What is customer care?
Customer care refers to how a business responds to current and potential customers’s concerns. Businesses use a variety of customer care techniques to provide ongoing product support. Customer care involves everything from how sales associates greet store visitors to store return policies. Other customer care duties can include:
- Communicating response times and explaining policies
- Researching solutions on behalf of customers
- Reassuring customers and helping them feel comfortable
- Following up on previous issues and checking in with customers
What is customer care management?
Customer care management is the process of evaluating and improving your business’s customer service. It begins with assessing your current level of customer care and identifying weak points. From there, you can develop solutions to overcome weaknesses and craft procedures, policies and standard practices to drive improvements. Customer care management also involves coaching employees and tracking the results of customer care initiatives.
Customer care tips
Consider the following customer care tips to improve customer service in your business:
1. Set clear standards
Create protocols for responding to common issues and familiarize employees with the rules. As you encounter new situations, write down the best practices for responding to similar issues. Having defined standards and policies helps ensure customers are treated fairly.
2. Respond quickly
Give your customers prompt answers to show their needs are a priority. Consider setting up an outgoing message or auto-response to inform customers when they can expect to hear back.
3. Call customers by their name
Asking customers their names and using them in conversations can help build rapport. Calling a customer by name may show you’re paying attention.
4. Record interactions
Keep track of customer inquiries by recording calls or asking representatives to document relevant information in a database. Having previous customer information on file can help you assist them effectively in the future. It also helps you identify patterns and common complaints or issues.
5. Support and empower your employees
Listen to your employees’ experiences and encourage them when they encounter challenging customer interactions. Emotionally supporting your employees by recognizing and addressing the emotional needs of your team members, especially during difficult situations, can help reduce the risk of burnout.
6. Prioritize customer care during the hiring process
The way you screen candidates for interpersonal skills and train new hires can impact customer service quality. By asking interview questions about these skills and characteristics, you can identify candidates likely to excel in providing customer care.
7. Track your progress
As you integrate the customer care tips outlined in this guide, monitor how your customers respond. You might create customer satisfaction surveys to identify areas for improvement.
Benefits of providing good customer care
Good customer care in business can offer several benefits, including:
Saving money
Good customer care can influence whether an existing customer decides to do business with your company again. The cost of acquiring new customers can be higher than keeping existing customers, so great customer care can save money on marketing, advertising and other forms of outreach.
Encouraging loyalty
Positive interactions with customer service associates can influence customers to keep buying your products and services.
Promoting positive reviews
Online reviews and word-of-mouth publicity can help build your business’ reputation and attract new customers without spending money on marketing efforts. When people receive exceptional service, they might post a review on social media or tell their friends about it.
Customer service care positions to hire at your business
Front-facing employees who regularly interact with customers represent your company and reputation. Consider adding the following roles to keep customers satisfied and engaged.
Customer service representative
A customer service representative, also known as a customer service associate, is usually customers’ first point of contact. This person should uphold a professional and friendly demeanor when interacting with customers. They can also benefit from having a deep understanding of customer service policies. Hiring a customer service representative can help you handle customer inquiries quickly and build relationships with your target market.
Customer service manager
As your business grows, you may want to hire a customer service manager to oversee customer care representatives, train new hires and develop policies to maximize customer satisfaction. They often collaborate with company leadership to ensure employee behaviors align with your business’ goals.
Customer success manager
Customer success managers play a crucial role in personalizing customer service. They build and maintain strong relationships by regularly contacting customers, addressing their concerns and providing support when they need additional products or services.
Call center representative
Some businesses set up call centers with representatives who handle customer inquiries. These representatives answer phone calls and other forms of customer communication to resolve issues promptly. They may also recommend products and services to customers.
Call center representatives typically work in fast-paced environments and may be responsible for meeting goals related to the number of calls taken, the average length of calls and other metrics.
Technical support specialist
If your business involves hardware, software or web applications, technical support specialists can provide the specialized knowledge to coach customers through installing, repairing and using different systems.
Technical support specialists often handle customer tickets. They should have a blend of technical and interpersonal skills to provide friendly and prompt service.
FAQs about customer care
What is the difference between customer service and customer care in business?
Customer service refers to any activities that assist your customers or clients. On the other hand, customer care refers to the strategy your employees follow when interacting with customers.
What are some key focus areas for customer care?
When developing a custom care plan for your business, focus on how you interact with customers. Some potential areas to include in your plan are email support, phone calls, live chat services, in-person assistance and social media interactions.
What is a customer service policy?
A customer service policy is an official list of best practices that explains how employees should address different customer concerns. Writing a customer service policy can help you implement an effective customer care management plan.
