5 Secret Mistakes Your Business is Making In Regards to Customer Service

Nearly almost every company has its own customer support these days. It's imperative for successful companies to offer exceptional customer service. If their customers aren't happy with the level of service they're receiving, they will cancel their services. They may even express their distaste on social media. They'll make sure their friends and family know about it as well. All it can take is one bad review or social media post to go viral. Of course, mistakes happen and not every customer service representative isn't perfect. Here are some of the mistakes that even some of the biggest businesses are making when it comes to their customer service. These are just some of the biggest mistakes that companies can make that could affect their service and sales – and how they can afford them. Businesses who are guilty of these mistakes should brush up on their skills to offer the best customer service possible.

1 - Not Staffing Enough Customer Service Representatives

There's nothing worse than an understaffed call center. Companies don't want to put their customers on hold forever, but sometimes there's nothing they can really do. Fast response to call is critical for successful customer service companies. If companies have a small number of staff, they need to correct this problem as soon as possible. Companies must be able to retain their staff and attract new ones for a successful long-term career in customer service. They should invest in hiring expenses and motivating their customer service representatives.

2 - Not Offering Social Media Support Options

Social media is a great way for companies to connect with customers and give them the support they need. They should have a variety of ways to communicate with support reps from their live chat feature to their Contact Page to their social media channels. This feature is especially beneficial for millennials who are always on the go and don't like to talk on the phone. Live chat is another option for customers who don't want to wait on the phone. It's ideal for them to communicate their issues in a way they couldn't explain over social media or on the phone.

3 - Asking Customers to Repeat the Same Information

Customer service representatives need to have access to their customers' information at all times. If a customer calls in repeatedly for the same problem, they shouldn't have to be asked to repeat the same information. This may also happen if a previous customer service representative didn't make note of this information. There are many tools to keep the customers' information at hand such as customer support software, cloud services, and an all-access platform that's available across multiple channels.

4 - Not Offering Self-Service Options on Their Website

Most customer support companies offer little to no support on their website. They may have a FAQ page in which customers can look through to find answers to some of the most common questions. But customers also need an option to contact customer service or perform simple self-service options. Some of these options can include a knowledge base, user manuals, buying guides, instructional videos, and more. This information can help customers save time contacting the support department.

5 - Not Providing Good Enough Customer Service Training

It's important that you don't skimp when it comes to training customer service representatives. Don't assume that they know how to perform the job because of their past experience. If they have little to no training, they will cost the company time and money on mistakes. Companies must invest in proper training for customer service representatives. If they want to provide a high-level of service, they have to take the time to train them before they get on the phones. As time goes by, companies can make changes to their training programs.