Outstanding Customer Service

Louise Alderton, 29 January 2011

Providing great customer service is fundamental to any organisation. It can make a significant difference to whether a customer will continue to interact with you or more importantly – not. Just like the saying goes… ‘A happy customer will tell a friend; an unhappy customer will tell the world’. So, employing great customer service as a priority within your organisation is well worth considering.

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People are the Essence

Think of a time when you experienced great customer service, what made it great? My guess would be it was the people. Perhaps the waiter at a restaurant was friendly and attentive or the shop assistant at a clothing store helped you find exactly what you were looking for even when you weren’t really sure yourself. More often than not it is the people that make the difference by making the connection with the customer.

It is Everyone’s Job

Customer service isn’t, nor should it be, the sole responsibility of sales. Expectations and standards should be enforced company-wide. It is likely that each of your staff will be in contact with a customer at some point and it is important that this interaction is up to par – they are representing your company and brand after all. Even though you may commit to hiring outgoing and friendly people to work for your organisation this may not be enough to ensure consistent, quality customer service. You should have a strategy in place that let’s everyone understand how they should be representing the company and how to communicate with a customer effectively.

Small Things Make a Difference

Don’t underestimate the small things. ‘Pleases’, ‘Thank Yous’, Smile’s and ‘Have a Great Days’ can make a big difference to interactions with your customers. These things should be automatic; adopted by everyone in your organisation all of the time. Customers, no matter who they are, expect basic courtesy at the very least. Even such things as follow up emails after a meeting or conversation with the customer can leave them feeling more positive toward your company.

Communication is Key

Communication is the soul of customer service. It is here where a customer will evaluate you most. Firstly you should make it easy for your customers to contact you whether through your website, by phone or email. Any form of communication from a customer should be acknowledged even if they do not necessarily require a response. Your customers should also be able to talk to real people who understand the product or service well. If your phone and web enquiry system is completely automated perhaps you should rethink this approach. Personalised interaction is much more effective than a robot.

Dynamics CRM and Great Customer Service

Microsoft Dynamics CRM has many features that can help you to provide excellent customer service. Let’s take a look at a few of these features.

1. Dynamics CRM connects and integrates all facets within your organisation. What this means for customer service is that each department has visibility across the others allowing them to easily work together and ensure consistency in communication. Everyone can access important information about a customer and tailor their work accordingly.

2. With Dynamics CRM you are able to create comprehensive customer profiles. Each customer profile will include history of interactions, related people and organisations, any activities that have taken place as well as contact information. This is all significant when communicating with the customer that you know their history and current status. This can also save you from any embarrassment caused by repeat communication. All in all a powerful tool for customer service.

3. Easy accessible and up-to-date information along with automation from workflows will allow you to respond to customers quickly. You can also respond precisely with the ‘Dialogs’ feature available with CRM 2011. This feature uses a guided process to help you ask the right questions and capture the right information.

4. The built in Knowledge Base and now with CRM 2011 SharePoint integration you can have a large repository of knowledge available at your fingertips that can help you respond to any enquiry with beneficial information. These can include ‘How to’ and troubleshooting articles.

So, if you don’t have a strong customer service strategy now might the time to start. Begin turning your once-off customers into lifetime customers.

*Image 1 from http://smallbiztrends.com/2009/12/customer-service-trends-2010.html