Customer support is key to the success of every business. It is therefore necessary to make sure you tick off every possibility of making the customer happy. Customer support is essential, as it helps with customer retention, revenue growth, and brand trust.
Figuring out what works best for your target audience requires effort, and this blog will help you do just that.
What is Customer Support?
Customer support enters the phase of business when the sale is already made. It requires the business to attend to the queries of customers regarding the products.
If customer support is neglected, it could eventually result in losing the customer. So if you have a good customer support regime in place, you can ensure customer loyalty, ensure the best reviews from customers, and make sure that customers give you the best lifetime value.
Evolution of Customer Support
The first mode of customer support was through telephones. This mode can be called a predecessor to call centres. These telephones are managed by live operators who are equipped to manage any kind of queries from the customers.
Once telephones and computers became more viable, the customer support slowly started being more manageable with a less amount of people. The chances of errors and missing out on customers are drastically minimized.
Technological advancements helped many countries to outsource their customer support to other countries at a much lower cost. Now, the customer support advances to social media and AI chatbots.
Live chatbots can now attend to customers at any point of the day or time, and they can help customers with solving basic queries and escalate them to customer support executives when necessary.
What are the Core Skills for the Customer Support Team?
1. Knowledge of your product
First and most important customer service skill is that your support agent should have a thorough knowledge of the products and how it works. They have to be given the necessary training with respect to solving the possible errors that might arise while using the product.
The support team should be able to know clearly what to escalate and what can be solved right away during the call.
2. Empathy
Empathy simply refers to the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Now, how to show empathy to your customers? There are a few tips to show empathy:
- Listen actively to customers when they are speaking.
- Apologize to the customers if needed.
- Express a sincere desire to help.
- Be polite even if the customer is not.
- Understand the customer’s need clearly.
Implementing empathy can calm down your frustrated customers and can make them stick to your brand.
3. Patience
Keep in mind that customer service is not an easy job. Sometimes your customers will be angry at you, sometimes the customers need more time to understand what you say, and sometimes things will be very difficult.
No matter what the issue is, you have to always be patient while dealing with the customers. Patience is one of the toughest customer service skills to develop, yet one of the biggest assets you will have as a support agent.
4. Choosing the right language
Positive reinforcement should be clearly seen in the language used. If you are going to use negative words like can’t, don’t, it can easily impact customer perception.
It is ideal to play around with words, which will help customers to have the feeling that their query has a solid solution. You need to help them be at ease without further creating any anxiety through the language used.
5. Clarity in communication
Everyone likes the problem to be solved as fast as possible. What if you could solve the problem in one less email? Conveying messages with greater clarity can reduce conversation length and help solve the issue more quickly.
To clearly communicate your ideas to customers, you need to be skilled in the language you use. If you are not good at that, you will be telling something, and the customer will understand something else. Even if the customer is not good at conveying his issue, a good support agent should be able to understand and solve his issue.
6. Time management skills
Managing customer queries within a limited time frame can ensure that the customer does not get irritated. When it comes to customer service, one example of time management is that, when you understand that you cannot answer the customer query, don’t try to waste time on it. Instead, pass the query to others who can solve it.
7. Ability to understand your customer
A customer support executive will not usually have the chance to sit face-to-face with the customer, as the communication is mostly done through toll-free numbers or through support emails. So understanding how your customers respond and understanding what their current emotions are requires an excellent touch.
Many of the customers will be in a different mood, and their messages can clearly convey their current emotions. Read the room and reply to them accordingly. So that you can make the customers calm and also improve the overall customer experience.
8. Solving Ability
You should be able to solve the customer issues easily and with good customer satisfaction. In the end, you should analyze all those solved issues and check whether the conversation went well or not. This will help you analyze areas where you need to improve yourself.
Sometimes the customer may have many issues within the same email or ticket. Make sure that all his issues/ requirements are solved before closing it. It will help in closing the customer ticket with maximum satisfaction.
9. Keep improving your skills
All the skills that we have covered so far will definitely help you in improving support skills and customer experience. You should keep on improving these skills to survive in this competitive field. You should measure your performance.
Use the WSDesk report dashboard to view the agent’s performance. Here you can get the statistics about the status of tickets, agent response, and so on.
Customer Support Strategies that Work
Here are some clearly designed ways that can help with creating the best customer support strategies:
Adopt a Proactive Approach
Rather than waiting for a customer to bring up their queries, it would be much better to figure out a way to solve the basic queries that may arise in the course of action. You can attach a handbook or manual to the product, Frequently Asked Questions, or a live chatbot to address normal queries.
Provide Omnichannel Support
For customer support to work seamlessly, it is not ideal to fixate just on one channel for the same. Brands are now actively engaging through their social media posts to reach to their customers, if they find issues with the product or service.
So, you can use social media handles, toll-free numbers, emails, etc., as your omnichannel solutions for attending to your customers in every way possible.
Faster Response Times
If the time taken to revert to a query is more than the minimum expected, then the customer would find it difficult to come back to the product or service for a next purchase.
To make sure that you are approachable to your customers, you need to fix a response time that doesn’t test the patience of the users.
Personalize Responses
If the customer is a returning one, you can use their query history or purchase history to relate to them. This will give you more leverage over the customers and help to give apt responses and not generic ones.
Use Automation Wisely
Now, businesses use automated support to deal with basic customer queries. Live chatbots and helpdesk plugins will help in regulating queries that are basic and escalate ones that require immediate attention.
Turn Customer Support to Retention Tool
Customer support should not be seen as a chore but should be used as a retention tool. Taking maximum effort in customer support can help customers to have a more connect with your brand.
Such valuable conversations and resolutions can help with better relationship and thus customers returning back to you will no longer be a faint possibility.
Best Practices for Delivering Good Customer Support
No one knows about customer interactions better than Support Agents. They are the ones who have a first-hand experience with the customers. So, for a Support Agent, here are some things that will help:
1. First Impression matters
How many times has it happened that within 5 minutes of customer interaction, the customer makes a bad impression of the whole company?
It is in those first few minutes that the customer will decide whether to invest in your company or not. Unlike businesses, customers have a choice to shift anytime. If your support agents are not able to make an extraordinary impact, the customer will surely leave for a better option.
So the agents need to focus on what to say for the first couple of minutes. Figure out how to make customers trust your brand. A support agent should be clear in what he/she is telling the customers. If the customer stays with the support agent at that time, there is a pretty good chance for that to happen in the future, too.
2. Represent the Company
How an employee behaves with a customer reflects a lot about the company’s principles and work culture. When interacting with customers, be it through a call or an email, make sure the support agents have a clear approach. An approach that shows how well the company handles its customers.
The way a support agent treats customers gives them an idea of how the rest of the employees will treat them. So they should make sure to provide an outstanding experience to the customers, as they are the ones who represent the company to them.
3. Keep Customers Posted about the Company’s Plans
Working as a Support Agent is not just about solving customer queries. It also means that they are a way for customers to remain updated about the happenings in the company.
Support agents should know their customers well and give them something to think about. They don’t have to talk just about anything or tell a detailed story about some product launch that may happen in the future. Just tell something that customers will find interesting. Be it a new feature or even a whole new product that the company is working on, the more it is communicated, the more it will benefit you.
Sometimes a customer can give a simple, straight solution to some of the most tricky business problems. You never know what may happen.
4. Take a Calm Approach
While managing customers, patience is the key to providing the best Customer Experience. The customers know that support agents are the specialists. That is the reason they ask them to solve their issues.
Not everyone is tech-savvy. Sometimes, a minor issue can make customers a bit irritated. Being calm during such situations helps in handling the situation better and makes a very good impression about the support agent as well as the company.
5. Admit Your Mistakes
We are all humans. We can’t be right all the time. A customer may or may not know about how things work. But for them, a Customer Support Agent is expected to know everything. So there is no room for even a small mistake.
So whenever support agents commit a mistake, as minor as it seems, they should admit their fault. Apologize if necessary. It doesn’t matter if it was intentional or not.
This will not only help in building trust but will also let the customer know about their honesty.
6. Be Casual
But now the interactions are a bit less formal. Support agents should try to address customers by name instead of calling them Sir or Ma’am. They should be more personal and friendly to the customers.
Customers don’t want to just solve their problems. They want to learn how to solve the problem themselves. So in the future, if needed, they could also solve the problem. So being a bit less formal and a bit more descriptive will make a huge difference.
7. Avoid Automatic Responses
Customers are not robots. They are humans. So treat them like humans.
Automatic responses do help in decreasing the time taken for various things. But try to minimize the use of automated responses to just sending the status of the customer’s issue and other notifications.
Instead, provide customers with personalized responses. These responses will help customers to establish a stronger bond with the company.
8. Help Genuinely wherever possible
Helping customers, solving the most number of issues, and meeting the target is a very good practice. But this should not be done at the cost of customer satisfaction.
If there is an issue that a support agent is not supposed to resolve, he shouldn’t just pass it on, saying, ” …I have reported your issue to the concerned department. You can further contact them about the status…”
Instead, he should make sure the issue is resolved. If it concerns some other department, he should inform them about this issue. Assuring customers by saying something like,“…even if I’m not able to solve it right now, I’ll make sure this issue gets resolved in a couple of hours…and then I will personally get back to you… “can surely leave a positive impact.
A support agent should be true to his job as well as to his customers.
9. Be Positive about Complications
There may come a time when a serious issue will demand more time and effort. In such a case, the customers are fully dependent on the customer support agent.
So instead of telling customers,
“…I’m sorry…there are some complications…regarding your issue…so I will not be able to assist you right now… You will have to wait for the time being…”
They should tell them something like,
“I have submitted your request to the supervisor…we will surely take care of the issue as soon as possible… I will let you know regarding any updates…As it will take just a couple of hours…there is no need to worry…”
This helps customers feel secure and important. Customers don’t want to worry about complications regarding the issues. There is no use in letting customers know how complicated the issue was. Instead, let them know when the issue is resolved.
10. Keep your word
Customer support staff have a strong bond with the customers. This bond is based on the fact that the customers believe what the support agent says. Be it a solution to an issue or any important information, there is always a trust between the customer and a support agent.
But it is the duty of the support agent to suggest a well-tested solution. If somehow they need time to resolve the issue, they should let the customer know. They should not make them believe that the issue will be resolved quickly. It will only make things worse.
Similarly, it’s better not to make promises that they can’t keep. If they have already given a deadline to resolve customers’ issues, they should make sure to resolve them before that. Customer support is not about giving customers what they expect from your support staff, but giving them something beyond that.
11. Be Responsible with the Customers
There are times when a customer can be a bit tough to handle. Be it their problem, behavior, the way they approach the solution you provide, or something else, it’s a support agent’s responsibility to help the customer.
Support agents should not just redirect the customer, saying that they are unable to either understand or solve the issue.
This puts a bad impression on the customer’s mind that the support staff is not capable enough. Instead, they should be responsible for the customers. Either they can solve their issues themselves or can get it done by someone else, if necessary.
This extra effort can help customers create more than just a professional bond with your team and company.
12. Notice details about the customer
Customer satisfaction is not just based on the fact that the customer support team was able to resolve the issue. Adding a personal touch also matters a lot.
For example, support agents can wish customers on their birthdays (the date of birth will be there in detail) or ask them how their day was.
Remember the details that customers tell you. It not only gives a good impression of the company’s way of managing its customers but also shows that the support agents actually care.
13. Don’t forget to Thank Customers
Today, customers are the basis of product development. They contribute a lot to the innovation and improvisation of the product. Besides, they are the ones trusting your company and your products. Thanking them out of politeness or courtesy isn’t too much to ask. Right?
Support agents should start by sending a personalized thank-you note to the customers.
Even while solving the issues, they should approach them with something like, “… Thanks for your patience… I know this issue bothered you for quite some time now… I will make sure your effort and time spent with us is worth the effort…”
14. End conversations on a High Note
Earlier, we talked about the importance of a polite and nice beginning while talking to customers. The same effort should be made while ending a conversation with customers.
Ending conversations by wishing them seems to be a very polite gesture. But support agents can go a step further by wishing customers a very happy weekend or a Merry Christmas, for instance.
It matters a lot to the customers when the company and its employees try something out of the box. By being more than just a couple of professionals, if support agents try to have a genuine conversation with customers, they can truly become pro-support agents.
Tools that Help with Customer Support
Now, to make your life easy and provide your customers with prompt support, you will require the assistance of good tools. Let’s look into them:
HelpDesk and Ticketing Systems
Helpdesk and ticketing systems can help in regulating customer queries efficiently. ELEX WSDesk WordPress Helpdesk & Customer Support Ticketing Plugin is your go-to solution for managing customer support with ease.
The plugin helps in centralizing all customer tickets, inquiries, and complaints in your WordPress dashboard. ChatGPT integration helps you automate replies that match the tone of your customer query.
The plugin is available in both free and premium versions.
Live Chat and ChatBot Solutions
Live Chat is a good solution if you want your customers to be engaged when on your website. Not just customer support, but it can also help customers to find exactly what they are looking for on your website.
ELEX WSChat Live Chat Plugin for WordPress is a good solution for meeting the exact needs of live support on your website. With this plugin, you can seamlessly interact with customers and even tag conversations for future reference. ChatGPT can be used for automated responses. Customize the chat layout according to your website’s colors as well.
CRM Integrations
Using CRM integrations with your customer support system can help bring in a lot of benefits to the business. CRM integrations help with creating a unified customer view, making it less prone to errors from manual entry, boosting efficiency, etc.
The integration can also bring in first-contact resolutions, proactive support, and smarter decision-making. Some of the best CRM integrations for customer support are Salesforce, Nutshell CRM, etc.
What are the Different Customer Support Challenges?
A customer intentionally doesn’t create a lot of problems for the customer support agents. Most of the time, the support staff faces these problems just because of miscommunication or misunderstanding between a customer and the agent.
But sometimes, when there is a lot of expectation from the support staff, they may face some serious challenges.
1. When the customer gets angry
All your customers may not be tech-savvy. Still, they may try to solve their problems themselves and fail. This makes the situation much worse, resulting in an annoyed and angry customer.
But it’s not always the customer’s fault. Sometimes, there can be a mistake on the customer support agent’s part, which can make the customer angry.
Whatever the reason may be, a smart Support Agent should be able to handle the situation well. Making the customer calm down is a work half done. The real challenge is to make the customer believe in you again.
Now the question arises, “ How to overcome this challenge..? How to handle an angry customer? “
One can easily take pointers from the strategy Disney used to recover when they had a service failure. It was known as H.E.A.R.D.
Hear: And more specifically, listen. Give the customer the opportunity to tell their complete, uninterrupted story.
Empathize: Empathy creates an emotional connection, a trust that is crucial to demonstrating an authentic willingness and ability to help the customer. Consider using phrases like “If I were in your shoes…” and “Your reactions are completely normal…” to validate the customer’s feelings.
Apologize: Sometimes, this is all the customer is looking for. The power of a sincere apology should never be underestimated. You must take ownership and remember, the manner in which you apologize matters greatly — apologies cannot be scripted.
Resolve: Speed is critical to recovery and is best achieved when the maximum amount of authority possible is delegated to employees.
Diagnose: Seek perfection, settle for excellence. Remove any personal guilt and examine the processes related to the service failure. Returning customers will appreciate your efforts to improve the experience.
2. Not knowing the solution to the customer’s issue
A customer support agent is not perfect. But for a customer, he is supposed to know everything. But what if there is something that even the support agent is not able to answer? How to handle a challenge like this?
When a customer comes up with an issue, he is not concerned about whether a support agent knows the solution. But this is where most of the support agents fail to handle the situation.
Do you know the reason why a customer decides to contact support? It is because either he has already tried to solve the issue himself and failed, or he doesn’t want to solve it himself.
Customer support agents can overcome this challenge by taking responsibility and making sure that the customer doesn’t need to do anything. It is their job to get the solution to customers’ issues. Even if they don’t know the solution, but if they are responsible enough to find the solution for the customer, that is more than enough for them.
And as far as the interaction is concerned, they can simply tell your customer,” Oh! So this is the issue that’s been bothering you… It will take me some time to discuss this issue with my associates… but I’ll surely update you as soon as I find the solution… “
3. When there is a defect in the product
As you might have noticed, in the above challenges, there were chances that customers may be wrong. But what if the customer is right and there is genuinely a defect in the product?
Being on the receiving end of a damaged product is always very disheartening. Especially when the customer has invested a lot of time and money in it. At moments like these, a smart support agent will not blame others.
The best thing to do in a scenario like this is to admit your fault and apologise. By saying something like,” I’m so sorry that you had to face this issue…If that is ok, can I place a new order for you right now…after confirmation, our associate will collect the damaged product from you…once again, as disappointing as it is, I apologise for this mistake… “, they can do their part.
And if possible, they can also send a discount coupon or a gift card just to make up for the mistake.
4. When a customer asks for something that you can’t provide
There are times when a customer may either ask for favours or request some features specific to their business case. Personally, I feel that if a small favour results in customer retention, it’s not a big deal. Also, if a customer wants a feature based on their business needs, then it’s ok too.
A customer support agent is supposed to decide at that time. They can even discuss with their supervisor and then decide whether to provide customers with what they are asking.
Now you may ask,” But what if we decide not to fulfil their request?”
It is perfectly fine. Customers don’t mind if you don’t fulfil their requests, but you should let customers know what made them take the decision.
Saying something like,” It is so nice of you to discuss this with us… But as much as I want to fulfil your request… I’m sorry the policies do not allow me to offer something like this…”, can help handle the situation.
And when it is a feature request or a suggestion, refusing directly will be considered rude by the customers. In such a scenario, support agents should try to acknowledge the customer’s efforts and suggestions first, and then come to any conclusions. Consider the reply below,
“Hey its really great to hear your suggestion. It feels good when customers put their time and effort into a product to improve its features. I will surely discuss it with the product development team and keep you posted about the status. But as you know, decisions like these require time. Also, we will have to consider other customers’ opinions too. When it comes to features, we really want our customers to have the best. But thanks a lot for your suggestions.”
A reply like this will not only let the customer know that the company actually considers customer suggestions, but it will also give a good impression about how much customer satisfaction matters to you.
5. When the product is not available
As we learnt in the previous section, customers invest a lot of time in the selection of a product. But what if the product is currently unavailable? How to cope with such a situation?
Being a support agent, no one likes to tell their customers that the product they want is no longer available. That they have to wait further to get that product.
But being positive in such a situation is the key to customer management. Let us consider the reply that a customer generally receives when such a thing happens.
“Sorry for the inconvenience, but your order has been put on hold due to an issue. The product that you ordered is currently not available. We are sorry to inform you that it will not be available until next Monday.”
The issue with such an answer is that the customer doesn’t really care how sorry support agents are. Further, it is very annoying to hear that he will have to order the same thing again after a few days. There is nothing that is good for the customer here.
Now check out this reply,
“Hey, I see that you had ordered _____. It is indeed a great product. But we are currently shipping these from next Monday. Since you are interested in this product, I have booked it for you, and I will personally make sure it gets delivered to you by Tuesday morning.”
Since the reply is in a positive tone, it is not hard for the customer to believe what the support agent told him. Also, there is nothing to worry as far as the customer is concerned. His order is already pre-booke,d and the delivery date is also confirmed.
6. When you have to redirect a customer
Customers take it very personally how the support staff treats them. For them, it is not always about solving issues. It is more about how much customer satisfaction and their convenience matter to the company.
While dealing with customers, sometimes support agents have to redirect them to another agent or even the supervisor. But this is not always a wise move. Most of the support agents commit a mistake of redirecting their customers without telling them why exactly they are doing it. Or in some cases, they say too much.
Consider this reply from a support agent to a customer: “I have looked at your issue, and now I will redirect you to my associate, who will then assist you further.”
How would you feel if you got a reply like this? For me, it will be a clear sign that there is something wrong with the customer support. Either there is a shortage of staff or the current agent was not capable of solving my issues.
In both cases, it will never be the customer who will be prioritized. There will be many thoughts about why exactly this thing happened.
In any case, customers should be given priority. To deal with such a challenge, support agents need to focus more on what the customer wants and less on the support staff’s capabilities. Consider the reply,
“Hi. I see you had some issues with the product handling and installation. Let me connect you to our product expert, ______. I feel he is the best when it comes to product installations and handling. I assure you all your issues will be resolved. Thanks for your time, and let us know if we can assist you any further. Happy to help.”
By saying this, the customer is not only assured that he is being redirected to the expert, but he also knows that it is fine to ask for further assistance if needed.
7. Telling customers something that may not benefit the company
Being a Customer Support Agent is a very difficult job. On one side, they have to manage customer and on the other, they have to make sure the company’s interests and their targets are met.
But the real challenge is when they have to choose between the customer’s interest and that of company. What should they do in that situation?
The first thing that they should keep in mind that if they consider the company’s interest, one way or another the customer will come to know. And when he does, it will be a case of a bad reputation for the company.
So when they know that the product does not meet the requirements of the customer, they have to make a difficult choice. In such scenario, too, the customer should be given priority.
Let us consider this reply,” Hi. I noticed that our product failed to perform as you expected. My sincere apologies are with you. But it might be because your business requirements are something else. In such a case, you can consider using <an alternate> and see if that solves your issue. I really wish we could help you more. I will make sure your paid amount is refunded by tomorrow. Let me know if you need further assistance.”
By saying this and by suggesting an alternate product, which might be a competitor, support agents can put customers above everything else. So even if the customer fails to remember the product, he will surely remember the outstanding experience he had with the support staff.
8. Efficiently closing customer conversation
It is rightly said that the first impression is the last. But when it comes to customers, be it the first conversation they ever had with a support agent or the last one, impressions can change at any moment.
In such a scenario, it is a real challenge to start a conversation properly and to end it well.
Customers don’t require special treatment every time they have a conversation. But adding a personal touch to the conversation while starting and especially while closing is something your customers will never forget.
You can close a conversation with your customer in a number of ways, depending on the situation. The trick is to identify the right moment to say the right thing.
For example, wishing customers on occasions like birthdays or simply weekends adds a personal tone to the conversation. Making a customer comfortable is the key to customer retention. If a customer is comfortable talking to a support agent, he will never hesitate to give his valuable time and views about the product or the company.
Conclusion
Maintaining a steady relationship with your customers is indeed a skill that you need to master. Having all the key elements at hand is necessary to strategize the entire process. Hope this blog was able to guide you in making the right plan to deal with your customers and provide them with the best journey.
FAQs
- What is the most effective customer support strategy?
A mix of proactive support, fast response times, and personalized communication is the most effective approach. - Why is omnichannel support important?
It allows customers to reach you on their preferred platform without repeating their issue. - How does automation improve customer support?
Automation handles repetitive tasks quickly, freeing agents to focus on complex customer issues. - What role does personalization play in customer support?
Personalized support builds trust and makes customers feel valued, improving satisfaction and retention. -
How can customer support reduce churn?
Quick issue resolution and positive support experiences increase customer loyalty and prevent churn.
