A recent Social Media Today article we read featured some really interesting facts concerning customer service and and some adjustments you can make to your dealership team to make them an even stronger asset to your business.

The article mentions two notable statistics, including that 77% of customers are likely to recommend a company to a friend if they have a positive experience and that a study by Walker concluded that 86% of shoppers will spend more for a better customer experience. So if you know that your prices might be a bit higher than a competitor in your area, but your customer service far surpasses theirs, you can focus on stressing that element to a potential customer as what sets you apart from going somewhere cheaper.

So here are some key recommendations for creating a customer service team that excels.

Get Feedback!

An easy way of getting insight into where your customer service team or broader dealership can improve is by implementing surveys in order to get the customer’s honest feedback. It will also help your dealership better understand the pain points of your customers and where your services might be able to strengthen and provide solutions for them.

Surveys also allow customers to provide their honest feedback about their experience. While most people might not feel comfortable diving into issues they may have had with the dealership in-person, many feel comfortable doing so through an anonymous survey or form. It also enables the customer to have time to reflect a bit on the experience to provide more honest feedback.

Not only is it beneficial for the dealership to gain these insights from the customer, but it also demonstrates your dedication to the customer and how much you value their input. You didn’t just send them off on their way once you were done, your dealership took the time to create this survey and reach out to get their personal feedback. Surveys can also be sent in multiple ways, including over phone or email. One company mentioned in the Social Media Today piece offers 24/7 feedback opportunities through forms on their website, live chat and over the phone.

Prioritize Personality

The personalities that are on your customer service team are one of the most important factors in the abilities and strength behind your service. Look for people who have the following qualities:

• Compassion: Customer service often receives the brunt of angry calls if something isn’t going well. Make sure to hire people that are able to put themselves in their customers’ shoes, feel empathy for what they might be going through, and how it may be impacting the customer’s business goals.

• Patience: This goes hand in hand with the point above. Customer service isn’t an easy job so making sure your employees have the patience to handle every interaction professionally will go a long way.

• Good Communication Skills:This is a no brainer. Your team needs to be able to communicate effectively and clearly with the customer. It’s also a big bonus if they’re able to do so in multiple formats of communications, including email or phone. At the end of the day, they should never want a customer to walk away confused or dissatisfied and should communicate that to them.

• Knowledge: Another obvious one, but the employee should understand your product to the fullest. If they struggle with a certain area or product, encourage them to ask questions, meet with other team members that show strength in those areas, etc. This team should be able to collaborate to provide the best expertise to your customer base.

Offer Customer Service Across Multiple Channels

Did you know that according to a Forrester report, 69% of adults in the US prefer to buy from brands that offer consistent customer service across multiple channels. This means not only just having a website, but a mobile responsive website that creates a way for customers to contact customer service while on the go. With people now having constant access to their phones and being in the field frequently within this industry, it’s crucial you offer them a seamless experience when trying to contact your customer service team. If they’re already having trouble doing that, then you’re likely starting the conversation with them on a frustrated foot.

Social media has also become a huge tool for businesses when it comes to customer service. Twitter in particular, has seen a lot of great customer service opportunities for businesses. More and more, customers are flocking to the social media platforms to get the attention of the business more quickly and to hopefully obtain a fast solution to their issue. So make sure you’re checking your platforms daily to see if a customer has reached out in that way. This oftentimes happens too if a customer is not able to reach the business by phone or email in a time-efficient manner.

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One of our favorite pieces of advice from the Social Media Today article is that there is no such thing as over delivering when it comes to customer service! Check out this scenario we wrote about in the past where a business utilized their social media interactions with a customer to go above and beyond to make them happy. Never forget to deliver good customer service both off and online.

What are your good customer service stories? Leave them in the comments below!