Every company has a different approach to customer service. While there isn’t just one way to provide stellar support, the end result is always the same: happy and satisfied customers. We took a look at what customer service industry leaders are saying about customer service and rounded up the top 10 quotes below.
1. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
– Bill Gates, Microsoft
2. “We know that the best way to drive positive change is to learn from our mistakes and hear what our customers have to say. Our companies thrive off customer feedback. It helps us to innovate and disrupt, and keeps us relevant.”
– Richard Branson, Virgin
Listen and learn from customer feedback
Your customers are a goldmine of information. It’s great to receive positive feedback, but the feedback customers give when they’re disgruntled or unhappy is what will really help you iterate the processes for your customers, agents, and business. There’s always room to improve. Set up customer surveys and listen to their feedback then take that information and use it to improve.
3. “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.”
– Jeff Bezos, Amazon
4. “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.”
– Steve Jobs, Apple
5. “At Airbnb, we strive to have our customers contact the company and demand a 6th star be added to our 5-star review because the experience was so good.”
– Brian Chesky, Airbnb
Go above and beyond
In the end, what matters is that your customers leave an interaction with your brand feeling like they had a great experience. And to provide excellent customer service, you have to go above and beyond. While your focus should be on resolving your customer’s problems, you should also think beyond that and consider how you can maximize their experience with your brand. For example, you can bring features they didn’t know they had to their attention or let them know they can get more value and save costs by bundling services.
6. “Customer service shouldn’t just be a department, it should be the entire company.”
– Tony Hsieh, Zappos
Embed customer service into your company
Customer service departments are no longer being thought of as independent silos. More and more companies are seeing the inherent value and are fully embedding customer service into their business and other departments for an omnichannel support experience.
7. “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”
– Walt Disney, Disney
Keep them coming back for more
Walt Disney knew how to keep people coming back for more. The ultimate goal of a customer experience is to leave them so happy that they tell all their friends and family about you. People are four times more likely to make a purchase when referred by a friend, and there is an 18% increase in loyalty from a referred customer.
8. “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
– Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Listen actively
The difference between listening to reply and listening to understand is subtle. Support agents need to be able to do the latter and practice active listening, which includes reading between the lines and taking into account the customer’s emotions. All of which will help them empathize with the customer, and empathy is among one of the most important qualities of a support agent.
9. “We’ll continue to invest in new technology because we think every woman should have the ability to be connected through her beauty knowledge, opinions, products, and routine.”
– Emily Weiss, Glossier
Keep pace with the industry
In today’s digital-first culture, there is constantly emerging and innovative technology that helps improve the customer experience and agent processes. Investing in new technology will show your customers that you’re dedicated to providing the best experience for them.
10. “If you take care of your mind, you take care of the world.”
– Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global
Happy agents = happy customers
The well-being of your support team is so important. According to customer service industry leaders, happy, productive agents lead to happy, satisfied customers. Whether it’s encouraging them to take a quick walk in the afternoon or ensuring proper priority workflows are set up, take the necessary steps to ensure that your agents are not overwhelmed or burnt out.
These tips will result in happier, more productive agents, and more importantly, an awesome customer experience for your customers. Get in touch with us to know more about the benefits of Supportbench!
