When perfecting the customer experience (CX), a strong, value-based service is a key component to this journey. No longer can businesses fall on traditional forms of service or experience, they must stand out to consumers and truly make a mark on their industry. This is how you can make a difference in your company. 

Below are 8 simple ways to stand out with customer experience. 

1. Become genuinely interested in your customers

It’s easy to make transactional conversations with your clients, but being genuinely interested is intentional and takes dedication. This seems like a simple action to do, however, you will find you have to remind yourself to listen and be genuine in your interest with your customer’s worries and concerns. Next time you’re in a conversation, try to remind yourself to truly listen and respond with sincerity. This will mean the world to your customers. 

2. Solve problems and provide solutions

Time and time again we’ve seen customer service reps answer ‘No, we can’t do that’, and that was the end of the conversation. It leaves the person on the other end feeling irritated and unsure, which is understandable. Instead of ending the conversation with a ‘no’, try ending it with an ‘instead you could…’ – your customer will leave feeling helped and hopeful. 

3. Create a community that your customers can access 

Much like the ‘real world’, people crave community. Taking this concept, why not introduce community to your brand. By building a following that your customers can tap into takes the pressure off of your team on the ground. You can do this by creating social media groups, actively engaging on digital platforms and focusing on increasing word-of-mouth. 

4. Smile, even when you’re on the phone

It’s been proven that people can hear a smile when on the phone, so why not use that to your advantage? Not only does a smile make you sound more friendly when heard, recipients often mimic the smile they are hearing. Next time you are on the phone to a customer, intentionally smile and record what happens. 

5. Practice empathy with your customers

It’s important to actively practice empathy with your customers. Many people don’t expect a solution, but just want to feel heard. By acknowledging the concerns your clients have and reiterating the issues back to them, your customers will feel heard and listened to. 

6. Positive language will reinforce a positive perception

It’s easy for all of us to slip into negative language. Saying ‘I can’t, we don’t, you shouldn’t’ is a part of the English language but can have more of an impact than you realise. Negative language subconsciously reinforces negative emotions. Instead of saying to a customer ‘we don’t do this’, try saying ‘that’s one way to do it, we offer X, Y, Z instead’. You’ll be surprised at the results. 

7. Go above and beyond 

When providing a customer with a solution, small gestures can completely reshape their whole perception. Going above and beyond for customers with simple things such as; a handwritten thank you or finding an alternative to something you can’t provide, leaves the customer with a positive connotation of your brand, and one that they’re likely to share. 

8. Listen to understand, not to respond

How many times have you been talking to someone and noticed their eyes shifting focus or half-hearted responses? How did that make you feel? Not so great, we assume. Humans crave the feeling to be listened to and heard, so implementing this within customer service will change your consumers lives. 

It’s not as simple as letting someone finish speaking, no. Practicing the art of listening is a day-by-day conscience effort one decides to make. The most important rule-of-thumb is to practice ‘Listening to understand, not to respond’. What this means is when someone is speaking to you, you’re taking in each and every word they say without going through how you’re going to respond. For more information on active listening, we recommend reading the book ‘Active Listening 101’ by author Emilia Hardman. 

That’s it! Our 8 ways for you to stand out with customer service. We can’t wait to see these methods give you amazing results.