If you treat your sales team and customer service team as entirely separate entities, you won't be able to leverage either one. While these teams may have different roles and functions in your business, they all deal primarily with customers, and the way you talk to them will influence whether they choose to buy your products. It's no secret that customers want to buy from a friendly and accountable business, so whether they are talking to the sales team or the customer service team, they should encounter this role.
Why you should use a customer service team to increase sales
There should be a circular relationship between sales and customer service. The customer service team has unique insight into how customers use your company's products and how they feel about them. If you understand what your customers want and how they use your product, you can be more successful in selling it to them.
Many products have a primary function, but customers may also use them unexpectedly. For example, we probably all know someone who uses baking soda to clean the bathroom, pliers as a hammer, and so on. Many highly successful brands only succeed when they realize customers use their products unexpectedly and change their strategies. A clear example is Kleenex. When Kleenex was launched in 1924, it was sold as a make-up remover disposable towel. However, market research soon showed that customers were using the product to blow their noses, Kleenex changed its marketing strategy, and sales doubled. Your customer service team is uniquely positioned to ask customers these critical questions that can inform your future design decisions and determine how your sales team approaches customers.
Sales and customer service teams should collaborate, share knowledge and discuss strategy. They should not exist as two separate businesses independent of each other but should take a joint approach to deal with customers. The voice of your brand or company is also essential when dealing with customers, and it should be consistent across teams and communication channels. If sales and customer service teams are not in regular communication, your voice is less likely to be consistent, and therefore your brand integrity may suffer.
Simple customer service strategies to increase sales
Organizations spend a lot of time generating sales reports and analyses. It's great that employees sit in the boardroom and discuss the best method for increasing sales, but they often ignore the customer service team in this equation.
You have to consider that some customers may never deal with the sales team, so you can't put all your eggs in the sales basket. Customers may browse your website, add some items to their cart, and then check out. After your product arrives at their doorstep, they may find it's not what they expected, or they can't get it to work as expected. In this case, they will call your customer service team, not your sales team. A bad experience with your customer service team may turn them away from your company for life. However, a good experience may convert them into repeat customers. Here are some basic customer service strategies that will encourage your customers to buy from you again
A strong welcome
Customers don't call the customer service team just for the fun of it. They usually call because they have a problem or question, and, likely, they'd rather be doing something else. This means they may be experiencing some level of irritation or anxiety, and it's the customer service agent's job to quell those negative feelings immediately. This can easily be accomplished with an excellent first impression. The welcome message sets the tone for the rest of the interaction, so it's essential to get it right. So, how should you greet a customer?
Say "Hi" or "How are you" and thank them for getting in touch
Keep it casual: Customers prefer a friendly and informal tone rather than a formal one that may give a supercilious impression.
How can I help you? Use CAN use instead of MAY - customers prefer it.
Always introduce yourself: Customers want to know who they are talking to. Letting customers know who they are talking to also increases organizational accountability and may make them more comfortable.
Ask an open-ended question.
By this, we mean don't just ask your customers yes or no questions. In theory, closed-ended questions sound like the best option. Closed questions allow you to cut right to the chase and avoid getting off-topic, thus reducing the length of the call. However, by asking closed-ended questions, you are not allowing your customers to share their frustration, thus reducing their anxiety. You are missing out on learning more about how your customers use your product or service. Open-ended answers can provide a wealth of information that allows you to upsell your customers because if you know exactly why they are calling, you can provide a solution that is fit for purpose.
It's all about engagement.
Your customer service interactions should focus on building rapport with your customers. This means finding ways to engage the customer, making them feel heard, and liking that their concerns are taken seriously. Always ask them if there's anything else you can help them with or anything else they'd like to discuss, so they don't feel like they're being pushed away or that they can only discuss one issue. Also, ensure your goodbyes are as strong as your greetings - the final impression is just as important as the first one.
How should your sales and customer service teams collaborate?
Okay, now you know that sales and customer service teams should work together, but how do you get started? The approach won't look the same for all companies, but the general approach should be the same everywhere. Let's take a look at some of the ways your sales and customer service teams can work together to drive sales.
Generate leads
Customer service teams focus on solving problems and finding solutions to customers' issues. In the process, they also discover a lot of information about the customer that can be very useful to the sales team. Your customer service team should work with the sales team to identify the best problems.
Of course, you don't want your customer service agents to pester customers with many questions, but a short list can go a long way. Agents can find ways to ask questions organically. Customers are often more willing to share information with customer service agents because they believe there are no hidden agendas - which often hinders the sales team. If done well, agents can compile a list of helpful information about the customer to pass on to the sales team.
Pursuit of Sales
Your customer service team will often have the opportunity to up-sell customers directly rather than transferring them to the sales team. You don't want to turn your customer service team into a sales team, but at the same time, some small upsells can be effective in certain situations. For example, if you sell paint and the customer calls the customer service team to ask when the color will be delivered, the agent may want to check if they have the paint brushes ready. This is an example of an upsell that does not necessarily require the involvement of the sales team because it is a quick solution.
Another essential element of an upsell is that it must be appropriate. If customers complain that they can't figure out how to use your smartwatch because it's too complicated, then selling them an updated version with more features would be a bad idea to get them lost. Customer service teams often build rapport with customers as they guide them through problems. They can use that relationship to upsell the correct items without interrupting the conversation by moving the customer to another team.
Regarding collaboration, the sales team needs to inform the customer service team which products they can upsell and which products need to be left to the sales team. The sales team also needs to keep the customer service team up to date on all the latest products and services so that the customer always feels they are talking to an expert and getting a consistent experience.
Comments and suggestions
If the customer service team has developed a good relationship with the customer, they should politely encourage them to comment on the company or recommend it on social media. Again, this must be done organically and not pushed on the customer.
Good reviews can dramatically increase sales and boost your reputation. A 2018 Review Trackers online survey found that four of five U.S. consumers read reviews before making a purchase. They also found that 94% of customers said online reviews convinced them to avoid a business. This shows how critical reviews are to your company and how compelling negative reviews can negatively impact sales. The secret to preventing negative thoughts is to keep your customers happy, and the customer service team will turn unhappy customers into happy ones.
Ideally, you want to have many positive comments about your business, and one way to do this is to be proactive in your requests. Many customers only think of writing a review when they have had a very negative experience, which can distort the impression of your company. You may have many satisfied customers who have never considered leaving a review but would be happy to ask if asked, so ask.
The more positive reviews you get, the more calls your sales team will receive.
Use customer support software which contains an efficient knowledge base, ticketing system Minimal cost to enhance customer experience.| BClinked
Rapid deployment, simple enough but effective customer support system
Why you should use a customer service team to increase sales
There should be a circular relationship between sales and customer service. The customer service team has unique insight into how customers use your company's products and how they feel about them. If you understand what your customers want and how they use your product, you can be more successful in selling it to them.
Many products have a primary function, but customers may also use them unexpectedly. For example, we probably all know someone who uses baking soda to clean the bathroom, pliers as a hammer, and so on. Many highly successful brands only succeed when they realize customers use their products unexpectedly and change their strategies. A clear example is Kleenex. When Kleenex was launched in 1924, it was sold as a make-up remover disposable towel. However, market research soon showed that customers were using the product to blow their noses, Kleenex changed its marketing strategy, and sales doubled. Your customer service team is uniquely positioned to ask customers these critical questions that can inform your future design decisions and determine how your sales team approaches customers.
Sales and customer service teams should collaborate, share knowledge and discuss strategy. They should not exist as two separate businesses independent of each other but should take a joint approach to deal with customers. The voice of your brand or company is also essential when dealing with customers, and it should be consistent across teams and communication channels. If sales and customer service teams are not in regular communication, your voice is less likely to be consistent, and therefore your brand integrity may suffer.
Simple customer service strategies to increase sales
Organizations spend a lot of time generating sales reports and analyses. It's great that employees sit in the boardroom and discuss the best method for increasing sales, but they often ignore the customer service team in this equation.
You have to consider that some customers may never deal with the sales team, so you can't put all your eggs in the sales basket. Customers may browse your website, add some items to their cart, and then check out. After your product arrives at their doorstep, they may find it's not what they expected, or they can't get it to work as expected. In this case, they will call your customer service team, not your sales team. A bad experience with your customer service team may turn them away from your company for life. However, a good experience may convert them into repeat customers. Here are some basic customer service strategies that will encourage your customers to buy from you again
A strong welcome
Customers don't call the customer service team just for the fun of it. They usually call because they have a problem or question, and, likely, they'd rather be doing something else. This means they may be experiencing some level of irritation or anxiety, and it's the customer service agent's job to quell those negative feelings immediately. This can easily be accomplished with an excellent first impression. The welcome message sets the tone for the rest of the interaction, so it's essential to get it right. So, how should you greet a customer?
Say "Hi" or "How are you" and thank them for getting in touch
Keep it casual: Customers prefer a friendly and informal tone rather than a formal one that may give a supercilious impression.
How can I help you? Use CAN use instead of MAY - customers prefer it.
Always introduce yourself: Customers want to know who they are talking to. Letting customers know who they are talking to also increases organizational accountability and may make them more comfortable.
Ask an open-ended question.
By this, we mean don't just ask your customers yes or no questions. In theory, closed-ended questions sound like the best option. Closed questions allow you to cut right to the chase and avoid getting off-topic, thus reducing the length of the call. However, by asking closed-ended questions, you are not allowing your customers to share their frustration, thus reducing their anxiety. You are missing out on learning more about how your customers use your product or service. Open-ended answers can provide a wealth of information that allows you to upsell your customers because if you know exactly why they are calling, you can provide a solution that is fit for purpose.
It's all about engagement.
Your customer service interactions should focus on building rapport with your customers. This means finding ways to engage the customer, making them feel heard, and liking that their concerns are taken seriously. Always ask them if there's anything else you can help them with or anything else they'd like to discuss, so they don't feel like they're being pushed away or that they can only discuss one issue. Also, ensure your goodbyes are as strong as your greetings - the final impression is just as important as the first one.
How should your sales and customer service teams collaborate?
Okay, now you know that sales and customer service teams should work together, but how do you get started? The approach won't look the same for all companies, but the general approach should be the same everywhere. Let's take a look at some of the ways your sales and customer service teams can work together to drive sales.
Generate leads
Customer service teams focus on solving problems and finding solutions to customers' issues. In the process, they also discover a lot of information about the customer that can be very useful to the sales team. Your customer service team should work with the sales team to identify the best problems.
Of course, you don't want your customer service agents to pester customers with many questions, but a short list can go a long way. Agents can find ways to ask questions organically. Customers are often more willing to share information with customer service agents because they believe there are no hidden agendas - which often hinders the sales team. If done well, agents can compile a list of helpful information about the customer to pass on to the sales team.
Pursuit of Sales
Your customer service team will often have the opportunity to up-sell customers directly rather than transferring them to the sales team. You don't want to turn your customer service team into a sales team, but at the same time, some small upsells can be effective in certain situations. For example, if you sell paint and the customer calls the customer service team to ask when the color will be delivered, the agent may want to check if they have the paint brushes ready. This is an example of an upsell that does not necessarily require the involvement of the sales team because it is a quick solution.
Another essential element of an upsell is that it must be appropriate. If customers complain that they can't figure out how to use your smartwatch because it's too complicated, then selling them an updated version with more features would be a bad idea to get them lost. Customer service teams often build rapport with customers as they guide them through problems. They can use that relationship to upsell the correct items without interrupting the conversation by moving the customer to another team.
Regarding collaboration, the sales team needs to inform the customer service team which products they can upsell and which products need to be left to the sales team. The sales team also needs to keep the customer service team up to date on all the latest products and services so that the customer always feels they are talking to an expert and getting a consistent experience.
Comments and suggestions
If the customer service team has developed a good relationship with the customer, they should politely encourage them to comment on the company or recommend it on social media. Again, this must be done organically and not pushed on the customer.
Good reviews can dramatically increase sales and boost your reputation. A 2018 Review Trackers online survey found that four of five U.S. consumers read reviews before making a purchase. They also found that 94% of customers said online reviews convinced them to avoid a business. This shows how critical reviews are to your company and how compelling negative reviews can negatively impact sales. The secret to preventing negative thoughts is to keep your customers happy, and the customer service team will turn unhappy customers into happy ones.
Ideally, you want to have many positive comments about your business, and one way to do this is to be proactive in your requests. Many customers only think of writing a review when they have had a very negative experience, which can distort the impression of your company. You may have many satisfied customers who have never considered leaving a review but would be happy to ask if asked, so ask.
The more positive reviews you get, the more calls your sales team will receive.
Use customer support software which contains an efficient knowledge base, ticketing system Minimal cost to enhance customer experience.| BClinked
Rapid deployment, simple enough but effective customer support system