81% of people that made purchases in 2019 had to take advantage of customer service, according to research published by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Finding the right customer service solution for your business is a must in today’s customer service driven culture. Here are some tips to help you pick the right one for your company.
Things To Consider
Cut Down On Air Conditioner Noise
More and more air-conditioners are made today with noise dampening technology. Look for air-conditioners that won’t keep you up at night.
Change The Filters
Your air conditioner filter needs to be changed every season or so to keep the system running effectively.
Smart AC's
Air-conditioners that have built-in thermostats, can connect to Wi-Fi and your smart phone, and include other high tech bells and whistles are becoming the norm.
Central Air Conditioners For Best Results
Choose a window close to the center of the room you’re looking to cool for the best results.
Invest in a quality warranty
Most air-conditioners come with a 12 month warranty, but look for options that include three years of protection.
20 BTUs Per Square Foot Of Living Space
As a general rule, you will want to purchase air-conditioners that have 20 BTUs for every square foot of living space where you want to control the temperature.
Picking The Right Model
Customer Service Is Easier To Reach Today
It’s easier to get in contact with customer service departments today than ever before but the service is significantly worse. Many companies are outsourcing their customer service and it shows.
57% Of Those Contacting Customer Service Hang Up
More than half of those polled reported hanging up on customer service before they had a resolution because the experience was going so poorly.
Industry Wide Customer Service Is In Disarray
Many executives haven’t had to work on the client/customer side of a business. They don’t understand their customers, which is why customer service is so poor.
Customer Satisfaction Is Not Higher Today
Customer service hasn’t gotten any better since the 1970s. This is astounding considering the major leaps forward in technology available.
Features To Look For
Personalized Service Is Best
People are looking for personalized customer service and not automated solutions that are so common.
Good Service Starts With Instant Rapport
Scripts should be abandoned at first in favor of hiring customer service representatives that can establish easy rapport.
Don’t Place Customers On Hold
99% of all customers polled in the Arizona State University research regarding customer service reported that being placed on hold made them even angrier than dealing with automated systems.
Customers Like The Telephone
Most customers choose to use the telephone when they want to get a hold of customer service departments.
Streamline The Calling Process
All customers would like a simplified customer service contact process. Don’t marry the customer service hotline number.
Don’t Bounce Customers Around
A dedicated customer service agent that handles the entirety of an issue is better than passing customers around from one person to the next.
Other Tips
Complaints Often Fall On Deaf Ears
61% of all Americans feel that complaining to customer service is usually a useless endeavor.
Social Media Really Works
At the same time, using Twitter and other social media tools as a form of “public shaming” can result in almost instant customer service resolutions.
In Person Complaints Work Best
Most are looking for ways to avoid confrontation, but in person customer service complaints are always the most successful.
Live Chat Can Work
Live chat has shown to work just as well as customer service phone lines. Its other benefit is that one customer service agent can handle multiple live chat windows.
Streamline Escalation
Encourage customer service agents to get their supervisor involved if they aren’t empowered to help.