How to Step Up Your Customer Service Game Like a Pro

In SEO, it is important to build a rapport with your readers because generally, people are more likely to enjoy perusing content shared by people or websites that they like.  This is the reason why many SEO Specialists as well as Internet Marketers spend so much time perfecting their craft so that people’s average dwell time would get better over time as well as formulating general strategies in order to retain their converted leads.

We often talk about converting leads but we haven’t really touched upon the next big step. Customer Retention comes to mind and the very first step in that arduous journey is of course, Customer Service Representation. Like I said earlier, it is important to build a bond or rapport between your website and your reader because it has been proven that Emotional SEO works as well as Technical SEO, more so if they work hand in hand.

I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to take care of your visitors. It is important to think of your website as more than just a business. In fact, your website is essentially your company’s (or yourself, for that matter) face because in the digital age, people find out about things on the internet first and before they can experience it at a later time.

It’s 2016 and right now everything is connected to the internet which makes communication and marketing easier and more convenient. However that comfort has proven to be a double-edged sword as it can hurt your business as much as help it.

Precisely because everything is more accessible online, people can now be swayed away from your website because of a poor experience or a lacklustre customer experience overall. Let’s face it, you and me, we’re not the only SEO Specialists / Internet Marketers in the market and we both face plenty of competition. Customers now have more options to choose from compared to 10 years ago which makes losing them that much easier.

Customer Service Representation is something that people should know and frankly I think it’s something that anyone can pick up. Like everything that matters, it takes effort and practice to become better at it though. The problem with that is that you have to have people present at all times to address your customers’ issues. Now different people would handle this differently but did you know that there are things that you could do that would prioritize your customers’ needs to reduce things that could upset them? Here’s how.

Be Approachable

One of the most important parts about managing a website is maintaining an active line of communication that allows people to easily contact you or your staff in case of an emergency, a query or a simple commendation. Having a “Contact Us” section on your website is one of the smallest but most effective ways that you can improve your website. It’s as simple as creating a page and listing down your contact information and surprisingly, some websites lack this function.

While this is a small improvement, its impact on your operations can actually be considerable. First time customers as well as returning customers might just give up on your website when they find that they can’t contact you or your staff for whatever reason they may need to. Remember, people now have a lot of options online and the best way to keep them is by giving them a satisfactory customer service experience. This is true with traditional marketing and this is also true with both SEO and Internet Marketing.

Another way of going about this is by implementing an active chat function on your webpage. Now this isn’t really mandatory or anything but it does help. Some of the more technical websites offer this function precisely because the nature of their business requires careful guidance. Examples of websites that may use this are those that sell in bulk or those that sell a specialized service.

Of course, it goes without saying that even if your website already has these functions, it is important to remember that every email or message you send back is a direct representation of your website or business’ interests. What that means is that you have to be professional at all times because people are more likely to appreciate you if you know what you’re talking about and especially if you do so in a professional manner.

Mobile-Friendly is the Way to Go

Like I said earlier, everything is now more accessible online which means that people are on the internet even if they’re on the go. That means that people are now accessing the internet on their mobile phones more than they do on their computers. It is then important to remember to keep your website mobile friendly precisely because people are more likely to use their phones to access your website at a first glance rather than on their computers.

Another positive point on making your website mobile friendly is that search engines reward websites that make their content compatible with mobile devices. Mobile-friendly websites are a win-win because not only do you please your customers who mostly browse on their phones, you also please Google which increases your rankings and reputation.

Social Media and Online Reviews

People nowadays are almost always connected to the internet at all times which means that people are either browsing or perusing their social media sites. People post anything and everything on their Facebook pages or their Twitter accounts and that includes reviews and posts about your business too.

A number of businesses managed to step up their game by allowing people to post reviews and impressions on their official social media accounts but it is also possible for them to post their reviews on aggregate websites or apps such as Zomato for the food and beverage industry.

You should make it a point for you or your customer service team to constantly be on the lookout for any mention or reviews of your brand. This is done so that you could always be ready to respond to reviews, criticism and are able to move to remedy or pacify the situation.

 Pay Attention and Respond in Kind!

With these few steps in mind, it is imperative for you to be able to respond to your customers but it is also important for you to listen to them in the first place. You can do all of the improvements in the world but it won’t mean anything if you don’t take the time to listen to your customers’ voices. Keep an open mind and operate with the intent to be professional, cordial and prompt in your follow ups.