How to improve customer service in the finance industry
Customer service is one of the key factors towards success in any industry, but when it comes to financing, customers want the best service because, after all, they are putting a lot of trust into your services. It’s also essential to have excellent customer service to stay ahead of the competition, as that will differentiate you from competitors. So, adjusting your business strategy around improving customer service will benefit your company.
Personalised experience
Customers want to feel heard and seen and are growing tired of poor customer service, with them potentially leaving and choosing a different company if they have had a poor experience. Therefore, customer service agents must take the time to understand their customer’s needs and expectations so that they can consistently meet them, from tailoring the experience to personally connecting with them. Using data and analytics, you can also identify industry and customer trends and begin to either further understand your consumers or implement new strategies; either way, the customer experience will be improved.
Customer feedback
One of the best ways to improve customer service is by gaining information from the customers themselves. It is only possible to judge customer service experience by hearing from your customers personally and understanding what they enjoy and what they do not. Today, customers prefer to avoid being bombarded with emails asking them to rate their service or experience and will tend to delete them. Instead, create a short survey that will provide you with what you need and offer an incentive, such as entering a competition or winning a discount if they complete it.
Use multiple channels
More people are switching to online/mobile services, including the finance industry. Customers are beginning to prefer not having to visit a branch if they encounter any issues; instead, they are happy to use customer support online. Some examples of this are:
- Live chat
- Phone calls
Research your customers and what online communication channels they are happy to use; from this, you can meet them there and ensure that you have all the available contact methods for when they need you.
Utilise social media
Trust is a prioritised factor in the finance industry, and one of the best ways to communicate trust is through social media. Customers will turn to social media as a preference over an in-person visit to a branch; this allows you to build closer client relationships by identifying and resolving issues. Social media is also great for building and creating customer groups; this will enable others to communicate and connect. It will also be highlighted if a common issue is being discussed in these groups.
Train employees
Your employees will be handling customer service and must be trained to a high level to reach customers’ expectations. Customers can ask any question, so all employees must be prepared and understand every business element. For example, suppose your employee doesn’t know about overdraft limits; a customer who asks about this subject will leave unsatisfied and take their services elsewhere.
It doesn’t matter if you have a great selection of highly trained employees who know the business inside out; all it takes is for one customer to not receive the service they are expecting and either leave a bad review online or never return to the business.
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