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You want to offer exceptional customer service. You know that a good customer experience leads to benefits for your business like a loyal customer base, customers who are willing to pay a premium for your products, and customers who leave great reviews. And if you're offering, or thinking of offering live chat customer support, you're probably already aware of the benefits such as increased sales, high customer satisfaction, and reduced customer support costs.
Positive customer service phrases can enhance customer engagement, drive up satisfaction, and reduce customer churn rate. Luckily for you, finding and using the magic words is not hard; all you have to do is remember a few simple rules and commit to positive scripting. 19 tips to improve your customer service skills. 13 min read Whether you're working in a customer-facing role, managing a team in a contact center or looking to improve customer experience on a company-wide level, use these customer service tips and skills to make sure you're at the top of your game. Newer, better, and faster are all part of your customer's vocabulary. Customers get cranky when they find out there was a newer version of something and you don't have it! It's easy to say, 'Stop being so cranky', but the truth is, we usually have a valid reason for that furrowed brow we wear. Aug 21, 2014 Customers want service, fast. Even if the full answer can't be delivered immediately, always email back the same day. Keep the customer looped into the process, and make sure they understand.
More often than not, to make our customers happy we just need to remove things which stand in the way of effective and positive communication between us as companies and our clients. In a way, it could also be called a cleaning process, or healing process.
But what happens when you don't offer good customer service? Like this example, where the customer service agent addressed his male customer during the chat session as 'ma'am' and didn't have a basic understanding of the problem? Or this example where the customer had to wait 20 minutes before being connected to an agent and received a canned response that didn't resolve her issue?
Bad customer service can lead to frustrated and dissatisfied customers, a negative reputation for your business, and lots of lost customers. In the examples above, these live chat agents simply didn't observe some of the general rules of live chat etiquette, or even general customer service etiquette.
Do you want to avoid ending up like them? Then make sure you follow these 10 live chat etiquette tips for your support team.
Rule #1: Don't Keep Your Customer Waiting
When it comes to live chat, the faster your agent's response time, the better. Research has shown that over half of all customers have become irritated if they don't talk to a live person right away while 45% of customers will abandon a purchase if they don't receive an answer from customer support right away! You should consider having your live chat agents automatically accept live chat requests to allow customers speedy access to the information they're looking for.
Rule #2: Good Grammar, Spelling, And Use Of Language
Ensure that your live chat agents have exceptional grammar and spelling skills in whatever language they're offering the support in. A customer support agent with bad grammar or spelling will indicate to your customer that you don't value them and will make your entire business seem unprofessional. Provide tools like infographics with common grammar mistakes to avoid or a dictionary widget for their internet browser. Also, your live chat agent should not use internet speak (such as 'lol' or 'brb'), shorthand, or type in all caps (which may indicate that the agent is shouting). Also, jargon or technical terms should be kept to a bare minimum to prevent the customer from becoming confused.
Rule #3: Provide A Proper Introduction
A bit of familiarity goes a long way in creating an emotional connection between your customer support staff and your customer. By introducing themselves, your agent will put a personal touch on the interaction that will allow the customer to feel more comfortable in exchanging information with your customer support team.
Rule #4: Be Friendly And Cheerful
Being friendly and cheerful can mean the difference between a cold, boring interaction and an enjoyable one. Your customer support agent should be empowered to use a friendly, personable tone when engaging with customers. In fact, one report found that almost 75% of all customers expect their customer service agent to be friendly, meaning that customer service friendliness was expected more than receiving the help that customers need, demonstrating the importance of being friendly.
Rule #5: Always Be Honest
Your customer should never be lied to or deceived. In a situation where a customer's demands cannot be immediately met or there is bad news, your live chat agent should be honest with your customer while seeking the next best alternative. If your live chat agent makes a promise, they should make sure to deliver on that promise.
Rule #6: Keep The Chat Positive
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Your live chat agent should always endeavor to frame the conversation in a positive manner. In the event that there is negative news, your agent should place that news at the beginning of the interaction while 'saving' the positive news for the end, as this has been shown to have a positive effect on customer enjoyment.
Rule #7: Stay On Topic
While it's important to be friendly, it's even more important to never lose sight of the goal of solving the customer's problem. Resist the urge to engage in a discussion that isn't related to that problem. Even if the customer would like to go off track your customer support agent should steer the conversation back to the issue at hand in a polite manner in order to maintain efficiency.
Rule #8: Be Caring And Empathetic
Sometimes your support team will encounter angry or frustrated customers. Instead of trying to argue with them, your customer support team should work hard to diffuse the situation. They should apologize for any inconvenience caused and be willing to spend a reasonable time to allow the customer to cool down. Your agent needs to be willing to empathize with your customer, let them know that they're on his or her side and that their feelings of frustration are understandable.
Rule #9: Check In
It is quite common for customers engaged in live chat to take pauses. They could be on a bathroom break or answering an urgent phone call. Whatever the reason, it is important that you do not end the live chat conversation immediately after getting no response. You will want to give your customers 2-3 chances to respond while they're off, with each chance being at least a couple of minutes before you end the chat.
To Make Customers Happy Don't Skimp On Customer Service Interview
Rule #10: End On A High Note
Don't end a chat session as soon as you think you've solved the issue. Your agents need to have a chat ending protocol to ensure customer satisfaction that should include:
- Thanking the customer for the time taken to discuss their issue,
- Asking the customer whether their issue has been resolved and if they have anything else that they need assistance with.
- Wishing them a good day and telling them goodbye.
By training your live chat support team to follow these 10 easy rules of chat etiquette, there is no reason why your team would be unable to provide exceptional customer service. And with a solution like HappyFox Chat to aid them in providing instant responses to resolve issues or finalize sales quickly, what more could you need?
Of course, these 10 are not the only rules of chat etiquette that your live chat support team should follow. Have you got a rule of your own? Let us know what it is in the comments section below.
You might be making one or more of these support mistakes without even knowing it.
If you read this blog, then I have a high level of confidence that you love your customers.
You know that the success of your business relies on you to make your customers happy and successful, and you want them to know how much you care.
But sometimes, we might do things that make our customers angry or annoyed, even if we don't mean to.
The six mistakes below are the things that annoy customers most, and if you want happy customers, you'll want to avoid these.
1) Phrases That Sound Canned
Saving common replies in your help desk software is a great way to save time on typing the same thing over and over. But they should always be personalized for the customer.
And they shouldn't sound canned.
In 2011, American Express ran a survey that asked respondents which common customer service phrases annoyed them most.
The winner?
2) Long Wait Times
Speed is not the most important factor in support.
But it is a factor.
One survey by Forrester found that 41% of customers expect a response to a customer support email within six hours, but that only 36% of businesses studied actually responded within that timeframe.
Speed becomes even more important in social media, where 32% of users who contact a brand expect a response within 30 minutes, and 42% expect a response within 60 minutes.
3) Being Passed Around
Another study that asked customers what annoys them most saw 37% of respondents mention 'being passed around.'
That is, being transferred from support agent to support agent.
If you've ever had this done to you, you know how frustrating it is.
This happened to me recently. A flight I was booked on had a schedule change, and I wasn't going to be able to make it to the airport in time for the new flight.
When I called the airline, a recording told me that the hold time was more than an hour, so I asked their Twitter team, via DM, for some help.
Their reply?
Good customer service isn't always about knowing the right answer. Often, it's about finding the right answer so that your customer doesn't have to.
'I dont know, but I'll find out for you' is one of the most powerful phrases in customer service.
4) Perceived Rudeness
We all hate it when people are rude to us, but what we rarely think about is that sometimes, the way that we say things might come off as rude, even if we don't mean it that way.
That's why using the right tone in customer service is so, so important.
For example, a Software Advice survey tested various customer service scenarios on respondents, comparing a formal tone to a casual one.
While 65% of online customers — across all ages and genders — prefer a casual tone in customer service over a formal one, the numbers change significantly when the customer is being denied a request.
78% of respondents said that an overly casual tone (like using slang or emoticons) has a negative impact on their experience when the agent is denying a request.
By being too casual when you have to say no to a customer, you imply that you're not taking their request seriously.
And that's just rude.
5) Bad Upsells
Upselling can be a very good thing.
It deepens your relationship with the customer, increases customer lifetime value and helps you grow your business.
But it only works when you do it right; that is, in circumstances where the customer is already feeling like they get great value from doing business with you, and that they can get even more value by buying your upsell.
Take Chris Yeh's example:
After providing GEICO with my location and arranging to wait for the tow truck, the GEICO dispatcher told me, 'From looking at your account, it looks like you're now eligible for a big discount on our comprehensive coverage. Since you're going to be waiting for the tow truck anyways, would you like to hear more?'
15 minutes later, I had agreed to add $1 million in additional coverage for my car and home, at a cost of right around $100 per year.
To Make Customers Happy Don't Skimp On Customer Service Online
I've been a GEICO customer for 16 years already, so it's not much of a stretch to speculate that I might be a customer for another 20 years. That means that GEICO turned a costly customer service call into an incremental $2,000 in lifetime revenue.
To Make Customers Happy Don't Skimp On Customer Service Video
Now, what if Chris had called and was angry about something that GEICO did? Would an upsell have been a good idea.
Definitely not.
NEVER upsell an angry customer.
And never try to make an upsell that doesn't actually add value to the customer's life.
Jeffrey Gitomer explains the customer's perspective in an upsell situation like this:
Tell me how I win. When I win, you win.
If the customer doesn't clearly win with your upsell, then don't even try.
6) No Apology
When a customer is angry at you, you can give them a refund.
Your live chat agent should always endeavor to frame the conversation in a positive manner. In the event that there is negative news, your agent should place that news at the beginning of the interaction while 'saving' the positive news for the end, as this has been shown to have a positive effect on customer enjoyment.
Rule #7: Stay On Topic
While it's important to be friendly, it's even more important to never lose sight of the goal of solving the customer's problem. Resist the urge to engage in a discussion that isn't related to that problem. Even if the customer would like to go off track your customer support agent should steer the conversation back to the issue at hand in a polite manner in order to maintain efficiency.
Rule #8: Be Caring And Empathetic
Sometimes your support team will encounter angry or frustrated customers. Instead of trying to argue with them, your customer support team should work hard to diffuse the situation. They should apologize for any inconvenience caused and be willing to spend a reasonable time to allow the customer to cool down. Your agent needs to be willing to empathize with your customer, let them know that they're on his or her side and that their feelings of frustration are understandable.
Rule #9: Check In
It is quite common for customers engaged in live chat to take pauses. They could be on a bathroom break or answering an urgent phone call. Whatever the reason, it is important that you do not end the live chat conversation immediately after getting no response. You will want to give your customers 2-3 chances to respond while they're off, with each chance being at least a couple of minutes before you end the chat.
To Make Customers Happy Don't Skimp On Customer Service Interview
Rule #10: End On A High Note
Don't end a chat session as soon as you think you've solved the issue. Your agents need to have a chat ending protocol to ensure customer satisfaction that should include:
- Thanking the customer for the time taken to discuss their issue,
- Asking the customer whether their issue has been resolved and if they have anything else that they need assistance with.
- Wishing them a good day and telling them goodbye.
By training your live chat support team to follow these 10 easy rules of chat etiquette, there is no reason why your team would be unable to provide exceptional customer service. And with a solution like HappyFox Chat to aid them in providing instant responses to resolve issues or finalize sales quickly, what more could you need?
Of course, these 10 are not the only rules of chat etiquette that your live chat support team should follow. Have you got a rule of your own? Let us know what it is in the comments section below.
You might be making one or more of these support mistakes without even knowing it.
If you read this blog, then I have a high level of confidence that you love your customers.
You know that the success of your business relies on you to make your customers happy and successful, and you want them to know how much you care.
But sometimes, we might do things that make our customers angry or annoyed, even if we don't mean to.
The six mistakes below are the things that annoy customers most, and if you want happy customers, you'll want to avoid these.
1) Phrases That Sound Canned
Saving common replies in your help desk software is a great way to save time on typing the same thing over and over. But they should always be personalized for the customer.
And they shouldn't sound canned.
In 2011, American Express ran a survey that asked respondents which common customer service phrases annoyed them most.
The winner?
2) Long Wait Times
Speed is not the most important factor in support.
But it is a factor.
One survey by Forrester found that 41% of customers expect a response to a customer support email within six hours, but that only 36% of businesses studied actually responded within that timeframe.
Speed becomes even more important in social media, where 32% of users who contact a brand expect a response within 30 minutes, and 42% expect a response within 60 minutes.
3) Being Passed Around
Another study that asked customers what annoys them most saw 37% of respondents mention 'being passed around.'
That is, being transferred from support agent to support agent.
If you've ever had this done to you, you know how frustrating it is.
This happened to me recently. A flight I was booked on had a schedule change, and I wasn't going to be able to make it to the airport in time for the new flight.
When I called the airline, a recording told me that the hold time was more than an hour, so I asked their Twitter team, via DM, for some help.
Their reply?
Good customer service isn't always about knowing the right answer. Often, it's about finding the right answer so that your customer doesn't have to.
'I dont know, but I'll find out for you' is one of the most powerful phrases in customer service.
4) Perceived Rudeness
We all hate it when people are rude to us, but what we rarely think about is that sometimes, the way that we say things might come off as rude, even if we don't mean it that way.
That's why using the right tone in customer service is so, so important.
For example, a Software Advice survey tested various customer service scenarios on respondents, comparing a formal tone to a casual one.
While 65% of online customers — across all ages and genders — prefer a casual tone in customer service over a formal one, the numbers change significantly when the customer is being denied a request.
78% of respondents said that an overly casual tone (like using slang or emoticons) has a negative impact on their experience when the agent is denying a request.
By being too casual when you have to say no to a customer, you imply that you're not taking their request seriously.
And that's just rude.
5) Bad Upsells
Upselling can be a very good thing.
It deepens your relationship with the customer, increases customer lifetime value and helps you grow your business.
But it only works when you do it right; that is, in circumstances where the customer is already feeling like they get great value from doing business with you, and that they can get even more value by buying your upsell.
Take Chris Yeh's example:
After providing GEICO with my location and arranging to wait for the tow truck, the GEICO dispatcher told me, 'From looking at your account, it looks like you're now eligible for a big discount on our comprehensive coverage. Since you're going to be waiting for the tow truck anyways, would you like to hear more?'
15 minutes later, I had agreed to add $1 million in additional coverage for my car and home, at a cost of right around $100 per year.
To Make Customers Happy Don't Skimp On Customer Service Online
I've been a GEICO customer for 16 years already, so it's not much of a stretch to speculate that I might be a customer for another 20 years. That means that GEICO turned a costly customer service call into an incremental $2,000 in lifetime revenue.
To Make Customers Happy Don't Skimp On Customer Service Video
Now, what if Chris had called and was angry about something that GEICO did? Would an upsell have been a good idea.
Definitely not.
NEVER upsell an angry customer.
And never try to make an upsell that doesn't actually add value to the customer's life.
Jeffrey Gitomer explains the customer's perspective in an upsell situation like this:
Tell me how I win. When I win, you win.
If the customer doesn't clearly win with your upsell, then don't even try.
6) No Apology
When a customer is angry at you, you can give them a refund.
You can throw free products at them.
You can comp their account for a year.
But don't forget the incredible value of a simple apology.
Even if you didn't do anything wrong, you can still be sorry about the way the customer feels… I always hate it when customers aren't happy, so I'm genuinely sorry to see them upset, whether it was my fault or not.
Let them know that.
In one study at the Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, 37% of customers were satisfied with service recovery when they were offered something of monetary value (e.g., a refund or credit). But when the business added an apology on top of the compensation, satisfaction doubled to 74%.
Treat Your Customers As You'd Want To Be Treated
Nobody likes being made to wait, dealing with rude people or being made to feel like they're not important.
To Make Customers Happy Don't Skimp On Customer Service Phone Number
While most of us do our best to ensure that our customers know how much we appreciate them, it can be easy to slip up.
Use the examples above as a reminder to stay vigilant about the things you say – and how you say them – to keep your customers happy.
