Giva Blog

The customer service organization has no ulterior motive other than to provide the very best of "care and feeding" of customers. You can break through the noise and elevate your brand and product to an unexpected level of amaze and delight. It is not enough that you simply meet customer needs. Most vendors can do that. The truly exceptional companies go beyond meeting needs to differentiate themselves and build long term shareholder value by building strong customer loyalty. You want your customers to tell their circle of friends and family about how well you take care of them. Over time, the viral marketing by word of mouth will happen and build.

Here is a great White Paper on Customer Service Best Practices-What Features and Functions to look for in Customer Service Software.

https://www.givainc.com/wp/customer-service-best-practices-features-functions-customer-service-software.cfm

Remember when you were courting someone you cared about? You did crazy little things like sending them notes with candy, calling them to ask if everything is going fine, and keeping your commitments when you made a promise. Are you with me? This is the role of customer service. They are charged with the care and feeding of relationships for the long term.

You may say that this is the role of your Sales organization. No customer can question the sincerity of the customer service organization that sends out love notes and gifts to customers. The Customer service department has no self-interest in a commission so this kind of care and feeding comes across pure and sincere. Have you considered sending a small gift along with a customer survey indicating to your customer that you care about them and would like them to take some time and provide some feedback?

Here is a great White Paper on Customer Service Best Practices-What Features and Functions to look for in Customer Service Software.

https://www.givainc.com/wp/customer-service-best-practices-features-functions-customer-service-software.cfm

We are all in the business of winning popularity contests with our customers …everyday. This is especially true when customers are upset at your company. Amaze your customers with a replacement of 1.5x the value of what they purchased with product, upgrades or service coupons. Wow, that makes me more than completely whole again!

Figure out how to amaze and delight your customers every time they reach out to you and you will probably endear them to you for more years then your competitors can. Maybe they will tell their children about your great company and products. Everybody loves to tell amazing stories about how well they were taken care of…since it is such a surprise when it happens today!! The good news is that the bar is not very high! Can you can begin to see how this all makes sense. When a customer has an urgent need or they are in a bind, you must dazzle them so they remember what it feels like to be amazed and delighted.

Here is a great White Paper on Customer Service Best Practices-What Features and Functions to look for in Customer Service Software.

https://www.givainc.com/wp/customer-service-best-practices-features-functions-customer-service-software.cfm

When customers are mad at your company, this is your big opportunity to make amends and turn these currently dissatisfied customers into raging evangelists for you. Some companies can earn deep customer loyalty when the tough times come in the relationship. Other companies just seem to mess it up even more. Success or failure depends upon how they handle the situation. You must have a customer service culture that welcomes all hard to hear feedback and criticism. In fact, you must train your customer service agents to ask for feedback and not be afraid of it.

If your company did wrong, the customer service department should be the first to know. The agents should be coached with a script so there is a consistent message.  Every related phone call should begin with a heartfelt apology. Are you more or less likely to forgive a company that proactively takes full responsibility for short comings? Also, your company should consider immediately reaching out to customers before they call. This is not the time to think about minimizing costs. Your company must think about making an investment to win a popularity contest. You must think, "Amaze and Delight!"

Here is a great White Paper on Customer Service Best Practices-What Features and Functions to look for in Customer Service Software.

https://www.givainc.com/wp/customer-service-best-practices-features-functions-customer-service-software.cfm

To improve, an organization must assess its current practices against those used in other organizations, or "best practices".  Simply put, a best practice is the most effective way to get something done. These practices, processes, and procedures have emerged as proven models for the majority of organizations. However, best practices are dynamic, evolving over time to adapt to changing needs. Periodically, new methods, models, and technologies arise, augmenting or replacing the existing best practice with a new one.

I am going to be writing about Help Desk Best Practices based upon the following three authority sources: the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), the Required Practices for Organizations (BS15000) and the Help Desk Institute (HDI) Best Practices Standards for Certification.

"BS15000 provides a baseline against which the internal IS organization can demonstrate to the business that its service delivery processes represent "Best Practice" and are performing well". Gartner Group

Help desk organizations must assess their competencies, find areas for potential improvement, and grow. A list of Help Desk best practices that can be implemented and used in help desk software serves as the starting point for such an evaluation and improvement process. Use this list to reconsider what you are doing and why, and what you should be doing and when. Balance each potential change in a practice, procedure, or technology with a cost/benefit analysis.

If you would like a white paper on this topic please download it at:

https://www.givainc.com/wp/help-desk-best-practices-features-functions-help-desk-software.cfm

Is this interesting information? Please share your thoughts. Thank you!