Customer Support – Tips for Happy Customers
What are the essential elements of good customer support? The key is to be available when you need to be. You may have a product or a service that solves a customer’s problem but if you do not have someone who can explain its capabilities in layman’s language, then it will not matter. You must be able to explain your product or service in simple layman’s language so that your customer understands it and understands why he should purchase it from you.
Communication is another fundamental element of good customer support. When you call up your customer support personnel, be ready with an explanation of how the problem occurred. Then, give them the solution to the problem. Do not try to sell the product or service to your customer by giving him false assurances. Always give them positive reinforcement so that they feel good about buying from you.
It is also very important to understand your customer. Ask questions. Customer support is not an opportunity to sell anything to your customer. A customer support person is there to help the customer find the solution to his problem. If your customer finds that he is not getting the help he needs from you, then he will stop buying from you and probably look for another vendor to buy from.
Communication is also important when dealing with customers who cannot speak English well. Most of the time, you cannot communicate clearly about what you want from your customer. If this happens, then the only way you can resolve the issue is to send him a document with the instructions to reschedule his order or make other arrangements. Keep in mind that the purpose of customer support is to help the customer and not to make the customer feel stupid
If you cannot communicate clearly with your customer, then you can employ the services of a translator who can help you out with the communication. Another good customer support tip is to use a customer service representative (CSR). This person can interact with the customer directly, which eliminates misunderstandings.
The CSR can also help the customer in making decisions about ordering again. If the first customer service experience leaves a bad taste in the customer’s mouth, then the CSR can certainly change the customer’s opinion. The good thing about a CSR is that he/she speaks fluent English and speaks the language of the product/service you are providing.