You could have an amazing product or service, but that alone does not result in happier customers. If your business deals with a large number of customers on a regular basis, you must be aware of theimportance of customer service. If your customers don’t get your support, they will simply choose your competitors. Improving customer service withinnovative customer service ideasis the ultimate need of the hour – and can’t be ignored any longer!
Why Customer Service Matters: Importance of Innovation in Customer Service
The most important reason for improving customer service is reputation. Your company’s brand image and reputation depends on the way your customer service agents deal with customers on a regular basis.
89% of consumers stop doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service, according to the RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report
Customer expectations have increased dramatically in the modern digital era with the widespread adoption of innovative technologies. If you don’t adapt your business to the changing needs of your customer, you could be losing out on a really great opportunity to make your customers even happier.
Not just that, improving customer service can save you money! In fact, companies lose more than $62 billion due to poor customer service, according to NewVoiceMedia.
Unique Customer Service Ideas to Improve Customer Service
Businesses often want to differentiate themselves from their competitors by doing something unique. When brands do something unique that surprises customers, it makes them come back for better experiences. Innovative ideas are effective and they work, which is why they are so powerful.
Here, we share some unique customer service ideas you’ve probably never heard of and should definitely try out:
- Improve Customer Service with Chatbots
Chatbots will save over $8 billion annually by 2022, up from $20 million in 2017, according toJuniper Research.
See Also20 Constructive Feedback Examples for Performance ReviewsNew Hire Feedback: Getting Feedback From New EmployeesHow to become Chef and Head Chef [Culinary Art] |Chef Career GuidePhiladelphia’s Permanent Harriet Tubman Statue - The Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy“40% customers don’t care who answered their query — an agent or a bot – as long as it was resolved.” – HubSpot
- Offer aSelf ServiceChannel
45 percent of companies offering web or mobile self-service reported an increase in site traffic and reduced phone inquiries.” – CRM Magazine
- Randomly Call a Customer and Create a WoW Customer Moment
- Create Content that Destroys Itself After Some Time to Create Demand
- Catch a Customer in a Happy Moment and Share it on Social Media
- Mail a Handwritten Message via Post to Thank your Customer
- Give Incentives to Customers when They Engage with You on Social Media
- Create a Customer Service ‘Hall of Fame’ with Your Best Customer Testimonials
- Create a Catchy Team Motto and Stick to it
- Ask Each Team Member to Do One Thing toImprove Customer Servicebesides their Everyday Routine
- Follow Up on Each Customer Query and Ask whether it has been Resolved
- Even if a Customer Feedback Sounds Crazy, Do it Anyway
- Create a Facebook Group of your Most Loyal Customers and Engage them
- Let a Team Member Be a Customer for a Single Day, and Gather Their Feedback
- Always Smile when Talking to a Customer
Want to Delight Customers even while you are Working Remotely?
Innovative Ideas to Improve Customer Service Experience
Your customers don’t just talk to customer service, they experience it. And, customers today are beginning to feel that brands just don’t care about them anymore.
According toKampyle, 87% of customers think brands need to put more effort into providing a more consistent experience.
(Video) Creative thinking - how to get out of the box and generate ideas: Giovanni Corazza at TEDxRoma
This is why customer service teams should focus on delivering a good overall customer service experience. Here are some innovative ideas to improve customer service experience:
- Know Your Customer and How to Solve Their Problem
- Foster a Customer-Centric Culture
- Assign One Customer Service Representative to a Single Customer / Account
“Over 35% of customers expect to be able to contact the same customer service representative on any channel.” –Zendesk
- Make it Easier for Customers to Engage with your Business
Customer engagement leads to customer retention. Research by Rosetta Consulting found that engaged customers are five times more likely to buy only from the same brand in the future.
- Make it Easier for Customers to Switch Channels During Customer Service
“15 years ago, the average consumer typically used two touch-points when buying an item and only 7% regularly used more than four. Today consumers use an average of almost six touch points, with 50% regularly using more than four.” –Marketing Week
See AlsoWhat to Wear to Work7 Reasons Why Digital Literacy is Important for TeachersWhy Isn't My Adobe Photoshop Download Opening On MacBusiness Attire: What this Dress Code Means | Cleverism“Omnichannel shoppers have a 30% higher lifetime value than those who shop using only one channel.” –Google
“61% of customers have not been able to easily switch from one channel to another when interacting with customer service.” –Aspect
- Create a Customer Service Strategy
- Be Available 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days of the Week
- Automate 20% of All Customer Service Queries 80% of the Time
- Aim to Please your Customers
- Provide Quick Responses
“82% say that getting their issue resolved quickly is the number 1 factor to agreat customer experience.” –LivePerson
(Video) How One Innovative Window And Door Company Is Creating Happier Ways Of Living | ITDL S2 E8“33% of consumers would recommend a brand that provides a quick but ineffective response.” –Nielsen-McKinsey
“75% of online customers expect help within 5 minutes.” –Mckinsey
- If a Particular Query is Never Resolved in the First Interaction, Find Out Why and Fix it
- Have a Dedicated Knowledge base with Frequently Asked Questions
- Use the Power ofArtificial Intelligence to Improve Customer Experiencewith Real-Time Intelligent Insights
Ideas to Improve Customer Service in the Workplace
Apart from investing in new technology and coming up with creative ideas for customer service improvement, businesses can improve customer service in the workplace and customer service team as well. Here are some ideas to improve customer service in your workplace:
- Consider Customer Service Training for your Customer Service Agents
- Create a Customer Service Vision that Defines your Ideal Customer Service Experience
- Improve Customer Service Processes to Result in Maximum Efficiency
- Create a Team Culture that Focuses on Building Relationships with Customers
- Create Brand Advocates Out of your Employees with a Strong Brand Image
Invest in Innovative Customer Service Technology to Power Up Your Engagements
“Organizations on average, use 35 different data gathering systems with little to no integration.” –Forbes Insights and Sitecore
(Video) We Ate the Squares
Best Idea for Improving Customer Service
Many experts argue that usingchatbots for customer service automationis the best idea for improving customer service. Although automation works great for efficiency, it necessary would not result in happier customers.
An interesting research by Stella Service discovered that automated systems put customers on hold 1 minute longer than real people.
The best idea for improving customer service is not automation, rather it iscomplete personalization! Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Your customer doesn’t want to be another statistic lost in your system – they want your undivided personal attention.
If personalizing every customer response seems like an impossible task, try using email templates and personalize them to fit the customer’s description.
Customer Service Innovation Examples
Here are some innovative customer service examples to inspire you to do more with yourcustomer service team:
- When Lily Robinson, a 3 year old, asked UK-based Grocery Store Sainsbury’s why their Tiger Bread was named ‘Tiger’ and not ‘Giraffe’, Sainsbury’s renamed the bread to ‘Giraffe Bread’
- A Zappos employee set a world record for the longest customer service call that lasted 10 hours and 29 minutes!
- MasterCard launched the “Priceless Surprises” following the success of their “Priceless” advertisements, where they would connect with users via social media and surprise them with gifts, celebrity dates, and more!
- With the release of Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon offered live video chat tech support to resolve customer queries within seconds. Notably, Amazon strives to become “the most customer-centric company on earth.”
- To better engage customers, Starbucks gave away a free Cafe Latte to everyone who interacted with the staff and introduced themselves by name. They ended up giving away in excess of 350,000 free lattes!
- Wufoo, an online form builder, send personal hand-written ‘thank you’ notes to customers who helped build contact forms on their site.
Innovative Customer Service Solution
Although innovative customer service ideas would definitely add some spice and pump up your customer engagements, imagine if you had an innovative customer service platform that has everything you need to create happier customers? Ameyo’sContact Center Solutionfor Customer Service powered by technological innovationis your answer to delivering an awe-inspiring customer service experience!
FAQs
What are some examples of service innovation? ›
Examples of service innovation include: Product Use Enhancements – additional or complementary features and experiences to elevate the customer experience surrounding a product or service.
What are the 3 most important things in customer service? ›Essentially, the 3 important qualities of customer service center around three “p”s: professionalism, patience, and a “people-first” attitude. Although customer service varies from customer to customer, as long as you're following these guidelines, you're on the right track.
What are the 4 tips for making your customers happy? ›- Below are 4 tips for making your customers happy.
- Effective Communication. Be attentive; Listen to feedback and take notes to make sure you understand what your customer wants. ...
- Take Responsibility. A successful entrepreneur ensures that every job is done the right. ...
- Be Kind. ...
- Be Consistent.
Often, innovating involves approaching an existing idea or product from a new perspective with the goal of improving it. Although experts hardly agree on a definitive set of innovation types, there are generally three categories: product, process, and business model innovation.
What are the 5 most important things in customer service? ›- Persuasive Speaking Skills. Think of the most persuasive speaker in your organisation. ...
- Empathy. ...
- Adaptability. ...
- Ability to Use Positive Language. ...
- Clear Communication Skills. ...
- Self-Control. ...
- Taking Responsibility. ...
- Patience.
- Know your product. ...
- Maintain a positive attitude. ...
- Creatively problem-solve. ...
- Respond quickly. ...
- Personalize your service. ...
- Help customers help themselves. ...
- Focus support on the customer. ...
- Actively listen.
What is innovative customer experience? Experiences that make every interaction totally natural, useful, easy and seamless. Experiences that are based on actually listening to customers, and meeting their unmet needs in ways they can't (yet) conceive.
What are the 4 elements of good customer service? ›There are four key principles of good customer service: It's personalized, competent, convenient, and proactive. These factors have the biggest influence on the customer experience.
How do you give a 5 star customer service? ›- Give your customer service team more information. ...
- Respond to customer feedback. ...
- Admit when you are wrong. ...
- Encourage personal development. ...
- Creatively and proactively problem solve.
Principles of good customer service. Listening, understanding your customer's needs, thanking the customer and promoting a positive, helpful and friendly environment will ensure they leave with a great impression. A happy customer will return often and is likely to spend more.
What are the 10 tips of customer care? ›
- Provide multiple ways for your customers to get in touch with you. ...
- Acknowledge that you've received their request. ...
- Solve customer problems immediately. ...
- Don't be afraid to over-communicate with customers. ...
- Go above and beyond customer expectations.
- Understand Your Customer's Needs.
- Listen to their Feedback.
- Set Realistic Expectations.
- Pay Attention to Your Competitors.
- Be Consistent in Communicating with Your Customers.
- Take User Experience as a Priority
- Foster Loyalty through Proactive Customer Relations.
- Always Try to Do Better. ...
- Anticipate Customer Needs. ...
- Deliver Beyond Customer Expectations. ...
- Be Consistent Across Channels. ...
- Continually Ensure Your customers Value What You Offer. ...
- Eliminate Dissatisfaction (So You Can Focus on Loyalty) ...
- Empathize with Customers. ...
- Empower Your Employees.
The innovations include technological inventions such as wind turbines, photovoltaic cells, concentrated solar power, geothermal energy, ocean wave power and many other emerging innovations. These value innovation examples of disruptive technology will undoubtedly add value to sustainable development.
What are the 5 types of innovation? ›- Radical innovation. As the name suggests, a radical innovation really changes the circumstances of a brand, whether in terms of market or of business dynamics. ...
- Incremental innovation. ...
- Disruptive innovation. ...
- Technological innovation.
- Product innovation. ...
- Service innovation. ...
- Process innovation. ...
- Technological innovation. ...
- Business model innovation. ...
- Marketing innovation. ...
- Architectural innovation. ...
- Social innovation.
- 5G networks. ...
- Mainstream blockchain apps. ...
- More AI-enabled platforms for automated work. ...
- Machine learning for customer service. ...
- 3D printing. ...
- New security measures. ...
- Augmented reality. ...
- More AI solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses.
When it comes to implementing innovation, what is the starting place and how can you identify areas in need of an innovative approach? Take a business leader approach and start with the four “Ps” of innovation—paradigm, process, position and product.
What are the 6 main customer needs? ›- Friendliness.
- Empathy.
- Fairness.
- Control.
- Alternatives.
- Information.
- Time.
- Empathy. What exactly is empathy in the context of customer service? ...
- Patience. ...
- Clear Communications. ...
- Knowledge of the Product. ...
- Keep Language Positive. ...
- Read Between the Lines. ...
- Quick Learning. ...
- Ability to Close.
What are the 7 qualities of good customer service? ›
- Problem-Solving Skills. The number one skill you need to excel in for good customer service is problem-solving. ...
- Clear Communication. ...
- Friendly Attitude. ...
- Empathy. ...
- Business Acumen. ...
- Product/Service Knowledge. ...
- Strong Time Management.
- Customers usually know great customer service when they experience it. ...
- Be Flexible. ...
- Empower Employees to Solve Problems. ...
- Root Your Team in Kindness. ...
- Make Customer Service Your Priority. ...
- Give the Customer Service You Expect. ...
- Tips for Great Customer Service.
The three A's are for when you mess up—and that's why they're so hard for most businesses to swallow, because business people tend to like to avoid the hard part: apologizing. But here's where you get the magic formula, and it goes like this: acknowledge, apologize, act.
What are five 5 qualities of an innovative team? ›- Anatomy of innovative teams.
- 1: Laser focus.
- 2: Ownership of their work.
- 3: Lifelong learners.
- 4: Trust.
Innovators are able to see market changes coming from a distance so they can provide solutions for customers' problems before they even know they need them. You cannot meet the needs of customers long-term unless you recognize the importance of innovation and act on it.
What are the 7 steps of customer service? ›- Create a Customer Service Vision. ...
- Assess Customer Needs. ...
- Hire the Right Employees. ...
- Set Goals for Customer Service. ...
- Train on Service Skills. ...
- Hold People Accountable. ...
- Reward and Recognize Good Service.
- Be Genuine: Personalize the Conversation. ...
- Be Accountable: Don't Pass the Buck. ...
- Be Empathetic: Listen, Acknowledge, Validate & Apologize. ...
- Be Innovative: Provide Solutions. ...
- Be Trustworthy: Never Make Impossible Promises.
- Really Listen. ...
- Put Them First. ...
- Put Yourself in Their Shoes. ...
- Be Honest and Genuinely Open to Feedback. ...
- Deal with Problems Quickly. ...
- Be Creative in Showing Appreciation.
What is good customer service? Good customer service means consistently meeting customers' expectations. Great customer service is quick, easy, personalized, and empathetic. Companies that deliver excellent customer service take the time needed to understand the needs of their unique customer base.
What is the most important part of good customer service? ›- 1) Respect. The idea behind respect is that you treat others the way you would like to be treated. ...
- 2) Patience. Customers with problems are going to want to talk. ...
- 3) Self-Control. ...
- 4) Concern. ...
- 5) Attentiveness. ...
- 6) Empathy. ...
- 7) Flexibility. ...
- 8) Communication Skills.
What are the 3 most effective methods to reach your best customers? ›
- Know your audience. ...
- Provide consistent customer experience. ...
- Invest in Content Marketing. ...
- Take advantage of customers' testimonials. ...
- Set up a referral program. ...
- Stay connected via newsletter. ...
- Listen to your customers' feedback. ...
- Demonstrate your products or services.
- Make your marketing mobile-first for a better guest experience. ...
- Optimize your website for voice search to improve the guest experience. ...
- Showcase your product using virtual reality and 360-degree video.
The three major factors that affect modern customer satisfaction can be categorized as customer perceived quality, value, and service. By harnessing these factors, you are able to provide positive, consistent customer experiences and create true customer loyalty.
What are the 7 effective methods to identify and meet customer needs? ›- Deliver quality customer support. ...
- Map your customer journey. ...
- Measure customer satisfaction regularly. ...
- Be consistent in customer communication. ...
- Develop a customer centric culture. ...
- Enhance the USP of your product.
The three Cs of customer satisfaction: Consistency, consistency, consistency. It may not seem sexy, but consistency is the secret ingredient to making customers happy. However, it's difficult to get right and requires top-leadership attention.
How do you keep customers happy and loyal? ›- Provide outstanding customer service.
- Reward customers with special offers and discounts.
- Leverage user-generated content (UGC)
- Create a unique customer loyalty program.
- Know your customers.
- Create a sense of community.
- Get personal.
There are four main customer needs that an entrepreneur or small business must consider. These are price, quality, choice and convenience.
What are 5 services examples? ›- Recreation.
- Arts and entertainment.
- Social assistance.
- Health care.
- Waste management.
- Professional and technical services.
- Scientific services.
- Transportation.
- Athletic training business. Athletic trainers help individuals reach their fitness goals. ...
- Housekeeping. ...
- Business consulting. ...
- Maintenance service. ...
- Graphic design. ...
- Financial advising. ...
- Academic tutoring. ...
- Auto mechanic shop.
- Radical innovation. As the name suggests, a radical innovation really changes the circumstances of a brand, whether in terms of market or of business dynamics. ...
- Incremental innovation. ...
- Disruptive innovation. ...
- Technological innovation.
What are the 3 greatest innovations of All Time? ›
Invention | Inventor | |
---|---|---|
1 | Printing Press | Johannes Gutenberg |
2 | Electric Light | Thomas Edison |
3 | Automobile | Karl Benz |
4 | Telephone | Alexander Graham Bell |
- Business services.
- Communication.
- Construction and engineering.
- Distribution.
- Education.
- Environment.
- Finance.
- Tourism.
Services are diversified in three groups; Business services, social services and personal services.
What are the 4 types of service? ›Direct, Indirect, Advocacy and Research
This may include volunteering or cleaning up a park. Indirect Service might take the form of fundraising or collections. It is they type of service in which you are not in the presence of the person or thing you are impacting.
- A bag that slow cooks food. (Photo: WIPO) ...
- Bottle light bulbs. (Photo: Liter of Light) ...
- Energy-producing roads. ...
- 1 dollar microscope. ...
- Medical drones. ...
- Mobile water safety check. ...
- Solar rechargeable hearing aids. ...
- Wearable breast cancer detector.
There are six stages in the process of innovation: generating ideas, capturing ideas, beginning innovation, developing a business-effectiveness strategy, applying business improvement, and decline.