Behind The Scenes: Customer Satisfaction in Customer Support

By Stephanie Levy | HappyOrNot
4 MIN READ

How to give your customers the best Customer Care!

We’ve all been there: you’ve purchased a product or service, had a bad experience, and reached out to Customer Support. Your expectation is that the outcome will be pleasant and your issue resolved in a timely and positive manner. Sometimes, however, the opposite happens, and you are left feeling irritated, unheard, and underappreciated.

No matter whether you are an individual buying something for yourself, or a person acting on behalf of a company, the customer support process follows the same path. Now, when thinking about the scenario, consider yourself on the opposite side of the fence as that Customer Care Specialist. How would you like to have your issue handled? What would make your contact to Customer Support a satisfying customer experience?

If you are one of the unsung heroes in Customer Care, we have some great insider information to help you deliver your customers a smooth and satisfying customer support experience!

Tip #1: Remember, it’s not personal

It might feel like it, and it can be challenging to separate your emotions, but it’s very important to remember that the complaints aren’t personal. It’s a good practice to actively remind yourself to detach from any frustrating tone of voice or comments. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your customer and consider why the situation is frustrating them. Listen to, and connect with, their problem and guide them towards a positive service experience.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Customer Support tip: It’s very important to remember that the complaints aren’t personal. ” quote=”Customer Support tip: It’s very important to remember that the complaints aren’t personal.”]

Tip #2: Apologize, but not too often

When communicating with the customer, always be polite, well reserved and professional, and ensure that they feel as if you are taking their issue seriously. While it is important to take responsibility of the issue and apologize for any inconvenience (and studies show that a customer is 2x more satisfied when receiving an apology on top of compensation) don’t apologize too many times. Repeatedly apologizing can be perceived as insincere or flippant, and have a diminishing effect on the situation. Offer the apology upfront, and then move right into the solution.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Customer Support tip: Take responsibility of the issue and apologize for any inconvenience.” quote=”Customer Support tip: Take responsibility of the issue and apologize for any inconvenience.”]

Tip #3: There is such a thing as replying too quickly

It might seem counterintuitive, but there really is such a thing as replying too quickly. If your company uses automated acknowledgement emails, then this is especially true. It’s unnecessary, and honestly annoying from the customer’s POV, to receive too many instant responses. Unless you are able to provide the resolution to the problem on immediately and on first response, give yourself some time to find the solution to the customer’s problem before reaching out to them. It will be more well received.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Customer Support tip: There is such a thing as replying too quickly.” quote=”Customer Support tip: There is such a thing as replying too quickly.”]

Tip #4: Get the details

Sometimes, in the rush or frustration of the customer’s initial contact, they may not provide sufficient details to resolve their problem quickly and effectively. Gather as much information from the customer as needed during your first contact so that you can get to the source of the issue. The more details you can gather, the better you are able to provide clear instructions or requests internally, and provide the customer with a solution that will leave them feeling satisfied with the quality of support.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Customer Support tip: Gather as much information from the customer as needed during first contact.” quote=”Customer Support tip: Gather as much information from the customer as needed during first contact.”]

Tip #5: Don’t make a promise you can’t keep

You may be tempted to promise a customer that you are “97% sure that their issue will be fixed in the next 2 weeks”, but this is likely to just further exacerbate the situation. If the customer’s issue relates to a matter that will take some time to resolve, be honest about the situation and let them know they will not be forgotten. The best practice is to promise to get back to them during the process, follow up in the interim if there are any delays, and advise when issue is fixed.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Customer Support tip: Be honest about the situation and let them know they will not be forgotten.” quote=”Customer Support tip: Be honest about the situation and let them know they will not be forgotten.”]

Tip #6: Be a mind-reader

If you want to give your customers support that has a wow factor, anticipating what they might ask next and already offering answers to those questions is a great way to boost their satisfaction with your support. To do this, look into your resolution history to find similar support tickets and see what communications transpired and how they were resolved. This also helps to reduce the amount of emails or duration of calls, and gives the customer the feeling that you are connected to their issue and have dedicated time to considering possible subsequent concerns.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Customer Support tip: Look into your resolution history to find similar support tickets.” quote=”Customer Support tip: Look into your resolution history to find similar support tickets.”]

Tip #7: First Contact Resolution > First Response Time

Many companies measure customer support success by First Response Time, yet, as noted in Tip #3, there is such a thing as replying too quickly, especially if it’s just a message to confirm that the issue has been received and will be investigated. A metric considered more robust in measuring customer support success is First Contact Resolution – meaning providing a satisfactory solution to the customer’s problem in the first reply. If you are confident that you can provide a solution, but it just might take a bit longer than the standard first response time, make the judgement call to wait. Surprising the customer with the solution to their problem in your first reply is a sure way to turn an unhappy customer into a happy (and returning) one!

[clickToTweet tweet=”Customer Support tip: A good metric to measure your customer support is First Contact Resolution.” quote=”Customer Support tip: A good metric to measure your customer support is First Contact Resolution.”]