No matter how good you are at setting up networks and fixing technical problems, you’ll often be judged more on the customer service you provide. For example, customers are more likely to remember the phone call you forgot to return than the problem you incorrectly diagnosed.

Here are six ways to be more customer-friendly:

  1. Find a system that works for you to answer questions promptly.
  2. If you need to explain a technical issue, use language that the other person can understand, but without being condescending. Avoid throwing about acronyms that the customer doesn’t need to know.
  3. Avoid discussing irrelevant details with end-users (unless they express interest). For example, telling end-users that you’re going to research X, Y, and Z may make them nervous. Instead, focus on getting the information you need to resolve the problem. Then reassure end-users that you’ll resolve their issue, and give them a time estimate as appropriate.
  4. Remember that even though customers expect prompt service, they may not be able to test immediately whether your solution worked. Give them a reasonable amount of time, and then you can follow up to see if the issue is resolved on their end. You may want to consider using a stock phrase in your ticketing system such as “If we don’t hear from you within one week, we’ll assume the problem has been resolved and the ticket will be closed.” This “passive” approach works better with end-users than badgering them in emails asking whether they’ve tried to get on the server yet.
  5. Be judicious about making emergency contacts. For example, if someone tells you that you can call after hours in case of an emergency, don’t call early on a Saturday morning just to report that no problems were encountered.
  6. Read requests and support tickets very carefully. Users are often very frustrated if their question was misunderstood. If you’re resolving an issue mentioned in an email thread, remember that there may be several different issues within the thread, and some of them may be misinterpretations of the original issue. Contact the customer if needed to pinpoint the real issue, as email threads are often like a “game of telephone” in which each person adds additional assumptions that may or may not be correct.

Be sure to check out the infographic below for some interesting stats about the impact customer service can have on a business.


Infographic-customer-service

 

KISSmetrics 2013, Infographic: Why do Companies with Great Customer Service
Succeed?, viewed 25 Oct 2013, http://blog.kissmetrics.com/great-customer-service-infographic/