Customer Service Policy
Let’s say a customer has a complaint about a recent purchase. Will all your support agents deal in the same way? One agent may feel that the situation calls for a refund, while another does not believe it requires follow-up at all.
You can be sure that your customer service team knows exactly how to deal with a document called customer service policy.
When all your employees follow the policy, agents know what they can offer and customers know that they expect consistent, high-quality customer service from your company, regardless of who they talk to or the channel they use.
What is our customer service policy?
Customer Service Policy is a document that guides the way your employees and organization handle customer service.
Sometimes this is only an internal code of conduct, but many companies publish their policies publicly to allow customers to know what kind of high-quality service they can expect.
Customers expect today more than ever. Sixty-eight % of the world’s customer service leaders have seen an increase in customer expectations since February 2020.
One of those expectations is consistency. Customers expect a consistent experience regardless of the channel they use, the customer service representative they’re talking to, or the location they visit.
In fact, 69% of consumers shop more with brands that offer consistent in-store and online experiences, so that all your employees can provide a consistent service, you should develop guidelines. This is the purpose of your customer service policy.
Why are customer service policies important?
Customer service policies are vital for customer-focused businesses
Customer service policy clearly displays your goals
You have customer service goals in your organization. It may include things like resolving customer problems quickly or providing friendly and emotional service.
This customer service policy links these big goals to the concrete actions your employees must take. No one has to wonder if solving problems quickly means returning to the customer within one hour or one week – that’s exactly what’s in politics.
Keep all employees on the same page for customer service policy
With customer service policy, everyone is on the same page. This became increasingly important as many teams moved to telework. Sixty-five% of customer service leaders say they plan to adopt remote or hybrid operating models in the future.
Highlight important criteria
Your customer service policy contains important criteria for response and resolution times, as well as guidance on other important processes such as escalation and collaboration. When you evaluate the performance of your agents and team, you can do so using the good service standards set out in the policy.
Help your team provide better customer service
When employees know exactly what they’re supposed to do, there’s no room for disagreement about how to serve customers.
If you choose to make customer service policy public, it also lets customers know what to expect. For example, you can include information about your return policies or select secured items.
Customer service policy is a simple way to keep your organization at a high level, and the ideas in our customer service policy should not come out of nowhere – set them based on your company’s goals and identify specific ways to reach those goals.
Customer service technology and your policy
Consistent service is only possible if everyone has access to the same information and tools. When evaluating new solutions, do so with customer service policy objectives in mind.
For example, if you say you’ll respond to customers across multiple channels, make it easy for your agents to do so by choosing a multichannel platform.
You can use your help desk to track service level agreements. These service level agreements must meet the criteria in your customer service policy. Create reports to look into violations and discover the underlying causes and trends.
Keeping promises made in your customer service policy will be easier with the right tools. Consider your investments in technology and how they can improve customer service and track your success.
