You think you’ve heard it all – but customers aren’t telling you what they really think.
Knowing what customers think about themselves, your company, contact center and overall customer service can help you serve them better. But many customers don’t say flat-out what they really think.
Here’s what customers wish you knew:
- You don’t need to be perfect, but you need to be reliable. Bottom line, if you don’t have an answer, customers are OK with that — as long as you follow up with it later.
- I don’t need a superhero — just do what you say you’ll do. Heroic acts don’t build loyalty as well as consistently good service.
- It means a lot when you thank me for my loyalty. Customers want to be recognized for patronage, and they don’t need perks that say it.
- I know how well you treat your employees by how well they treat me. Customers can tell if employees are happy — and if they are, customers know it’s a good business to deal with.
- I don’t understand some of the stuff you send me. Many of the messages companies and contact center employees send customers aren’t clear. Avoid sending mixed or confusing messages.
- I want to be taken care of. It’s OK to take charge some times and recommend that I need something other than what I ordered or requested.
- I’m really fascinating. That’s right, customers think they’re the most interesting people in the world. So they want you to show interest by asking them questions about themselves.
- I want you to communicate with me the way I communicate with you. Respond to customers in the same way they contact you. They’ll decide when you can switch to an email from a phone, a text from an email, etc.
- I believe I deserve much more than I’m getting. Yes, customers think they deserve more than the standard. So make them feel like they’re getting it by saying things such as, “Just for you, I will …” or “Your business is important to us, so I want to take care of this right away.