When it comes to providing excellent customer service, there are a few things that businesses of all sizes should keep in mind. But what about customer experience? How can small businesses create an environment that will make their customers feel valued and appreciated?
Here’s a look at the key differences between customer service and customer experience, and some tips on how to provide both.
Defining Customer Service and Customer Experience
Customer service can be defined as the provision of assistance and support to customers before, during, and after they purchase a product or service. It’s the company’s way of ensuring that its customers are satisfied with their purchase and have a positive experience.
Customer experience, on the other hand, is the customer’s perception of their interactions with a company. It considers all touchpoints, from the initial contact to post-purchase follow-up.
The customer’s experience is shaped by the quality of customer service they receive. But it goes beyond that. Customer experience also includes factors such as the company’s branding, website design, and even marketing.
Ways To Provide Both Excellent Customer Service and Experience
Now that we’ve defined customer service and customer experience, let’s look at how you can provide both to your customers.
1. Train Your Employees
One of the most important things you can do to provide excellent customer service and experience is to train your employees. They should be able to handle all aspects of customer service, from handling phone calls and emails to addressing customer concerns.
Make sure your employees are familiar with your products and services, and that they have the knowledge and skills required to provide assistance. In addition, ensure that they know how to use the various customer service tools at their disposal.
Korra eases this process by providing employees access to a knowledge discovery platform that speeds up customer inquiries and helps to avoid escalation.
2. Invest in Customer Service Software
Customer service software can help you automate various tasks, such as customer support ticketing, live chat, and email management. It can also help you keep track of your customer interactions and analyze customer feedback.
Consider investing in customer service software that will give you the ability to provide a better customer experience. Think ease-of-use and reducing the friction between asking a question and providing the answer to it.
Korra reduces this friction on all fronts. The front-facing search tool uses AI to find answers to natural questions (even if those answers are buried in 40-minute-long videos or a 1000-page PDF). Your support team uses Korra to reduce the time it takes to resolve an issue. And your design team can easily integrate it into your website, storage locations, and apps used most often.
3. Communicate with Your Customers
Make sure you communicate with your customers on a regular basis. This can be done through email, social media, or even in person.
Keep your customers updated on new products and services, special offers, and events. Let them know about any changes that might affect them, such as changes to your shipping policy or a new loyalty program.
Make sure your communication is timely and relevant, and that it provides value to your customers.
4. Get Feedback from Your Customers
One of the best ways to improve customer service and experience is to get feedback from your customers. This can be done through customer surveys, focus groups, or even one-on-one interviews.
Make sure you listen to what your customers are saying and use their feedback to make changes to your customer service strategy.
Korra helps you track your customers’ sentiment by logging every single interaction (both direct and indirect) between users and your support systems. Helping you identify friction points and gaps in the quality of your support content and product capabilities.
Combine CS with CX for a Winning Strategy
Customers are willing to pay for a better customer experience. And nearly half of all buyers buy on the spot if they enjoy the experience. This proves that support and CX go hand-in-hand. You shouldn’t focus on one without the other, otherwise your SMB will see a decline in cash flow.
Another study found that customer experience will overshadow both price and product, meaning the experience is what customers are paying for. That’s what your audience wants.
Have a good product but have an even better CX to support it.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
Small businesses have the opportunity to create a customer experience that is second to none. By training your employees, investing in customer service software, communicating with your customers, and getting feedback from them, you can make sure that your customers feel valued and appreciated.
Technology is your most powerful tool when it comes to providing excellent customer service and customer experience. Utilize it.
Korra provides AI-powered natural language experience for unparalleled knowledge discovery with a user experience that blends with your own. It’s the next evolution of the knowledge base that’s more interactive, accurate, and cost-effective.
With the right tools, you can provide excellent customer service and experience that will keep your customers coming back for more. Try Korra for free today and see your SMB’s future of CS and CX all in one place.