Whether you are a company that deals with B2B or B2C clients, building a good relationship between the two is paramount to a business’ success and one of the most important things to do for any company, especially in the IT industry. “The customer is always right” is a very famous business motto that many companies seem to have forgotten. The underlying truth behind that statement is recognising that customers are the reason any business is successful and therefore one of the most important stakeholders.
Excellent customer service stems from the initial greeting, whether this is via the phone, in person or e-mail. First impressions are important, and using good people skills in all of these situations mentioned will benefit the company and impress the consumer. Alternatively, if an employee gives bad customer service by not even acknowledging the client and as an inconvenience, this customer may never buy anything from your company again and tell their friends effecting the reputation.
In terms of B2C customer service in the IT industry, consumers are predominantly naïve to the various aspects of Information Technology and problems that they may have caused – therefore, the motto mentioned earlier, doesn’t necessarily apply here. Customers aren’t always sure what they want and many times the service industry does a bad job in uncovering what the problem actually is.
Customer expectations are not always rational no matter what customer service agents do. It is never easy to listen to someone ranting on the other end of the phone or on the seat opposite to you. In the IT industry it is beneficial for every company to have an IT support team, a group of knowledgeable people on hand to help and guide clients through problems they encounter. For companies that do, do this, it can be difficult to keep on top of all client requests, especially when the requests are vague and unclear. Service management software from providers such as Sys Aid allows users to prioritise tasks in terms of time and detail so they can complete and evaluate all jobs faster and to a higher standard providing better customer service.
IT Service Management is a process based practice intended to align the delivery of information technology services with needs of the enterprise, emphasising benefits to customers and should be used by every company providing a relevant service.
5 simple tips to keep your customers happy:
- Treat them as people, not as a statistic. Respond in a genuine way and not as a monotonous robot, providing them with a scripted answer.
- Be polite – Kindness and gratitude goes a long way – 3 out of 4 customers say they have spent more with a company because of a history of positive experiences
- Listen to the customer and remember every single important detail – 60% of consumers will pay more for a better experience
- Treat customers as valued partners – Ask for their feedback and show them that their opinion matters – 35% of Facebook users that ‘like’ a business expect some kind of response
- Build trust with consumers – It takes 12 positive service experiences to make up for 1 negative one – take your time.
