Good customer service never goes out of style. You might be wondering: Is it really that crucial? Yes, it is. Excellent customer service is the backbone of any successful business. It’s what keeps customers coming back and inspires them to spend more.
In the age of social media, negative feedback can often overshadow the positive. It’s easy to find stories of poor customer service, but examples of good customer service? Those can be harder to come by. That’s why we’ve decided to shine a spotlight on the positive.
Here, we offer ten steps to offering amazing customer service and highlight ten exceptional examples of good customer service from leading companies. These companies have met and exceeded customer expectations, going above and beyond to deliver experiences that truly wow their customers. So, read on to learn about these, at times, shocking examples of good customer service and the future of customer-focused businesses.
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What makes excellent customer service?
The definition of “good” is a moving target, and it’s more than just professional words. What constitutes “good” customer service today might not tomorrow. The perception of customer service can be influenced by a myriad of factors:
- The industry in which the business operates
- The cost of the product or service
- The reputation of the brand
All these elements play a role in shaping the customer’s expectations and their perception of the service they receive.
For instance, customers of a high-end brand might value personalized attention, while customers of a budget brand might prioritize cost-effectiveness. Understanding these expectations is not just important, it’s essential. It’s about understanding what your customers value, what they expect, and what they need. This understanding allows businesses to provide personalized and memorable experiences that resonate with their customers.
Excellent customer service is about meeting customers where they are and then taking them where they want to go. It’s about creating a customer journey that’s as engaging and satisfying. And just as the best experiences leave customers eagerly awaiting their next interaction with the business.
Key elements of good customer service
Before we look into 10 stories that showcase mind-blowing examples of good customer service, let’s set the stage by understanding what makes customer service truly excellent. Just as a podcast needs a solid foundation of engaging content and a charismatic host to be successful, customer service requires certain key elements to truly shine. These elements are the building blocks that transform a simple customer interaction into a memorable experience, much like how the right mix of story, sound, and suspense can turn a podcast episode into an immersive journey. So, let’s tune in and explore these key elements of good customer service.
Responding quickly to customer inquiries and issues
The customer’s satisfaction with problems can often be a matter of how quickly a business addresses an issue. The speed with which a business can show its dedication to customer satisfaction directly addresses these concerns. When customers make contact, they seek not only solutions but also promptness. The importance of this demonstration of good customer service is comparable to the swift delivery of a punchline in a comedy show.
Actively acting on customer feedback and suggestions
Feedback is the lifeblood of improvement and all feedback should be considered a gift. It’s the raw, unfiltered voice of the customer, offering insights straight from the source. Just as a writer might pore over reader reviews to refine their next novel, businesses should actively act on customer feedback and suggestions. It’s not just about making the necessary changes to products or services, it’s about showing the customers that their voice matters, and that their opinions can make a difference. It’s about turning passive customers into active contributors to the business journey that is repeatable.
Showing empathy and understanding toward customer concerns
Empathy is not just a trait, it’s a tool to drive customer service. It’s the ability to step into the customer’s shoes, to see the world from their perspective, and to share in their emotions. When customers voice their concerns, they’re not just communicating a problem, they’re expressing a need for understanding. They want to feel that the business cares about their issues and is genuinely working to resolve them. It’s about turning a negative experience into a positive interaction, about turning a dissatisfied customer into a loyal advocate.
Providing customer self-service options to empower users
Having the ability to take control and make their own choices is a strong driving force for individuals. Similar to readers who relish the opportunity to determine their own path in a book, consumers greatly value the availability of self-assistance alternatives. This grants them the authority to discover remedies at their preferred rate, to gain knowledge about the item or service on their own terms, and to experience a sense of empowerment. The focus is on furnishing customers with the necessary tools to assist themselves, while still ensuring assistance is accessible if required.
Emphasizing omnichannel support to cater to diverse customer preferences
In 2023, customers are everywhere. They’re on social media, they’re using smartphone apps, they’re sending emails, they’re using texting apps and they’re still making phone calls. Just as how the US president might be broadcasted on multiple TV channels and social media at the same time to reach a wider audience, customer service should be available across multiple channels to cater to where your customers already spend their time and have existing accounts. It’s about being where the customers are, about offering support on the platform where they already are. It’s about coming to them, not asking them to come to you.
Going the extra mile to exceed customer expectations and build loyalty
Going beyond the call of duty is what sets good customer service apart. It’s all about surpassing customer expectations and catching them off guard with the care and attention they receive. Similar to a chef slipping in a free dessert to make a diner’s day, businesses should push themselves to go the extra mile to bring joy to their customers. It’s these unsolicited acts of kindness that foster loyalty and transform customers into advocates. In the eyes of customers, it’s these instances of exceptional customer service that truly make a lasting impression.
The benefits of delivering excellent customer service
Good customer service is not just about solving problems; it’s about creating value, building relationships, and driving growth for your business. In this section, we’ll explore the benefits of delivering excellent customer service, highlighting the profound impact it can have on a business’s bottom line and reputation. Agent effectiveness and customer service improvement can have profound effects on your business, like increased customer retention.
Increased customer spending and brand loyalty
Just as a captivating story can keep a reader hooked in a book or a movie, excellent customer service can keep customers hooked on a brand. It’s a simple equation: the better the service, the more customers are willing to spend. This leads to increased brand loyalty, turning customers into brand advocates.
Improved return on investment (ROI) and higher profitability
Delivering excellent customer service is an investment, and like any good investment, it yields incredible returns. Businesses that prioritize customer service often see an improved ROI and higher profitability. It’s the financial testament to the age-old adage: treat your customers well, and they’ll treat you well in return.
Enhanced customer forgiveness and willingness to give second chances
Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone gets a second chance. Excellent customer service can be your ticket to that second chance with your customers. When businesses make an effort to resolve issues and make amends, customers are more likely to forgive missteps and continue to use them.
Boosted customer loyalty and higher customer lifetime value (CLV)
Customer loyalty isn’t just about repeat business, it’s about the entire lifespan of the customer’s relationship with the business. By delivering excellent customer service, businesses can increase the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), turning one-time transactions into long-term and profitable relationships.
Positive word-of-mouth marketing and increased customer referrals
Word-of-mouth marketing hasn’t just survived the digital transformation of everything, it’s thrived. Happy customers are more likely to share their positive experiences with others on social media, leading to increased customer referrals. It’s the ripple effect of excellent customer service, spreading from one satisfied customer to potential new ones like a virus in cyberspace.
In essence, these benefits are the fruits of the labor that goes into delivering excellent customer service. They’re the tangible and intangible rewards that businesses reap when they prioritize their customers. They’re real-life examples of good customer service transforming businesses and driving success.
How to Deliver Good Customer Service, Step-by-Step
Does your organization need a roadmap to excel at customer service? Here it is, step by step:
- Define your customer service standards and policies
- Hire and train the right people
- Make it easy for customers to reach you
- Listen actively to customer needs
- Resolve issues promptly
- Follow up
- Use customer feedback
- Show appreciation
- Maintain knowledge resources
- Review and improve
1. Define your customer service standards and policies
Have you set clear customer service standards for your organization? Without standards or an overarching customer service philosophy, your organization’s customer support efforts are left adrift. Here are ten customer service standards to consider for your organization:
- Responsiveness
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Empathy
- Over-delivery
- Availability
- Positive Attitude
- Omnipresence
- A Commitment to Empowering Customers
- The Use of Automation
2. Hire and train the right people
Good customer service starts with hiring employees with the right attitude, patience, and communication skills to deal with customers effectively.
Author and customer service consultant Jeff Toister, who wrote The Service Culture Handbook, says hiring positive, motivated people goes a long way toward achieving your customer service goals.
“If you hired correctly, you did not hire a demotivated employee. In other words, they didn’t walk into work on their first day saying, ‘I’m going to be disgruntled. I’m not going to do a good job and I’m upset.’ They came to work optimistic that this is going to be a great environment,” Toister says.
However, a lack of proper training can cause even the best hires to tank quickly.
“There’s a study that was done by a company called Benchmark Portal that found that agent job satisfaction takes a cliff dive after about 12 weeks on the job, and which is about how long new hire training takes,” Toister says.
Toister says the trick is to train employees properly so they don’t get burnt out. Provide comprehensive training on your products/services, policies, and soft skills like active listening and conflict resolution.
3. Make it easy for customers to reach you
Offer multiple contact channels like phone, email, live chat, social media, etc. Ensure they are staffed adequately during peak times.
Being available and easy to reach is key to keeping happy customers. CX expert John Sills, author of The Human Experience, laments that many organizations actively try to avoid their customers, which he says is a mistake.
“An organizational arrogance has appeared, with customers viewed as an annoyance, leading to the creation of escape-room-esque experiences if they have a problem and need to talk to someone,” Sills writes in The Human Experience.
All that does is frustrate customers and make it less likely they make a repeat purchase.
“You’re either trying to make your way past the chatbot guards or you’re trying to work your way through the escape room of the buttons. You have to press on the phone to get through to the right person. It is like being in a puzzle that you need to try and work out to be able to try and get through to speak to someone,” Sills tells us.
Sills says that customer service is expensive, whether good or bad, and good customer service can drive ROI, so you might as well provide good service.
Here’s the full video of our interview with John Sills:
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4. Listen actively to customer needs
Train employees to listen carefully, ask the right questions to understand the full context, and show empathy.
One of the most frustrating experiences for customers is when they don’t feel like a company is listening to them.
“One of the things we talk about at the start of any conversation with a customer is that you’ve got to be ready to listen,” Sills says.
Listening can pay off big time for organizations. At the TextExpander Work Smarter Virtual Summit, Punk CX author Adrian Swinscoe talked about Boden’s, a British retailer he worked with. They set out to actively listen to their customers to deliver a more personalized experience, which paid off.
“Because they really clued in—they really, really focused on the customers and asked them what they wanted. And then they delivered on that. And as a result of their efforts, on average, they’re seeing a 33-34% increase in their cart size and about a 52 to 53% higher conversion rate,” Swinscoe says.
You can watch Swinscoe’s presentation on ROI in customer service below:
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5. Resolve issues promptly
Customers usually contact customer service when they have a problem, and they want their problems resolved quickly. You can do that by empowering employees to take ownership and make decisions to resolve customer issues quickly within defined policies.
But what does it mean to empower your customer service agents? Toister explains, “When I’ve looked at customer-focused organizations, they define empowerment as enabling employees to do good work.”
Toister outlines three steps to empowering employees:
- Give them the necessary tools and resources they need to perform. For example, do their computer systems allow them to easily issue refunds, replacement items, or alternatives when the original item is out of stock?
- Giving employees the right procedures to resolve customer issues quickly and satisfactorily. That means enabling best practices to offer a consistent level of service between agents.
“One agent might have a really good way of solving a problem. It takes just five minutes and the customer is happy. Another agent might not have access to that solution, so they struggle, and it takes them 30 minutes to get to the same point. Well, no one wants to be that 30-minute customer or that 30-minute agent, so we need best practices,” Toister explains. - Grant them authority to solve problems in two specific ways: “One is to deviate from an established policy or procedure when it clearly makes sense, and when there’s no established policy or procedure that covers whatever the situation is, which actually happens a lot in customer service,” Toister says.
6. Follow up
A key element of customer service is being proactive. Ideally, that means resolving issues before they’re issues, but once a customer has contacted support, it’s important to follow up with them to ensure that the issue is resolved before they feel the need to reach out again.
Follow up within a reasonable timeframe after the initial issue resolution, typically 1-3 days. This allows the customer to experience the solution and provide feedback while the interaction is still fresh in their mind. Use the customer’s preferred contact method for the follow-up, whether that’s phone, email, chat, etc. Make it convenient for them to respond.
Follow-up is an opportunity to not only ensure the customer is satisfied but also to gather valuable feedback. And all feedback is a gift!
But don’t just ask close-ended “Were you satisfied?” sort of questions. Use an open-ended approach like “How did we do in resolving your issue?” to encourage the customer to provide fuller feedback.
As Sills wrote in The Human Experience:
“Rarely do companies just speak to customers about them and their lives, without some kind of pre-defined script or agenda. Rarely do companies take the time to understand and uncover the deeper psychological stresses and strains impacting customers’ lives. Rarely do companies listen to people’s real-life experiences and behaviours, seeing them as humans instead of a sanitized and aggregated collection of thoughts based on a hypothetical situation or a specific product a company produces.”
It’s important to take opportunities to truly understand your customers.
7. Use customer feedback
Analyze feedback, complaints and suggestions systematically to continuously improve products, processes and customer experiences. But it’s also important to not do this at the expense of the customer experience—i.e., “survey begging.”
“It kind of makes logical sense. If you say, ‘As a company, we want to know more about what matters to our customers. So we’re going to ask them and the more we ask them, the more we know.’ That’s not it’s not an illogical argument. It kind of makes sense. But it’s only when it becomes reality you realize it really doesn’t make sense for a few reasons,” Sills says.
“You’re ruining the customer experience,” Sills tells us.
“The end of the customer experience is a major part of what people remember. And what we all remember now is being harassed for feedback,” Sills adds.
Getting usable feedback starts with gathering the right sort of feedback. Sills argues that it’s more useful to speak deeply with a handful of customers than surveying thousands.
And you also need to keep in mind that many customers don’t know what they want or what is possible. That’s why it’s important to drive to the intent of what customers want and combine that knowledge with what you know is possible.
“It’s your job in an organization to understand what matters in your customers’ lives. But then combine that with your knowledge of what’s possible, both in your industry and other industries. And it’s the combination of those two things that creates great ideas,” Sills says.
8. Show appreciation
Everyone wants to feel appreciated—train staff to use positive language and tone. Look for opportunities to surprise and delight customers when possible.
For example, when was the last time you received a handwritten note? Here’s customer service expert Shep Hyken on ways to show customer appreciation:
9. Maintain knowledge resources
Develop knowledge bases, FAQs and other resources that staff and customers can easily access for self-service. When your customer service reps are equipped to answer customer questions quickly, they can close tickets faster and increase customer satisfaction.
Many knowledge-base software options are on the market, but you should consider TextExpander as your team’s single source of truth. TextExpander’s Inline Search feature lets you quickly not only look up solutions to customer problems, but also insert them directly into your help desk software.
Not able to play the video? Click here to watch the video
Learn how to upgrade your team’s knowledge retrieval to boost CSAT and NPS scores
10. Review and improve
Reviewing and improving customer service processes is essential to maintain high standards and continuously enhance the customer experience. A positive and proactive approach can significantly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
You should periodically review customer service performance metrics, policies, and feedback data. This allows them to objectively assess what’s working well and identify areas that need improvement. Customer journey mapping exercises can reveal potential pain points and gaps in the existing processes. It’s crucial to involve employees who interact with customers daily, as they offer invaluable insights from the frontlines.
From this, you should create action plans to address the identified issues systematically. This could involve updating policies and procedures, enhancing training programs, investing in new technology or tools, restructuring teams, or revamping communication channels. Change management processes should be robust to ensure smooth implementation of the improvements across the organization.
Continuously measuring the impact of these improvements through renewed data collection and customer feedback is key. This closes the loop and allows for further refinements in an ongoing cycle of reviewing, improving, and optimizing the customer service experience.
Great customer service examples from 10 leading companies
Here are some examples of companies providing great customer service through problem solving, personalized service, and overall customer centricity.
Good customer service from Chewy
The loss of a pet is a deeply personal and painful experience. These loyal companions become an integral part of our families, offering unconditional love and companionship throughout their lives. When they pass on, it leaves a void that takes time to heal. Recognizing this profound sense of loss, Chewy.com, a pet retailer, has been extending a heartwarming gesture to its customers who are grieving the loss of their pets.
Chewy.com understands the heartache that accompanies such a loss. In response, they’ve been sending out sympathy flowers to customers who’ve recently lost their pets. A testament to this came to light when a Twitter user shared her experience with the company. After her dog passed away, she reached out to Chewy.com to return an unopened bag of dog food.
In her tweet, she shared, “I contacted @Chewy last week to see if I could return an unopened bag of my dog’s food after he died. They 1) gave me a full refund, 2) told me to donate the food to the shelter, and 3) had flowers delivered today with the gift note signed by the person I talked to.”
This small yet significant gesture by Chewy.com is a shining example of good customer service and corporate responsibility. It’s a reminder that businesses can and should go beyond transactions and truly connect with their customers on a human level.
These moments of genuine empathy and kindness transform a company from a mere retailer into a trusted friend.
Meeting customers where they’re at, beyond expectations
Imagine this scenario: A man, recently liberated from the clutches of a root canal operation that had him subsisting on a liquid diet for days, was yearning for the comfort of diner food. His wife, equally excited to celebrate his return to the realm of solid food, decided to treat him to a meal out.
However, their dinner was met with an unusually long wait before they were finally seated and not in the most ideal location—right next to a noisy blender at the end of the bar. The evening’s service, unfortunately, didn’t quite live up to their expectations when they first arrived.
Their waiter seemed to be in a rush. He quickly took their drink orders but didn’t inquire if they were ready to order their meals. When they finally placed their food order, the service hiccupped again. One of their side dishes arrived ahead of the main courses, and to add to the confusion, it wasn’t even the side dish they had ordered.
Despite the series of mishaps and a few apologies from the server, the couple managed to enjoy their meal, with the husband finding his burrito to be “divine.” Ready to wrap up the evening, they asked for the check, only to find a surprising total of $0.01. At first, they thought it was a mistake.
Often, discounts are seen as a last resort to make up for a less-than-stellar experience. However, this story serves as a reminder of the proactive power of such gestures in mitigating customer dissatisfaction before it escalates into a negative experience that means a customer doesn’t return.
Zappos’ exemplary customer service
There’s a story that Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, often shared during his presentations before he passed away. It’s a personal story that he recounted with a certain fondness as the leader of the company and is a testament to the exceptional customer service Zappos is known for.
The story unfolds on a night out with clients. As the evening wound down and the bar had closed, the group of friends retreated to their hotel. One of Hsieh’s clients, however, had a craving for pizza, but the hotel’s room service had already closed for the evening.
In a stroke of genius, Hsieh suggested that the client call Zappos, a company known for selling shoes and fashion, not pizzas. Naturally, Zappos didn’t have pizzas to deliver. But the representative who answered the call at 2 AM didn’t let that stop them from helping the client. They found three pizza parlors that were still open near the hotel and placed the order for the client.
Helping those in times of need and making a difference
In 2020, when Sajani, the CEO and founder of Kola Goodies, launched her business, she had a clear vision. She wanted to weave her Sri Lankan heritage into a range of healthy and nutritious blends everyone could enjoy. The small enterprise currently offers three teas—a super green latte, turmeric milk tea, and Sri Lankan milk tea – each a nod to Sajani’s homeland. However, as Sri Lanka found itself in the throes of an economic and political crisis, Sajani felt compelled to lend her support. She chose to document this journey on Kola Goodies’ crisis relief page.
Sajani turned to the company’s Instagram and TikTok accounts to highlight the situation in Sri Lanka—a largely overlooked crisis until that time. After sharing posts about the ongoing issues, Kola Goodies’ social media channels were flooded with inquiries from customers eager to help. Leveraging social values can not only do good in the world, it can build up your brand equity.
Leveraging social causes to connect with customers
TOMS a popular footwear company weaves corporate responsibility into its corporate fabric, leveraging social causes to connect with its customers on a deeper level. TOMS is a shining example of this approach as it invests ⅓ of profits for grassroots good, including cash grants and partnerships with community organizations, to drive sustainable change. As a Certified B Corporation™, TOMS meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
It’s a great example of how corporate giving can help build brand equity and customer trust.
Personalized customer engagement from Morton’s Steakhouse
A few years back, an awesome event happened on Twitter that perfectly highlights the power of exceptional customer service and giving personalized responses. Peter Shankman playfully tweeted at Morton’s Steakhouse, asking if they could meet him at Newark Airport with a porterhouse steak upon his plane’s landing.
While Shankman’s tweet was made in good fun, and it’s unlikely he would have held any grudges against Morton’s had they not fulfilled his somewhat outlandish request, what happened next was nothing short of extraordinary. Upon his arrival, a Morton’s server was waiting for him, steak in hand.
How Taylor Swift connects with fans
Recently, fans of Taylor Swift gathered in droves at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for a concert that held a special significance for the family of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, brought their daughters to the concert as a tribute to her late husband and daughter, Gigi, who tragically lost their lives in a helicopter crash in 2020.
As part of her performance, Taylor Swift has a tradition during her “The Eras Tour.” While energetically performing her hit song “22”, she makes her way down the stage, and at the end of the number, she presents a young fan with her signature black top hat.
On this particular night, during her first of six performances at SoFi Stadium, it was Kobe Bryant’s young daughter, Bianka who was the lucky recipient of this special gesture. A video capturing this heartwarming exchange quickly went viral. Swift and Bianka shared a brief conversation before Swift placed the hat on Bianka’s head.
Microsoft and the importance of customer feedback collection
Back in 2013, Microsoft made a big announcement about their plans for the Xbox One, which the gaming community hated. They promised some exciting new features that would completely change how we play games. One of these features was the need for the console always to be connected to the internet. Additionally, they put some limits on the ability to play used games, which is a major part of the industry. Gamers made their concerns known quite loudly and clearly. The request for an always-on internet connection was seen as a restriction, especially for those with unstable internet connections. Microsoft decided to prioritize listening to their users. As a result, they chose to reverse their policies, eliminating the mandatory always-on feature and lifting the limitations on used games.
Microsoft proposed business changes that would have had a major impact on Xbox’s brand equity if they had followed through. The company wisely realized that the overall business outcome would be negative. While every business eventually has to make tough choices, they shouldn’t be at the cost of customer trust.
T-Mobile’s focus on customer experience
International travel with cell phone plans is historically known to be a pain. T-Mobile breaks that mold, though. T-Mobile’s international roaming options are built to keep you in touch no matter where you go. With 5 GB of fast and free data available in over 215 countries and places, T-Mobile’s goal is to ensure you can stay connected with your loved ones, keep up with work, or share your adventures on social media without blowing your bill up.
This is one of many ways that T-Mobile has leaned on customer experience as a competitive advantage over the years. Even when T-Mobile lagged behind AT&T and Verizon on coverage, it developed a reputation for innovation, staying on top of consumer trends, and outstanding customer service.
Zappos transforms customer errors into opportunities
Mistakes happen, and customers realize that no company is perfect. A few years back, Zappos sent a customer the wrong pair of shoes. They gave the customer a $50 gift card to apologize for the mistake and a free return of the shoes.
How to provide great customer service—tips for businesses
Just as an author needs a solid plan to write a great story, forward-thinking and customer-obsessed businesses need a strategic approach to deliver great customer service. It’s about understanding the customer, tracking your progress on delivery, and constantly striving for improvement. In this section of our blog, we’ll explore some key strategies that can help businesses elevate their customer service game in simple, but effective ways.
Gathering feedback and setting metrics for customer experience (CX) improvement
The first step in delivering great customer service is understanding what your customers want and need. This can be achieved by gathering feedback and setting customer service metrics for Customer Experience (CX) improvement. It’s not just about making the initial sale. It’s about listening to your customers, understanding their pain points, and setting measurable goals to improve their interactions. It’s about turning feedback into actionable insights that can drive CX improvement. Remember, all feedback, good or bad, is a gift.
Using customer service benchmark reports to track progress
Once you’ve set your CX improvement goals, tracking your progress is important. This can be done using customer service benchmark reports. These reports show your customer service performance and how your team is doing. These reportings can help you understand where you excel and where there’s room for improvement.
Utilizing omnichannel feedback and multiple support options
To deliver great customer service, businesses need to be where their customers are. This means utilizing omnichannel feedback and offering multiple support options. It’s about ensuring that you’re there to assist no matter where your customers are or how they choose to reach out. Don’t require a complicated support portal for customers to ask questions. Give them an email, a phone number, or even a place to text to get help.
Focusing on unique experiences to delight customers at every touchpoint
Great customer service is more than just solving problems – it’s about delighting customers at every touchpoint with your team and products. This means focusing on creating unique experiences that leave a lasting impression on the customer. Whether it’s a personalized email, a thoughtful customer anniversary, or a surprise discount, these unique and personalized experiences can turn a mundane interaction into a memorable moment that drives future sales. It’s about going the extra mile not just to meet, but exceed customer expectations.
Offer robust digital self-service options
Providing robust self-service options is a crucial aspect of great customer service. Businesses can enhance user experience by offering easily accessible online resources like FAQs, user guides, and interactive tools. This caters to customers who prefer self-help solutions and frees up customer service teams to tackle more complex issues, ensuring a more efficient and satisfying service experience for all. Integrating tools like TextExpander can streamline these digital solutions, making vital information available to customers and contributing to overall service excellence.
To sum it up, delivering great customer service is a strategic process that doesn’t happen by accident. It requires understanding your customers, tracking your progress, being open to feedback, and focusing on delight. It’s about turning every customer interaction into an opportunity to impress, delight, and build lasting relationships.
Wrap up on examples of good customer service
Exceptional customer service, as we’ve discovered, is not just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have. It’s the centerpiece of any successful business, the driving force behind customer loyalty, and the key to long-term business health.
Throughout this blog, we’ve seen how positive customer service stories can shape a brand’s reputation in a very positive manner. Just as a well-told tale can captivate an audience, a well-delivered service can captivate a customer. These examples of exceptional customer service are not just examples of good customer service, they’re the building blocks of a brand’s reputation. They’re the narratives that customers share, the experiences that set a brand apart, and the moments that turn customers into brand ambassadors.
The message is clear: businesses, whether B2B or B2C, must prioritize the customer experience and provide legendary service. It’s about more than just solving problems. It’s about creating memorable moments that your customers will remember. It’s about going the extra mile to meet and exceed your customer’s expectations.
FAQ about good customer service examples
What is customer service?
Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services. It encompasses a range of activities to improve customer satisfaction and resolve any issues or queries that a customer might have. Effective customer service often involves promptness, empathy, clear communication, and the ability to effectively solve problems. It plays a crucial role in maintaining customer loyalty and can significantly impact the reputation and success of a business.
What is an example of great customer service?
An example of great customer service is when a company goes beyond the customer’s expectations to resolve an issue or fulfill a need. For instance, if a customer purchased a product that malfunctioned, great customer service would involve not only replacing the product quickly but also offering additional support or compensation for the inconvenience caused. This might include a discount on future purchases, a free product, or personalized assistance to ensure the issue is fully resolved. Such actions demonstrate the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction and often lead to increased customer loyalty.
What are 5 qualities of good customer service?
Five qualities of good customer service include:
- Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of customers, showing genuine concern for their problems.
- Responsiveness: Quickly and effectively addressing customer inquiries or issues.
- Knowledge: Having a thorough understanding of the company’s products or services to provide accurate information.
- Efficiency: Resolving customer issues in a timely manner without compromising quality.
- Consistency: Providing reliable and uniform service across all interactions to build trust and satisfaction.
What are some examples of good customer service for a job interview?
When it comes to job interviews, highlighting your customer service skills can be as important as presenting a well-written resume or CV. You might discuss a time when you went above and beyond to help a customer by resolving a complex problem or providing a personalized solution/service. You could share a time when you turned a negative customer experience into a positive one through proactive work that was beyond the call of duty.
What are examples of good customer service skills?
Good customer service skills are as varied as the customers you serve and the industries you operate in. They include the ability to listen actively and understand customer needs, the capacity to solve problems effectively while communicating clearly and empathetically. They also involve being patient under pressure when customers are upset, showing genuine care and concern, and being able to adapt to different customer personalities and situations.
What are some examples of good customer feedback?
Good customer feedback can come in many forms. It might be a positive review on Amazon or Google that praises your product or service, a constructive feedback item that offers a new perspective, or a heartfelt thank-you note that highlights their appreciation for your team’s exceptional service. It could also be a customer referral, where a satisfied customer recommends your business to others.
