10 key techniques for excellent customer service
In the pursuit of excellence and in competitive markets where the goal is to acquire and retain customers, we cannot neglect customer service. Often, it is the way an employee treats you that makes you come back or appreciate the service more. A good waiter not only takes your order and serves you, but also offers exceptional treatment and makes you feel at home. It is those little details, or their absence, that make you want to come back and that set you apart from the competition.
Key benefits of good customer service
Providing good customer service has numerous advantages:
- Obtain recommendations: Word of mouth is the oldest, free, and most effective way to attract new customers. A recommendation from a customer who is satisfied with your brand is the best form of advertising.
- Improve your ranking: when you create better reviews, your reach increases and your market recognition grows. Customer satisfaction translates into more searches and a better ranking among your competitors.
- Build loyalty: with good customer service, you earn more points to build customer loyalty, and loyal customers spend on average 70% more. In other words, a satisfied customer will come back to you.
- Gaining preference among options: a brand is established when customers spend little time choosing that brand from among multiple options. The ultimate goal is that when someone thinks of a restaurant, yours is the first one that comes to mind.
- Increased sales: A satisfied customer is more likely to spend more on your brand than one who has received poor service. When people feel comfortable, they tend to prolong the purchasing process, which increases the likelihood that they will end up spending more.
The 10 best customer service techniques
1. Personalised treatment technique: include their name
One way to connect with customers is to address them by name. This makes them feel appreciated and special. Avoid addressing them in an impersonal manner and try to remember the details they mention, so that you can make the relationship more personal.
When someone calls you by name, you pay more attention and are more attentive. There are many studies whose conclusions are always the same: when the person we are talking to uses our name, we respond more positively to their commercial proposals. Therefore, it is important to know the name of the person we are addressing so that we can refer to them naturally by name (the sooner we know it, the better). It should also be borne in mind that repetitive use can be very intrusive and annoying.
Creating connections and common ground brings people together and makes customers trust your words more and view the product you are selling them in a better light. It is a tactic widely used by salespeople.
2. Kind attention technique: maintain a positive attitude
Maintaining a positive and relaxed attitude with the customer influences their behaviour even in difficult and stressful situations.
Your positive attitude is reflected in your smile, your voice and your eye contact, which can influence the customer’s reaction. Even if complaints or negative situations arise, it is important to remain calm and avoid becoming defensive.
When faced with any problem, customers want to express their dissatisfaction and concerns to the company. Being positive in these situations can only help to improve them. Recognising your limitations as a member of staff and avoiding promising impossible solutions can also help to deal with the situation.
3. Technique for conveying presence: use body language
The message is just as important as non-verbal language. This can completely change how it is interpreted. The body plays a very important role in communicating what you want to say with gestures. Making eye contact, nodding your head and taking notes during the conversation are ways to show that you are actively listening and evaluating what is being said. Taking notes not only demonstrates attention, but also helps you remember important details and shows a commitment to continuous improvement.
It is essential to avoid distractions when interacting with a customer. Whether it is a transaction, signing a contract or delivering products, it is crucial to focus entirely on the customer to build trust and demonstrate that their satisfaction is a priority.
Furthermore, consistency between verbal and body language is essential for building trust. If gestures do not match what is being said verbally, inconsistencies may be perceived, leading to mistrust. Therefore, it is important to ensure that both aspects are consistently aligned when interacting with customers.
4. Active listening technique: pay attention to the situation
There is a technique called HEARD. This technique comprises five aspects (hear, empathise, apologise, resolve and diagnose):
- Listening: paying attention to all the details of what the other person is saying
- Empathise: try to put yourself in the shoes of the person who has the problem.
- Apologise: apologise if necessary; acknowledging your mistake humanises you and invites the customer to empathise with you.
- Resolving the dilemma: the way to put an end to any complaint is usually a real solution, and the sooner the better.
- Diagnostics: finding out what is causing the problem is very important to prevent it from happening again in the future.
5. Technique for providing a solution: offer a reward
Offering rewards to loyal customers, such as a complimentary dinner if they have visited 10 times previously, encourages frequent purchases and satisfies the customer.
When things are not going well and problems arise, a good way to make them feel appreciated and listened to is to offer them rewards for the inconvenience they have suffered.
When hotels receive negative reviews, many try to investigate the issues that caused guest dissatisfaction in order to avoid such situations in the future. As compensation for the inconvenience, they tend to offer free stays in suites or luxury rooms. This leaves the customer with a good impression and the hotel gets a positive review on its website.
Other examples of compensatory benefits include discounts, promotions, or free products/services. When you offer quality after-sales service and an issue arises, customers greatly appreciate having the problem resolved quickly and effectively.
6. FAB technique: identify features, offer advantages and demonstrate benefits
The FAB technique takes its name from the acronym of three key concepts: features, advantages and benefits.
It is mainly used in sales, but can be applied in any customer interaction.
The first step is to observe and analyse the characteristics of the customer’s request in order to identify the attributes of the product or service that best suit their needs.
Next, present the advantages of purchasing that product or service from your company. Finally, highlight the benefits that the customer will obtain, emphasising the exclusive advantages offered by your brand.
7. ELI5 technique: explain it as if you were talking to a 5-year-old child
Speaking as if you were talking to a five-year-old, i.e. in a simple and clear manner, ensures that the message gets through to the customer without any problems. Sometimes the customers we talk to are very familiar with the product or service, and you can talk to them in more technical terms, but other times the customer is a novice and has little knowledge of what you offer.
In the latter case, speaking in simple terms and using examples helps those who are not so specialised to understand. When interacting with customers remotely, it is more difficult to express oneself clearly. When talking on the phone or chatting, it is very useful to have video tutorials explaining how the product works or a guide with tips. It is always important to adapt your communication style to the needs and level of knowledge of your customers.
8. Technique for empathising: feel, felt and found
Empathising with customers is essential to make them feel appreciated by the company, and by following the steps of the feel, felt, found technique, you will succeed naturally:
Recognise the feeling: letting them know that their problem is real and that you understand their discomfort is the first step towards putting them at ease.
It happened to me too (felt): mentioning that you have also experienced that situation in the past, even if it is not entirely true, creates a closer bond with the other person.
I can imagine how (found): recognising someone else’s problem as a situation you have experienced yourself puts the other person at ease.
9. Questioning techniques: ask questions
The questioning technique is used to ask different questions depending on the situation in order to achieve a goal. First, classify the questions according to the situations in which you wish to use them.
For example: closing a sale, resolving an issue, or responding to a customer’s concerns.
The types of questions are:
- Closed questions: these are questions that can be answered with yes or no. With these answers alone, you will already have the information you need.
- Open questions: allow the customer to express themselves better.
- Guiding questions: when you want to steer the conversation without the customer thinking that you are leading them where you want them to go, you can ask questions such as: “Would you like to discuss this aspect of the offer?
- Clarification questions: these are questions asked to ensure that the customer has fully understood all the details of the product and has not missed anything during the conversation.
- Approval questions: these are designed to offer convincing solutions. These questions help you identify the causes or consequences that influenced the purchase and enable you to offer the best option. An example of this type of question could be: “Would you prefer this alternative?”
10. Automation technique: create an omnichannel system
Not all customer interactions have the same level of priority, but it is essential to respond to all requests. Nowadays, immediacy is key, so it is advisable to streamline this process and reduce repetitive tasks by relying on technology.
To this end, implement an omnichannel model that assigns a specific purpose to each communication channel. Analyse your users’ behaviour to identify their channel preferences.
For example, you may find that a chatbot on your website is ideal for resolving simple enquiries, while messaging apps and calls are used for more complex clarifications or complaints, and email for sending notifications and promotions. In addition, we suggest using software that centralises all user communications in one place. This will prevent customers from having to repeat information already provided in previous interactions with your brand.