Imagine walking into a store to buy a pair of shoes. The salesperson is friendly and helps you find the perfect pair. You're happy with your purchase and you leave the store feeling great.

But a few weeks later, the shoes start to fall apart. You return to the store for a refund, but the customer service representative is dismissive and unhelpful. You leave feeling disappointed.

Even though the salesperson won you over initially, the bad customer service experience left a lasting impression. You're unlikely to shop at that store again.

Now, imagine walking into a different store. The salesperson is friendly, but they don't have the right size or style of shoes for you. You're disappointed, but you understand.

However, the customer service representative goes above and beyond to help you find the perfect pair of shoes. They check other stores in their chain and even order them from a different warehouse. You're so impressed with the customer service that you become loyal and enthusiastically recommend the store to everyone.

The takeaway from the story? Sales has to win once, but customer service has to win every time.

Credits: Shep Hyken

You need to cross the finish line first to win the race, and that's similar to how sales need to close a deal to win a customer's business. However, customer service is more like a marathon. You need to keep running and providing excellent service to your customers, even if they don't make a purchase right away. That's because good customer service can turn a one-time sale into a lifelong customer.

How can your customer service teams win every time?

It’s all too easy to lose customers in a competitive consumer-driven marketplace. And providing poor customer service is one of the fastest ways for that to happen. Here's how you can set your customer service team up for winning.

Be present on channels that matter to your customers

To connect with your customers, you must be available on the social media platforms they frequent, the communities they engage in, the forums they seek advice on or even the direct line of instant messaging apps they use. You have to do more than simply exist on these channels: Listen intently to their concerns, participate meaningfully in conversations, and be prepared to address issues publicly and transparently when necessary.

Make the experience so smooth that customers won't need to reach out

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is quoted as having said: “The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you, doesn’t need to talk to you. It just works.” This perfectly sums up the idea of empowering customers to take control of their own experiences. Today, customers, like you and I, expect a superior standard of self-service from all the brands we interact with. The integration of self-service portals, automation, and artificial intelligence is currently paving the way for continuous improvements in this domain, promising to democratize the self-service experience.

Be fast, but uphold quality

In customer service, you have to find the sweet spot where speed meets quality. Here's how:

• Prioritize and triage requests to address urgent needs quickly (think about a server outage) while dedicating focused time to complex problems (like refund disputes).

• Equip your customer support reps with the right tools and resources to solve problems independently. They need clear guidelines, readily accessible information, and the ability to make decisions without lengthy approval procedures.

• Automate repetitive tasks like password resets or basic order tracking, freeing up time for reps to focus on complex inquiries and personalized interactions.

Monitor performance and act on it

Customer service, unlike sales, can be difficult to monitor because the results are not immediately credited to your account. Quantifying customer service can be tricky, but it's far from impossible! Here are a few ways to measure the impact of your customer service efforts:

Quantitative metrics:

• Customer satisfaction (CSAT): Use surveys or post-interaction prompts to gauge immediate satisfaction with specific interactions.

• Net promoter score (NPS): Ask customers how likely they are to recommend your brand, providing a strong indicator of overall loyalty.

• Customer effort score (CES): Measure how easy it was for customers to resolve their issues, revealing potential friction points.

• First contact resolution rate (FCR): Track the percentage of issues resolved on the first interaction, signifying efficiency and reduced frustration.

• Average resolution time (ART): Monitor how long it takes to address issues, identifying areas for improvement in speed and efficiency.

• Customer churn rate (CCR): Calculate the percentage of customers who cease doing business with you, highlighting potential service flaws.

Qualitative metrics:

• Social media sentiment: Gauge overall customer sentiment towards your brand and customer service by analyzing public online conversations.

• Customer reviews and feedback: Mine reviews and feedback for recurring themes, revealing positive and negative aspects of your service.

You are ready to win!

While sales seal the deal, it's exceptional customer service that makes customers stay. Sales aim for that one victorious moment, but customer service plays the long game, aiming to score a fresh win with every interaction.

To win at customer service, choosing the right tool can make a significant difference. Consider giving Zoho Desk a try and experience how it can improve your customer service game!