Top 5 Critical Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid

There are multiple reasons why businesses fail. It may be because of poor managerial decisions, inability to cope with the challenges of th...

There are multiple reasons why businesses fail. It may be because of poor managerial decisions, inability to cope with the challenges of the market, high taxation and interest rates, and most importantly, below-par customer service. Customer satisfaction is a crucial component of any business and if your customers aren’t satisfied with your service or product, you are in a deep mess. Many companies, no matter how big or small, shift this focus entirely toward customer acquisition. Yes, new customers are good for business but if your existing customers aren’t well treated, then there is no point even trying for the new ones.

Companies that realize this early on are bound to succeed in the market. Moreover, the employees working in the customer service departments are the true reflection of a country. The companies generate revenues as a result of their untiring efforts and the business suffers if they make any mistakes. There are common mistakes almost every department makes. Therefore, we came up with a comprehensive guide on all the common mistakes a customer service agent should avoid at any cost.

Top 5 Critical Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid

1. Putting customers on unnecessary hold

Holds are frustrating and might annoy even the calmest of people. This is one of the most common mistakes in Customer Service. Putting a customer on unnecessary hold can trigger any customer and you are very likely to get a bad review online. This will not only tarnish your reputation but you’ll also end up with a financial loss. Customers act as opinion leaders and ambassadors for your business, and mistakes like these will take you down a slippery slope.

Nevertheless, there is always a better way of doing things. Whenever you need to put a customer on hold, take consent politely. Explain to them whatever you are doing for them and the time it is going to take. Be very precise about it. If you do not finish your job within the informed time, come back online and thank the customer for waiting. Give them the update and if the work requires more time, inform them politely once again. This simple hack will help customers to stay calm as they wait. There are many successful service providers and many others who are following this same strategy of an unnecessary hold.

2. Speaking robotically

The customers are humans and they would want to interact with a human. A majority of customer service departments with their robotic tones make customers uncomfortable while discussing their issues. Customers are more than just data for your spreadsheet. Act and speak like a human. Make sure you build rapport with the customer. Try to understand their concerns and come up with a logical solution to all their woes. If not, tell them you can't find a solution at the moment but it will be sorted out as soon as possible.

3. Forcing customers to use a specific channel

All customers are different and have their own communication preferences. Therefore, you need to offer as many customer service channels as you can handle reasonably. This will help you accommodate your wide customer base. Customers should be given absolute freedom and if you limit your communication channels, it is plain suicide for your business. Your competitors might get an edge over you if you don’t provide Omni-channel mobility and freedom.

4. Being reactive

You can either be proactive or simply reactive, the choice is always yours. Many companies take the reactive route and they have this contentment with their products or services. They are under the impression that once their product is sold, they have no responsibility for what happens afterward. This is the wrong approach. Companies should make sure that whatever product or service they are selling, they take complete responsibility for it and that the customers are satisfied with it. Even if there is a problem with the product, it needs to be sorted out as early as possible. The best approach is to ensure all the employees interact with clients every month so that they can understand their concerns.

5. Poor Upselling

Upselling is good for any business only if you do it right. Don’t try to upsell on every occasion. It is advisable to upsell only when the customer acts like getting great value from doing business with you.