Are there any differences between a typical company and one with a strong customer service culture? They aren't always obvious. It is possible to provide excellent customer service to many customers despite not working in a strong customer service culture. Culture is not determined by specific customer interactions. It shapes the entire attitude of the company, and over time it will impact the way the team make decisions and the results they achieve. Having a solid customer service culture means that everyone, including those outside the customer-facing team, has a good understanding of who the customers are and what matters to them.
1. Get the right people
Recruit people who are passionate about customer service, and these people will drive your organization forward. Your staff's attitudes, behaviours, decisions, and responses make your culture. Customer service staff that don't listen to customers' needs or respond poorly to them damages your customer service culture. If they're not replaced, the organization will not suffer.
2. Pay attention to customers
Especially in growing SMEs, it's easy to get busy and forget about your customers. Make small talk with customers in support queues, and listen to their feedback to stay in touch, not just for troubleshooting. You might want to invite customers to your town hall meetings so they can discuss their experiences with your company in a more personal way. Staff will feel more connected to the customers.
3. Build a customer-centric focus
Apart from customer service, the marketing, sales, and product teams have the most significant impact on customer experience. Customer satisfaction should be a key success metric for these teams. Team leaders from these teams should take customer satisfaction seriously.
4. Commit resources
Make sure to commit resources to customer service. Customer service should receive adequate resources if it matters to the organization. Whether you emphasize the importance of customer service or how many wins you celebrate, your company's budget will ultimately tell the most about your commitment.
5. Boost your service teams
Remember to give credit where it's due. It is more productive to focus on your staffs' strengths rather than trying to improve their weaknesses. Identify and discuss their strengths. Make sure you showcase the talents of your customer service team whenever you can. Setting a good example will inspire them. By showing your staff that you care, they'll do the same for their teams and customers.
Final thoughts
It is a long-term commitment.
It's vital for SMEs to take care of their customers and culture. It is common for many businesses to start as customer-centric, but as the company grows, their customer-centricity declines. It takes a lot of time, effort, and focus on building a customer service culture, significantly when the company's priorities, customers, and employees change.
Build the team strong, consider organizing monthly lunch-and-learns to let more seasoned staff share their knowledge. Teamwork like this makes everyone more effective at solving problems, more knowledgeable about how to assist customers and helps build a healthy company culture.
For an efficient and excellent customer experience, there is nothing more important than collaboration between team members. Get systems like DSM Suite 2.0+ Omnichannel Support & Helpdesk that make collaboration easy. It keeps everyone on the same page, which is key to providing outstanding service.
Grow better with Zooloo, we are happy to help you get started with digital transformation, please contact us at sales@zooloo.asia.
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