How do we improve customer service?

Research tells us that “customer service can make or break your business”[1]. Most of us agree, good customer service is really important to a successful business. But how do we really know if we have good customer service, and how can we fix it if it’s bad?

Let’s review how customer service typically is quantified.

1.  Surveys. A really good use of surveys is to query your customers after an encounter with customer service. Granted, people who are angry with your service are more likely to respond, but it can be a great way to gain a snapshot of users’ experience and translate that into actionable data and results. Key Takeaway: Customer service surveys help you get a view of your company from your customers’ perspective. [2]
2. Problem tracking. Whether you track problems through customer service requests or service requests, you can get a really good quality control check of customer service by looking at your top problems, especially problems that take more than one contact to resolve. Lots of repeat calls for the same problem? Poor customer service. Key Takeaway: Leverage existing data to uncover patterns in customer service gaps.
3. Reviews. Customers will sometimes not bother using your system to report problems, especially if they have already contacted the company about a problem in the past, so you have to look at social media to try to glean insights into your company. Your potential new customers are looking at reviews, so it certainly seems like a good idea for you to do the same. Key Takeaway: Monitor social media comments. Doing so may provide insight into improving customer service moving forward, offer opportunities for service recovery, and inform you on what your teams are doing right.

You’ve gathered and reviewed the data, and there’s bad news: you’ve got bad customer service. What are some key causes for poorly rated customer service?

1. Product development that is disconnected from the customer. Is your website hard to use? Do products have the wrong mix of features? Do customers have to describe their problem to multiple people to get a resolution? These are all examples of products and systems designed for the ease of the developer, instead of resulting in a delightful customer experience.
2. Treating customer service as a cost center. Many companies look at customer service as a “necessary evil”. The staff have to fight for resources, are not included in communications of new product launches or key company initiatives, and in general are not considered important team members.[3]
3. Customer service team members lack the correct training and empowerment to fix customer problems.

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How does it get fixed? The first two require a mindset change and fixing broken processes. These two problem areas are often well addressed through process improvement initiatives that can identify and resolve the problem at its root. The last problem, training, is often identified as a problem but rarely fixed with the right approach. Let’s look at what’s required to fix this problem for those that are serious about improving customer service.

1.  Clearly identify the root problems with a needs analysis. Find out exactly what is driving the poor quality of the customer service experience. It could be lack of familiarity with resources, poor conflict resolution skills, obstacles in the system, poor initial hiring selection, or a lack of other skills that block the customer service staff from delivering great results. The needs assessment will bring that to light.
2. Design active scenario training that equips people with live-fire training. This is not the place to have people page through an online course. Customer service staff need to be able to query customers, access resources, and resolve conflict simultaneously. Role playing and scenario-based learning represent two of the best ways to teach and develop those skills.
3. Follow up all training with evaluation of results to ensure the right training was used, and to identify areas of concern for advanced training. It is only through follow up evaluation that a determination of return on investment can be done and the success or failure of training judged. Always include an evaluation strategy in whatever training intervention is implemented.

​A demonstrated strategy and commitment to improve customer service can offer many additional benefits above and beyond customers’ experiences and perspectives. It can boost employee morale, help create more engaged employees, and increase your company’s desirability as a workplace. All of these strengthen the bottom line.[4]


[1] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/trish-herriman/how-customer-service-can-_b_7216422.html

[2] http://www.icmi.com/Resources/Customer-Experience/2011/03/The-Value-of-Customer-Satisfaction-Surveys

[3] Causes of Poor Customer Service

[4] https://explorance.com/2013/09/4-key-benefits-customer-service-training-programs/