customer can come at you from so many channels that it is hard to keep focused.
If you have someone monitoring your business' social media, they might miss a good number of customer comments, questions and even complaints if they cannot stay focused on one network at a time.
Talk to your employees about the importance of focusing on one task at a time.
Human brains do not multi-task as well as so many of us would like to believe.
So, when you have one person trying to stay on top of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
all at once, there is a very good chance that a lot of things your customers are saying are going unnoticed.
Letting the customer be right One of the main issues that so many people in a customer-centric business face is the old "customer is always right" adage.
Even your most experienced employee can find themselves in a tangle with a customer who insists that they are right even at times when they clearly are not.
This can lead to a lot of tension and even a lost customer.
Try changing to a new perspective.
Instead of saying the customer is always right, try focusing on the "customer is never wrong.
" If, for instance, your customer ordered a dress from your website but was not happy with the way it fit her, don't waste time trying to convince her that the dress is lovely and she should keep it.
She knows that it was not right for her, so just do what it takes to make her happy.
Empower your employees to do what they can to make a customer happy.
The faster an issue is resolved, the more satisfied they will be and may become a loyal repeat customer for your business.
Every business works hard to make sure the customer is happy with the service they receive online, whether it is through the website or a social network.
What do you think are your biggest customer service obstacles when it comes to handling them online?
However, a lot of businesses are still struggling to use this tool to the best advantage.
Using the Internet to communicate with customers requires a different type of focus than in person.
The basics of serving your customer are essentially the same whether you are dealing with someone inside your store or a person who has ordered from you online.
Many employees still have a lot to learn about taking care of the customer, which makes them the place to start when you want to correct the issues you have.
Here are the three common issues that businesses face when it comes to online customer service and what you can do to fix them: Lack of consistency If you ask several people at a company what it means to put the customer first, you will probably hear several different answers.
If your employees are not really sure what it is they need to be focused on when it comes to serving the customer, you cannot expect a consistent approach for handling your patrons.
Sit down and define what service means to you and what it needs to mean to your employees.
What are you trying to do for the customer? How do you expect to achieve that goal? Employees will understand how important something is if you discuss it with them often.
Make a point of going over your definition of service and making sure that the employees know exactly what you expect when it comes to serving customers so that you will see consistency.
Focusing on the customer In today's world, the customer can come at you from so many channels that it is hard to keep focused.
If you have someone monitoring your business' social media, they might miss a good number of customer comments, questions and even complaints if they cannot stay focused on one network at a time.
Talk to your employees about the importance of focusing on one task at a time.
Human brains do not multi-task as well as so many of us would like to believe.
So, when you have one person trying to stay on top of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
all at once, there is a very good chance that a lot of things your customers are saying are going unnoticed.
Letting the customer be right One of the main issues that so many people in a customer-centric business face is the old "customer is always right" adage.
Even your most experienced employee can find themselves in a tangle with a customer who insists that they are right even at times when they clearly are not.
This can lead to a lot of tension and even a lost customer.
Try changing to a new perspective.
Instead of saying the customer is always right, try focusing on the "customer is never wrong.
" If, for instance, your customer ordered a dress from your website but was not happy with the way it fit her, don't waste time trying to convince her that the dress is lovely and she should keep it.
She knows that it was not right for her, so just do what it takes to make her happy.
Empower your employees to do what they can to make a customer happy.
The faster an issue is resolved, the more satisfied they will be and may become a loyal repeat customer for your business.
Every business works hard to make sure the customer is happy with the service they receive online, whether it is through the website or a social network.
What do you think are your biggest customer service obstacles when it comes to handling them online?
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