Entry Software Corporation

Entry

Customer Service

Improving Customer Service

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How to keep customers coming back
Improve customer service because customers are everything for growing your business.

Consistently improving customer service skills is important for the whole team to succeed and ensure customers keep coming back. Customers are the core of every business and should always be the number one priority. If your company is selling a product or service this is the reason your business is growing. A single poor experience with a customer service representative can result in a lost customer forever. This is why keeping customers satisfied is so important for bringing in more business. Here are five strategies that will help you improve your customer service!

1. Know your Products and Services

To help the customer, your team members must have a deep knowledge of how your products and services work. Customers may come to you with all types of questions so it’s important your team members can answer these questions effectively. Ultimately your customers rely on you for your knowledge of your product and how quickly you can resolve their issues. 

2. Be Goal Oriented 

Setting a goal to improve customer satisfaction puts your team’s focus on providing consistent customer service experience. To be goal oriented focuses attention on desired outcomes and provides team members with motivation to accomplish tasks. In order to meet goals, employees must demonstrate certain skills such as effective time management, planning, and organization. 

3. Efficient Response Time

When customers have to wait lengthy periods for a response from the support team they can get agitated very quickly and left unsatisfied with your company. In turn they might seek out your competition. By providing customers with prompt responses they are much more likely to continue using your products and recommend your company to their peers.

4. Be Personable

Personalized interactions greatly improve customer service and let customers know that your company cares about them and their problems. When interacting with customers it’s important to have more meaningful conversations rather than your typical automated responses. This will help make their overall experience with your company more enjoyable. 

5. Be Engaging 

The simplest way to improve your customer service is to ask your customer for their feedback. Encourage your customers to share their experiences and pain points. This ensures that your customers feel valued and that their opinions are acknowledged.

Help Desk’s Place in the eCommerce Industry

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Originally, the “help desk” was the area of an establishment with a desk designated for answering any questions or concerns the customer may have about their experience. This was, and still is, a common practice for hotels or other experience-based services like aquariums or museums. While help desks were great for keeping customers happy about their experience, it is a big expense to have employees onsite at all times to answer customer questions. This can become problematic because there could be a high influx of customer questions at sometimes, while other times could have no traffic at all.

With technology becoming more accessible, anytime and anywhere, businesses moved online to form how modern business is conducted; it is known as eCommerce. Many business operations have moved to an online space where goods or services can be purchased and accessible all over the world. However, when customers have questions, they often have to reach out to the business directly, which can become sloppy if mass quantities of questions appear at once. As a solution, eCommerce businesses have returned again, to help desks; this time, however, help desks have become an industry standard.

A “help desk” became the term used to describe online software that manages an online business’s customer service. The most common way in which it does this is allowing the customer to get a “ticket” which categorizes their question or concern. Using this ticket, the customer can write and submit their problem, then have it entered into the business’s database. It is then sent to the customer service department of the business and they can address the customers question in an organized fashion. If customers ask similar questions regarding a certain aspect of the service, it can be more beneficial to have a “frequently asked questions” section, which addresses these types of questions. Moreover, if customers have frequent concerns about a discrepancy in the experience, the business can prioritize to resolutions to these issues thanks to customer feedback. There are different types of help desks that a business can use to best suit their business; the most common being a web help desk described above. It is important to know which help desk works best with your business. Other forms of help desks can come be:

The benefits of using a help desk are it provides an organized avenue to manage customer issues. Helping customers with their questions reliably and swiftly will also increase your customer’s overall satisfaction. Additionally, purchasing a web help desk software won’t hurt your wallet and allows you t be one step ahead with your customers. Although help desks started as a niche method of dealing with customers for experience-based businesses, they have evolved and has become the main way to provide customer support. Today, help desks are now seen as a mainstay in the eCommerce industry.

Key Agreements to Include In Your SLA

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Agreements in SLA

A service level agreement (SLA) is an official agreement between a service provider and their customers that specify what level of service will be delivered as it relates to response and resolution times. It is important for companies to have SLA’s since these agreements set well-defined boundaries and expectations for the service provider to meet. Imagine you run a business and you work with a service provider in which expectations you have are not being reached. The problem here is a miscommunication between the client and service provider, where the expectations were not clearly made. An SLA allows for limited confusion on either the service provider or endpoint client’s part, as long as all the requirements are met throughout the contract. Also, if any conflicts arise during the service period, both companies can turn to the SLA to determine the outcome of their feud. An SLA can range from simple to complex agreements. However, there are key agreements to include in your SLA.

Description of Services

The first necessary agreement is created by the service provider, pinpointing exactly what services and products the business offers; alongside a very detailed description of each one. The description must be honest, including the company’s weaknesses and strengths, that highlight to the client what you are capable of, so that no unexpected surprises come up in the future. Having this aspect of writing clearly defines to the client what products you do and do not offer. These descriptions must be as specific as they can be, no assumptions are to be made and clients remain happy.

Context Setting Information

This can be seen as the original “purpose” of the SLA. Identifying the overall purpose for signing with your clients sets the bar for the service provider and highlights the criteria that should be met for the agreement.

Service Standards

It is very easy for either party involved, to become confused about what is required from the service provider. Having both parties acknowledge the conditions under which the service will be provided assists in keeping the agreement clear and successful. Agreeing upon unique service standards, between both the service provider and the client, will help clear up any confusion regarding duties.

Service Reports

As the service provider, it is on you to make sure you are pinpointing to your clients the progress and impact the service has. Service reports should include the main aspects made above, that clearly show the effectiveness of your service to the client. This should include metrics that distinctively demonstrate your performance.

Regular Reviews

It is very important for both parties to meet regularly to communicate and review the performance of the service that the agreement made was built on. Service reports are good representations of progress to present during these reviews to show the overall effect made so far. If the relationship is going well between the provider and client, continue maintaining good communication, no matter how well the performance is, to continue executing the standards.

Being specific on the key requirements and standards is the most important aspect when forming an SLA. When all aspects and service descriptions are made clear early on, it can reduce confusion and future conflicts between both parties. Incorporating the key aspects referenced earlier can help set goals and expectations early on, clarifying the calibre of the service being offered and the standards that should be met. SLAs are not set in stone and can be modified throughout the time period if expectations or services want to be changed. In order to be a successful service provider, SLAs are a very important key. With this, your service will be delivered to its greatest potential to the client while keeping your customers or clients happy.

Contact Entry Software to get a demo of an SLA tool.

Five Things Businesses Can Learn From Their Competition

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Learn from the competition

On a business’s journey to becoming successful, there are many ‘battles’ and challenges to be faced and overcome. Mistakes will be made and you may find yourself with days where nothing is going the way it’s supposed to. However, one day it’ll all come together and things will begin to fall into place. There is so much to learn about operating a business and generated from many sources such as the internet, business classes, school, friends and family, and even your competitors. Although it might sound bizarre to learn from your competitors, it can actually be beneficial towards you and your business. The following are five things your competitors can teach you about your business.

1. Customer Service Optimization

Imagine if you have a question or complaint about a company’s product or services, and call the company where you are put on hold, for what seems like forever. Or send an email to the company and don’t get a response within the next couple of days. This can be extremely frustrating for customers that have to wait. On average, customers expect a response from a company within an hour, sometimes less if they have a complaint or question. In order to keep customers and maintain a successful business, effective communication between your customers and your team is extremely important. Try going through your competitors’ customer service experience. Highlight what they do better than your company, and find areas in which the experience can be improved. With this information, you can help organize a perfect customer experience that makes your business stand out from the rest.

2. Marketing Strategies

When it comes to advertising and promoting your products, your competitors may be the perfect place to get ideas from. You can take a look at their websites in order to get a sense of how they’re presenting themselves, the words they’re using to intrigue customers, how they engage with their customers, and so on. If the business is local, you can stop in at one of their locations in order to get a feel for how they do their on-site marketing. Getting ideas from competitors is great if you’re looking for a guideline, however, make sure to steer clear of directly copying their strategies; be original!

3. Learn From Their Mistakes

Making mistakes can be one of the best ways to learn. According to a study from Michigan State University, it has been concluded that the brain sees the mistakes we make as a wake-up call. Our brains treat a mistake as a problem that needs to be solved. After a mistake, decisions are thought out more carefully in order to avoid another one. Using this strategy, figure out how to learn from the mistakes of your competitors. Always note what they’ve done wrong in the past, and find ways to prevent it from happening to your company. This allows you to minimize risk and maintain a perfect brand image to your customers.

4. Social Media

When you visit a competitor’s social media page, compare theirs to yours. Do they have more followers? How many likes do their posts get? Are they interacting with customers? If they do, ask yourself what they’re doing to gain followers or additional reach that you’re not. Try and pay attention to areas of social media where your competitors are lacking. For example, if your competitors are not posting as often, try and post more often in order to increase your customer engagement. Lastly, pay attention to the types of content your competitors are posting. Are they posting thought-provoking content, photos or updates about their business? Take notes on what their customers respond well to and see what engages them the most.

5. Reputation

Your business’ reputation can be the main deciding factor when customers decide whether they want to use your product or service. Do some searching and see how your customers review your competitors. If your competitors have higher ratings than you, you may want to pay attention to what they’re doing and try to apply some of the things their customers like to your business.

In the end, your competitors can teach you a lot about how to operate your business, promote your products and engage with customers.

Which Help Desk Suits Your Business Best?

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With the technological direction, modern business have been moving towards, a push for organization and customer service solutions through software has been made. The most common form of connecting the business to customers and business to itself is through help desk software. The main goal of a help desk is to connect everyone to one central point for various purposes: customer communication, voicing questions comments or concerns etc. Depending on the business, a certain type of help desk is required. Not all software offer the display of information suited for the business such as banks wanting to keep their online access safe for each individual and merchandisers will have forums for frequently asked questions to be answered.

Web Helpdesk Software

Web helpdesk software is the most commonly viewed form of helpdesk. It allows customers to connect with the business or the business to connect with the customer to be able to contact them for inquiry. Customers can discuss their questions or concerns through the designated “customer feedback” section. The business receives and categorizes the question from the customer and is sent to the business’ customer service team to be addressed. Businesses can contact the customer to inquire feedback about their experience with their product or service. An interaction between the two entities can come through email, text message, social media etc.

On-Premises Helpdesk Software

On-premises help desk software is an enclosed system for connecting the business to the customers. By having an enclosed system, the customer and the business have web pages that can only be seen by the parties involved. This is done by having business host internally so the information remains safely within the business. This system is safe but expensive as a computerized system needs to be installed within the business to function. This can be seen in financial-management businesses such as PayPal or various online banking applications. When viewing your account with pin numbers, balances and other account information, you and the business are the only ones with access to this information, thanks to on-premises help desk software!

Enterprise Helpdesk Software

Enterprise help desk software is programs instated to connect all aspects of the business to an easily traversable map. Each employee is also a user of the software; the data they generate or collect is automatically categorized and displayed to other users. This way, the business is able to see the progress of projects, workloads of users and generation analytics and reports, among much more. A software of this type is essential for a large business that needs to smooth communications between their numerous employees. Finally, enterprise help desk software allows the business to scale to any size!

Open-Source Helpdesk Software

These have been around since the beginning of the online connection. Often referenced as “forums”, open-source helpdesk software is an avenue of answering customer questions or concerns through community channel. This means anyone, whether they are connected to the company or a regular Joe, can offer assistance to the customer about their comment. This is an easy and financially efficient way of offering customer support, the tradeoff being suggestions by other customers may be false. However, with the implementation of a rating system, reoccurring concerns will be addressed correctly.

Cloud-Based Helpdesk Software

Cloud-based help desk software allows any user connect anywhere in the world. Whereas in an on-premises help desk software is in-house and is maintained by the business, cloud-based help desks software allow the business to build and run their help desk without maintaining the servers. It is also open for anyone from anywhere to connect and use the help desk as the servers are international.

With all of these different types of help desks, it is important to understand the market your business is in and understand which type will best suit your business best.

Inexpensive Acts Your Customers Will Appreciate

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Customers come in all shapes and sizes, and that includes different personalities. Despite some of the hassles they may cause, they are a reason your business has become what it is. Many companies show appreciation to their customers, by offering free gifts on their next purchase. From a customer perspective, this is amazing! However, there are also inexpensive acts that make your customer feel special, without draining your budget.

Solid, Consistent, Customer Service

Customers want to feel appreciated and valued while doing business with you, and this can start with just having great customer service. Simple things like having the right people answering the phone, positively acting as the face of your company can boost your customer service dramatically. Training your employees to comprise the needed customer service skills will show a huge difference in your customer relationships. Positive and attentive attitudes are very important and will show that your employees care about your customers. Perfecting this area of service can quickly show positive relationships with customers, costing you little to nothing extra.

Start a VIP or Affiliate Club

VIP or affiliate clubs can not only give the customer exclusive deals or discounts, but it also motivates them to continue to purchase or direct new business to your company. They can be designed however you see fit; although they usually include a points system, depending on how much customers have purchased, or how long they have been a customer. Customers can gain points they can redeem on items such as purchase discounts. This way the customer has to be invested in your company before they begin to get discounts.

Personal Emails

The little things people do sometimes have the biggest impact on someone’s perception. Sending emails designed uniquely to customers let them know how much their service means to the company. Other email subjects such as wishing them a happy holiday can add a personal relationship with your customer. Allowing this, makes the customer feel special because it’s not just a spam email that’s sent to everyone. It shows that the company took time to that specific customer and show you care.

Social Media Callouts or “Shoutouts”

Social media has grown over the past decade and is now the main way the world communicates to one another. Some including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram. Companies take to these social media to advertise their product or service and connect with their customers. Another inexpensive way to appreciate a customer is to directly communicate with them on a social media page. This can be done by writing a sincere tweet, Instagram or Facebook post including a little about them, a picture and why they are valued.

The little things that are done can sometimes be the most impactful. Customers are very important to your company and should be shown appreciation for their time invested. Beginning with overall customer service, having the trained employees deal with customers with the correct skills such as respect, listening, and patience can display extreme value towards the customer. Once the company has customer service down, they can start reaching out to new ways to appreciate their customers. Maintaining good relationships with customers, by making them feel valued, will get your company name noticed in a positive way, benefiting the company dramatically.