24/09/2020
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Customer service definition and skills for 2020 and beyond
Customer service is the act of supporting customers. Learn key customer service skills, types, job requirements, and more.
By Tara Ramroop, Senior Content Marketing Manager
CUSTOMER SERVICE STRATEGY
customer service
Customer service can make or break a business. But not everyone agrees on what it is or how to do it well. In this guide, we’ll share how to set your business up for customer service success.
The definition of customer service
Customer service (cus·tom·er serv·ice, noun) is "the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services," according to Lexico. It's also the processes that support the teams making good customer service happen.
Most people think about customer service as something that happens when people reach out to a business with a problem. That’s really only half the story, though.
Customer service isn’t just what happens when a customer calls or emails you. For example, it also happens when:
People are shopping for a solution and they find your business. Customer service is happening, even though that person isn’t even a customer yet.
People are on your knowledge base, answering their own questions. That’s customer service, too.
What is good customer service?
Ultimately, the human elements of customer service are what really defines good customer service. Customers expect fast replies, on the channels of their choice—but that's table stakes. Winning customer experiences are about how a customer feels they are being treated. For example, if a customer has to repeat themselves while being bounced between different departments or waiting on hold, they aren't going to feel heard or that their time was respected.
Excellent customer service is when a company exceeds a customer's expectations. This might include delivering proactive support and anticipating customers' needs or getting ahead of a problem before it happens. It can also mean going the extra mile to build deep customer connections.
For instance, Zappos' Customer Loyalty Team is empowered to do what it takes to build real, human relationships with customers. "Our Customer Loyalty team can stay on a call as long as necessary (our longest call was 10 hours and 51 minutes), but calls lasting around two hours happen every day," said Harmoni Hines, Senior Manager, Customer Loyalty Team at Zappos. "One of Zappos’ 10 Core Values is to build a positive team and family spirit—and to us, our customers are family. We want them to feel that way when they contact us."
Excellent customer service often means consumers are willing to tell others about the experience. You can measure excellent customer service by tracking and analyzing key metrics like customer satisfaction scores (CSAT).
The difference between customer service and customer support
There is a difference between customer support and customer service. It helps to think of customer support as the how, such as the nuts and bolts of troubleshooting an issue, and customer service as the why—why it’s recommended to set up your cloud account in a certain way or why today’s issue could balloon into a bigger issue in time if certain steps aren’t taken.
A customer support team can fix a technical issue in the short term, but providing good customer service helps build relationships and establish a true partnership in the long term. Adding the “why” into the support process improves the experience for customers, and it helps agents grow.
This may sound like a lot more than you thought. If so, you’re not alone. We've narrowed it down to a few key takeaways
Customer service looks a little different at every company, but it always follows a simple rule: add value for the people who use your product or service. Your product could be the best thing since sliced bread. But it won’t be the total package unless good customer service comes with it.
We've learned that the 3 most important things in customer service are:
1. Practice empathy
Employing empathy for new and existing customers has become essential to customer service as the need for thoughtful and efficient responses has increased.
Customer empathy can mean:
Reaching out on your customers' choice of channels to create an effortless experience: According to Zendesk’s 2020 Customer Experience Trends Report, 42 percent of customers say that 24/7, real-time support is vital—companies should meet their customers where they are, so they can connect however and whenever they want.
Putting yourself in an angry customer's shoes
Listening to customer feedback and using it to get better
2. Equip agents with the tools they need to solve customer issues quickly and effectively
Customer service software is key for equipping a support team with the tools they need to deliver excellent customer service. For instance, the Agent Workspace within Zendesk’s Support Suite equips support teams with:
Context that moves from channel to channel
Agents need access to context, such as a customer's contact information, preferences, and account type, so customers don't have repeat themselves or wait on hold while an agent looks up the details.
Collaboration tools
When agents have collaboration tools, like the ability to send and view internal notes without leaving a conversation or integrations with email and Slack to share best practices across departments, they can get customers the best answers to their questions with speed.
Workflows, triggers, and automation
These streamline customer-facing interactions, saving support resources and decreasing time-to-resolution.
