Every business knows that the customer service department plays a big role in the success of your company, but did you know that you can actually make more money through improvements? Most businesses have been lowering the level of customer service provided, which has upset customers quite a bit. Instead of following the crowd, focus on building a better customer service department than your competitors. It will pay off big.

What NOT to do

All too often, customers call customer service and end up having to deal with a maze of automated machines that don’t even have artificial intelligence helping push them in the right direction. Even when they do finally get through to a representative, they end up having to be transferred to someone else making them sit on hold for even longer.

Most of the time, these customer service representatives don’t have any real power to do anything either, which means customers end up extremely frustrated by the end of the call, as the representatives say things like, “I am sorry for the inconvenience, but there is nothing I can do about that.” And to make matter worse, before the call is over, they usually say something along the lines of, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?” It is an infuriating line to hear for a customer who already didn’t get help with the one issue they called in about.

These kinds of business interactions are the kinds that lead to you losing customers and losing money instead of building up your brand and product and gaining traction.

Make real changes

To really use customer service improvements to make more money in your company, you need to make some positive changes. The good news is that your competition is probably doing just as bad. By making small improvements, businesses can really jump ahead of the competition. Here are some ideas of ways to create effective customer service improvements.

1. Allow multiple outlets for communication, including using AI Chatbot through texting and social media. The more ways a customer can get a hold of your business, the better.
2. Give more flexibility to customer service representatives, so they can accomplish real things with customers.
3. Ensure customer service representatives are given training on the value of a lifetime customers, so they understand the importance of keeping even one person. Teach them that small talk with a customer while on hold can make them feel at ease and as if the rep cares about their personal life.
4. Use social outlets to interact with customers on a regular basis. Use yes or no questions to ask things of your customers. Studies have shown that closed-ended questions are actually better for getting a response and participation from customers.
5. Pay influencers to promote your product or service on their social pages. It doesn’t have to be some A-list celebrity to get results.