Is Your Organization a Customer Service Maze?

No matter how great your offerings are, there will undoubtedly be times that a customer needs to contact you with a question, concern, complaint, or any other type of inquiry. It’s not the type of call we like to receive, but it’s a reality we need to be prepared for.

If someone needs to reach your organization, make it easy for them. Let them get back to business as usual and turn any issues into a thing of the past.

How can we avoid the customer service maze? It’s simple — and a little planning can prevent a lot of headaches.

• Prominently display your contact information. This includes phone numbers, email addresses, and social media accounts (that you actively monitor). A website with no contact information is basically saying, “We don’t want to hear from you.”

• Avoid confusing phone menus. If you do need a menu, provide a simple option for getting to a real person. (Some big companies are so notorious for complicated phone processes with lengthy wait times that there are now apps out there to help you find shortcuts to speak to a person faster. Helpful — but wouldn’t it be better to just simplify these systems instead?)

• Provide help — even when it’s not your department. Being transferred from person to person can turn into a nightmare of repeating yourself over and over while getting nowhere. Encourage communication between your employees so that when the inevitable hand-off occurs, a customer won’t feel like they’re starting at the beginning again.

• Train employees to provide solutions. Regardless of how friendly and polite your employees sound, a customer is really just looking for answers. So along with that positive attitude, ensure your employees take actionable steps. Because let’s face it, even if they don’t know the answer, they’re most likely more equipped to find one than a customer is.

• Serve your customers where they are. Depending on what your company offers, you likely have a wide variety of customers who have different communication habits. While reliable phone support is often a safe bet, these days text and web applications are often a preferred means of communication for many customers. If it’s viable, make these options available and make them just as helpful as a trusty phone call.

Making the customer service experience hassle-free can go a long way in sustaining the satisfaction of your customers. Consider what contact with your organization looks like from the outside.