[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/10\/19\/making-customer-service-the-best-ever-experience\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/10\/19\/making-customer-service-the-best-ever-experience\/","headline":"Better than good: Making customer service the best-ever experience","name":"Better than good: Making customer service the best-ever experience","description":"Make your customer service experiences more than \"meh\" and watch loyalty soar. ","datePublished":"2022-10-19","dateModified":"2023-01-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/kirsi-tarvainen\/#Person","name":"Kirsi Tarvainen","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/kirsi-tarvainen\/","identifier":151,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96ca9bf9158da317761f4e785e19819a740ab479d189dd529c081ea73b54193e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/96ca9bf9158da317761f4e785e19819a740ab479d189dd529c081ea73b54193e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/customer-service-experience-FTR.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/customer-service-experience-FTR.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/10\/19\/making-customer-service-the-best-ever-experience\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=44NuYYiIEUg#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=44NuYYiIEUg","name":"CXUnplugged:  Customer Service From Exception to Advocacy","description":"Customer service sits across the whole enterprise. It\u2019s a customer's choice to go from first purchase to brand ambassador. Ensuring everyone internally is on the same page to ensure everyone externally is happy can be a challenge! Join us as we chat with Sanjeev Singh of ASAR Digital and Nitin Singh from SAP Customer Experience as we discuss the future of service resolution. #CXUnplugged\n\n\r\nFor more about SAP Service Cloud, please visit us at: https:\/\/sap.to\/6053M6cCV \n\n#customerservice #loyalty","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/44NuYYiIEUg\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/44NuYYiIEUg\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/44NuYYiIEUg\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/44NuYYiIEUg\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/44NuYYiIEUg\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2022-08-16T19:03:58+00:00","duration":"PT21M46S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/44NuYYiIEUg","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCJ-J9ws028X7ASicv0-r8dQ#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCJ-J9ws028X7ASicv0-r8dQ","name":"SAP Customer Experience","description":"The official SAP Customer Experience (SAP CX) YouTube channel.  \n\nCheck out product demos, executive presentations, great customer experiences, customer and partner stories and more!\n\nSAP privacy statement for followers: www.sap.com\/sps \n\nFor more information from SAP Customer Experience or to have someone from SAP Customer Experience contact you please go to: cx.sap.com","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/Xh1UKLBf2zMxSEnvtd-X9C7nv3-dc9FCbfDkMhrO6DSRQYKMH_rdLPYabMMsf9FRYSmNTbVNow=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=44NuYYiIEUg#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=44NuYYiIEUg#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=44NuYYiIEUg&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=44NuYYiIEUg#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":203}],{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=44NuYYiIEUg#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_LikeAction","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}]},"about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/customer-experience\/customer-experience-general\/","name":"Customer Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_experience","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q984142"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/service\/customer-service\/","name":"Customer Service","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_service","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q1060653"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/service\/","name":"Service","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Service","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q7406919"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/service\/service-general\/","name":"Service","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Service","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q7406919"]}],"wordCount":1177,"keywords":["Best Customer Service","CRM Customer Service","Customer Centricity"],"articleBody":"Customer service is central to a brand\u2019s promise to its customers: we\u2019ll be there when you need us. Fulfilling this promise is what changes an experience from good to great, and the service process is the machinery that makes this happen.It\u2019s the gateway to increasing customer loyalty, as well as an opportunity to take your relationship with a customer from transactional to top notch. Yet, too often, this doesn\u2019t happen.How many times have you called customer service and been asked to wait a minute because \u201cthe system\u2019s a bit slow today\u201d? The wait is actually the agent is desperately switching between applications to find the right information. The system isn\u2019t slow; it\u2019s just not very good.It&#8217;s a classic example of a customer service operation ill-equipped to give customers a great experience. If the agent struggles to find the most basic information, how are they going to solve the problem?When they contact an organization, customers want help fast. It\u2019s in this moment that a brand can take the customer\u2019s experience from good to memorable \u2013 for all the right reasons.      Customer service statistics: Infographic reveals what customers want                Top-notch customer service is more important than ever for business success today, as these statistics show.      Pleasant surprises = happy customers\u00a0If you want to make people happy, you need to appeal to their emotions. A customer calling service may well be angry, disappointed, or confused. The brand\u2019s job is to turn a negative into a positive by solving their problem.If they\u2019re fed up and annoyed because your product has let them down, make it right. And make them happy.Service is often the first point of human contact between a customer and a brand. We research and buy online, and delivery is carried out by a third party. It\u2019s usually only when the customer needs help that they\u2019re going to speak to a human.Use that human contact to surprise a customer with a wholly positive experience. If that first point of contact is always aimed at solving the problem, you\u2019re elevating the experience from \u201cwe sell you things\u201d to \u201cwe help make your life easier.\u201dCustomer service is a series of opportunities to improve your relationship with customers. It&#8217;s a chance to convert a customer with a problem to a customer who tells everyone what a great experience they had. If they buy something and it works, that\u2019s good. If they buy something, it breaks and the company fixes it quickly with no inconvenience to them, that\u2019s great.A good example is Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe BV. By implementing a cloud-based service management solution with an integrated knowledge base, Goodyear service agents can resolve service tickets 10% faster through real-time monitoring of response-handling and issue resolution. Also, with automated logging and sending of emails, they ensure that 100% of customer inquiries receive a response within 24 hours.This content is hosted by a third party (&#160;youtu.be&#160;).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowThe self-service option for problem solving\u00a0Unless they absolutely must, no one wants to call customer service. Especially if it\u2019s for a problem with a simple fix, like a missing manual. You want to download a copy, not call a number. For small issues with quick fixes, people want the autonomy to solve on their own.A customer\u2019s No. 1 priority is to get the issue solved. How it gets solved is a means to an end, and if that\u2019s self-service, then that\u2019s what organizations need to provide.Brands often see their relationship with customers through the lens of the customer journey, when they should be looking at it from a service perspective. Customers want self-service, so give it to them. Make it easier for them to solve problems, not harder, and they\u2019ll appreciate it.For instance, Moen, one of North America\u2019s leading faucet brands, was able to move away from cumbersome paper-based processes by digitizing its customer service function, allowing the team to improve and speed call handling while adding a convenient self-service digital knowledge base to help customers help themselves.      Why self-service is critical to the future of CX                Convenience and time are the most important commodities in the experience economy. That&#039;s why self-service is critical to the future of customer experience.      Designed for the customer, not the brandIt\u2019s amazing just how many organizations\u2019 service operations aren\u2019t built around the concept of how to help the customer, how they want to interact, and what\u2019s easiest for them. Instead, they\u2019re built around the organization\u2019s internal structures and processes, which are rarely conducive to a smooth, hassle-free experience for the customer.Take interactive voice response (IVR) systems, for example. Press one for accounts, two for finance, three for sales and so on may be a logical presentation of how the company is structured, but it\u2019s not much use to a customer looking for advice on how to set up their new lawnmower. Customers won\u2019t necessarily know who they need to speak to. They just want to speak to someone.You\u2019re effectively exposing your inner workings to the customer, who doesn\u2019t want to know about them. Too often these systems are built to reflect what the company looks like on the inside, not how a customer needs to approach it from the outside.Yet IVR can be extremely useful: banks use them to add security by calling a customer to verify a transaction, making a complex security procedure quick and easy. Deploy the technology to help the customer, not the organization.      Service for digital natives: Make it fast, easy, connected \u2013 or lose customers                As members of the Gen Z generation enter the workforce and become customers, brands must consider their service expectations.      Service needs to be at the heart of the businessNew brands and businesses get it, and they\u2019ll develop service processes from the customer\u2019s point of view, not theirs. It\u2019s obviously harder for established organizations to change multiple legacy systems across different lines of business, with the added complication of different teams working in silos.Customers expect customer service to work for them, not the brand. They engage with your organization because it offers a product or service they want, but that isn\u2019t the only value you can provide. The rise of recurring revenue streams in every industry, with its associated prolonged customer\/brand contact, has moved service from its position as the department that deals with cross customers to a central pillar of the business.It secures the next revenue stream and delivers on the brand promise because memorable, stand-out service is the differentiator between an average experience and a great one.  Customers want excellent service.Brands know they need to deliver it, but often fall short.Take a product tour to see how modern CRM powers great customer service HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2022","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/10\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"19","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/10\/\/19\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Better than good: Making customer service the best-ever experience","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/10\/19\/making-customer-service-the-best-ever-experience\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]