Using Friendliness to Provide Great Customer Service

Here at Nimble, while we do host daily and weekly live webinars, the bulk of our customer support happens over email and through Twitter.

Unlike interactions that occur over the phone or face to face, text conversations can sometimes be difficult to convey meaning and tone. This means that it is very important to carefully choose your words, and consciously make sure each email and Tweet leaves your customers knowing that they are welcome to reach out anytime, and you are happy to help out.

The tips below are just a few ways that our Nimble Care Ninjas deliver friendly customer service daily!

Mirror Customer Language

Friendly means different things to different people. For this reason, it is very important to mirror the language and tone that your customers use when they write in! At least for the first reply, if the original message was very formal formal in tone, be sure not to come across as too informal by using slang or emoticons. Customers like to know that they are being taken seriously. The overall tone of the exchange will most likely change as questions are answered and issues are resolved, and at the end when the customer says “Thank you”, saying “You’re welcome” with a smile will be appropriate.

Additionally, it’s very important to mirror customer language when describing an issue and how to resolve it. Spending days fully immersed in your product enables you to use jargon that your team understands, but this may not be the case for customers. Making sure that your answers are detailed but clear, using the same words the customer used to describe the issue, will lead to a much faster, more satisfying resolution!

Screen Shot 2016-06-24 at 9.04.05 AM

(source)

Personalize Your Message, and Be Polite

When responding to a question, the easiest way to make a great impression right off the bat, is to use the customer’s name! Rather than just a “Hello” or “Hi there”, starting your message with something like “Hi John, thanks for reaching out today!” gives a personalized introduction and lets the customer know you are ready and able to help.

Additionally, feel free to add a positive note regarding what the customer is doing. If they are just checking out your product for the first time, it goes a long way to say, “I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying what you see so far. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!” Including an “I” statement or two also provides a comfort in knowing that your customer is talking to one person, rather than being passed around.

Screen Shot 2016-06-24 at 9.05.11 AM

Our Care Ninjas here at Nimble provide a lot of tech support, and this sometimes means asking for more details, or a screenshot or video to show an error. When asking customers for more information, it is always important to make sure you have said “please” and “thank you”, to show that you are appreciative of any extra effort the customer may have to spend in assisting with an investigation.

Express Yourself

Don’t be afraid to use an emoticon, as well as an exclamatory punctuation, to assist in conveying tone! When customer service takes place behind a screen, this is one of the best ways to demonstrate friendliness and positive tone to a customer who can’t see you. It serves as a substitute for body language when speaking face to face with someone.

Screen Shot 2016-06-24 at 9.06.26 AM

(source)

Keeping in mind the first point, be sure to gauge how your customer might feel about your response. If their initial outreach sounds formal, it’s possible that a smiley face may detract from the customer’s overall experience. In this case, only an exclamation point or two may be just the right touch to display that you are excited to help your customer get the most out of your product.

Additionally, when delivering less-than-amazing news, try and keep the tone as positive as possible by avoiding sad emoticons. In these cases, our Care Team prefers to follow these statements with hope, such as a temporary workaround for an issue, or an assurance that the problem will reach the appropriate party and we will let them know when it has been fixed. Hopeful statements can be finished off with an exclamation point, bringing your message back to a friendly tone!

What are some ways that you and your team demonstrate friendliness in customer service? Feel free to let us know in the comments!

CRM Free Trial | Nimble