Customer service is a given for any business with consumers. However, most businesses fail to realize that well-honed customer service increases sales. Here are just a few statistics to consider:
- 86% will pay more for great customer service
- 40% will buy more when they experience great customer service
- Over time great customer service generates loyal customers, and loyal customers are worth up to 10X the amount they initially spend
Your customer service team is the gateway to customers who are in need of your business. Learn four ways that you can boost your customer service team’s ability to increase sales for your company.
Educate Your Customer Service Team
First of all, your customer service team is only as good as you make it. You are responsible for educating your team regarding your business. Your customer service reps should be on the same page as the rest of your employees. This may mean including CS members in general office meetings and memos, and if you outsource your customer service, you will want to provide your call center with information about your company which can include company history, products/services, motto or mission and other general information. From there, discuss common issues your customers are apt to have to cause them to call into your business.
Keep this information up-to-date as new issues arise. Finally, you must also educate your contact center service provider with solutions. Combine each of these areas together, and you have given your customer service team the ability to increase sales. After all, stellar customer service will encourage customers to continue doing business with your company.
Speak their Language
Next up, we need to discuss the biggest barrier that is preventing your customer service from increasing your sales. Language. If your call center agents are unable to speak the language of your customers, it’s a loss of any potential sales or continued business. Therefore, being fluent in the primary languages of your customers is essential. The best starting point is to partner with a Spanish answering service. You may also want to consider an interpreter for languages that are lesser known, such as dialects of languages. The goal is to match your CS team’s language abilities to that of your target customer as closely as possible.
Give Your Customer Service Team Basic Sales Training
Continuing with the concept of educating your customer service agents, you may want to invest in sales training. This training will help aid your customer service agents in this particular area. After all, if your customer service team is solely trained as call center agents, they won’t likely have the background needed to bring sales into the picture, but that doesn’t mean they can’t assist by up-selling or cross-selling. A customer service call might be your only chance to connect with the customer, and if they poorly execute any sales offers, it can end badly for the company.
You can train your call center agents to use active listening skills. Teach them how they can listen for cues and an opportunity to provide and maximize value for your customers. This alone, vastly improves your level of customer service. The training you provide should be updated periodically to reflect changes and goals of your business. You may prefer to use online sales training or to hire an instructor for onsite training. When you offer sales training for your customer service reps try to do so in a group setting. Encourage an open-ended discussion that will provide feedback and interaction from your team members.
Under-Promise and Over-Deliver
In order for your customer service team to increase sales, you need to extend your expectations beyond your customer service reps. Your call center agents should have a primary goal of meeting the customer service needs of your customers. So avoid pushing the goal of increasing sales to the forefront. This will backfire on your business, as customers will notice the pushy and overt salesmanship. Also, from the perspective of your customers, they are most likely calling into your customer service agents with a compliant or question—not necessarily to buy your product or service.
Therefore, you want your CS team to do everything they can to meet and exceed the needs of your customers and then work on increasing sales. Part of this involves going out of their way to surpass the expectations of every customer service experience. This can be as simple as sending out handwritten thank-you notes. You can also help customers by creating a detailed FAQs section on your website that is regularly updated with common questions. This will save your customers time and help them get the assistance they need as easily as possible.
Now that you are fully prepared to increase sales via your customer service team, you are ready to make more of your marketing prospects. Would you like to learn more about how to boost your ROI while saving valuable time at your business?
Come explore our free guide on how to save time and increase profits.
