Important customer service processes for business

Nowadays, with the increasing demand for online shopping and other transactions, customers expect a high demand for businesses to improve, especially in customer service. A single bad experience in your customer support team can risk your relationship with them and your reputation in the market. One of the things you can do to prevent this is to establish a proper customer service process.

Customer service processes are important for all types of businesses. It establishes a proper procedure in handling customers and helping them resolve their concerns. The more a business has better processes in place, the better they can take care of their customers in the long run.

What are customer service processes?

Customer service processes are sets of procedures involved in a customer call. This covers the entire transaction from the moment a customer contacts the business until the agent closes the call. These processes may vary a bit in several communication channels, though they have a similar format.

These processes are usually delivered to employees through a written document called standard operating procedures (SOPs). Each step in these processes is important in organizing and improving your entire customer service and experience.

A customer service process usually undergoes several phases:

• Contact. Customer service starts when the customer tries to reach out to the business. Here, they usually set expectations and outcomes at the end of their call, which the agent should anticipate and provide.

• Gathering information. Listening is a crucial trait in resolving a customer’s concern. An agent should carefully listen to the customer to gather accurate information about their concern and take proper action to it.

• Problem-solving. Once proper information is gathered, then it’s time to solve the problem efficiently. For this, the agent needs to have the proper tools, knowledge, and resources to work on the concern right away. 

• Resolution and farewell. Lastly, the agent should properly close the connection when a resolution is reached. They may ask the customer whether they have any other concerns needed to bring up before the call ends.

What can you get in creating a customer service process?

Better customer support

Having a service process in place helps improve customer support. The team will have a standard in every step from answering the phone, proper navigation of concerns and troubleshooting, to closing a call. 

Consistency in services provided

It also maintains a team’s consistency in giving the best service in multiple ways. Regardless of the communication channel each team handles, they will know how to provide the same level of service and can sustain a single message.

Confidence and reliance booster for employees

Most importantly, employees will be confident that they are providing the best service when there have proper tools and processes in place. Combined with ample knowledge of the products, they are sure to give their best effort while minimizing errors.

Essential customer service processes your team should have 

Many companies invest in good customer service processes because they know that this can help them grow and establish their business and relationship with their customers. For starters, here are some essential processes a customer service team should have.

Having a primary objective in customer service

This is important especially when a business is just starting to establish its customer service team. They should determine their goals and objectives in building customer service and what they expect to get from it.

Whether hiring in-house or through business process outsourcing, setting objectives gives direction to a customer service team so they can provide better service to their clients.

Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for employees and customers

Standard operating procedures (SOPs), meanwhile, contain the entire procedures in proper handling of a call. It also covers what an agent can do and what they should avoid when resolving customer concerns and the metrics they need to reach on a certain period.

Though unnecessary, companies may also have SOPs for customers when reaching out to their customer service team. These are usually seen in the form of simple walkthroughs on live chats and social messaging services.

Streamlining and integration

Businesses with streamlined and integrated operations work better and more efficiently. Streamlining aims to improve the entire process of a team by cutting down unnecessary areas and simplifying flows when needed.

In customer service, this might mean having a separate number for a certain department for specific concerns to lessen call transfers. It can also be integrating files, records, and transactions into a single CRM system for a more efficient workflow.

Introducing self-service processes

Many eCommerce companies now, meanwhile, introduce self-service processes to customers through chatbots and automated features on their websites and social media pages. These are the best ways to feature basic navigation, troubleshooting, and FAQs for basic concerns.

Though, chatbots should still be complemented with live agents in case a customer has a more complex concern regarding a product or service.

Feedback management

Lastly, an effective customer service team should handle feedback properly. Since they aim to provide the best service to their customers, every feedback matters. These may come from the external clients to the employees they coordinate with internally. 

Most importantly, feedback coming from the team itself should be valued since they know how the operation works and what should be improved in it.

What do you need to improve your customer service processes?

Customer service metrics

Metrics in customer service determine how well your team handles both inbound and outbound calls. Here, you will know in what aspects are your strengths and weaknesses so you can plan out how to improve them. 

These measure quantifiable factors, such as average handling time, transfer rate, and average calls dropped. 

Performance reports

Performance reports, meanwhile, are the summaries of your findings from the result of your metrics. With this, you can monitor your team’s progress and whether they need additional training in a certain aspect.

Customer satisfaction ratings

Lastly, customer satisfaction ratings are one of the main determiners of whether your customers are satisfied with your overall service.

Here, you may ask what part of your services are they happy with and what should be improved.

To ensure quality customer service processes, make sure to partner with a trusted BPO provider like Peak Support.  Apart from providing well-skilled and industry experienced agents, Peak Support also offers customer service solutions that are tailored according to your needs!