While you may have your field service workflows streamlined, it is not always that simple when it comes to one-on-one customer service.
Yes, there are certain elements you should always include—tasks such as requesting customer feedback. But remarkable customer service is more than that.
You must get specific if you want to empower your field service technicians and support specialists.
You want them to harness something Zuper’s Head of Field Service Evangelism, Michael Israel, calls “completed service work.” Or when your team completes the service and support independently to the best of their ability instead of escalating a customer concern to a supervisor.
Here, you will learn the best strategies to create an incredible service and support experience for every customer.
Create a Culture of Service
The culture your company embodies around customer service relies on the choices leaders make daily.
You must take a top-down approach to build a company culture of service. Your employees are going to follow the precedent your management team sets.
If managers emphasize speed, then speed will become the most important metric. But, on the other hand, if management’s motto is customer service above all, then your employees will follow suit.
Companies that do not have a defined customer service policy that managers can use as a guide may struggle to create consistent expectations across customer interactions.
Build With Customer Expectations in Mind
Another way companies can infuse better customer service through their company is to create their workflows with customer expectations in mind. Sometimes, it is simplest to learn from mass-consumer industries that are doing well with customers.
For that reason, let’s look at Domino’s pizza.
Domino’s knows that their hungry customers are anxiously awaiting their delivery. Thus, Domino’s created an app allowing customers to track their pizzas journey from start to finish.
Using the app, the customer can track when their order is made, goes in the oven, and is out for delivery.
And that is precisely the kind of expectations customers have for every service they request. With this knowledge, ask yourself how to incorporate more of your customers’ expectations into your current processes.
For example, you could set up automated communications that inform your customers of scheduling updates and estimated technician arrival times. These updates give your customers a sense of control—thus, improving their pre-appointment experience.
Support Service Autonomy
Every job comes with its nuances. There will be instances where your employees must make a judgment call independently without reaching out to management for further instruction.
At those moments, if employees cannot decide what is best for a customer, they often do nothing—leading to a negative customer experience.
Instead, you want to provide comprehensive coaching on the type of service you want your customers to experience. Then, allow your employees enough autonomy to go above and beyond for every customer based on their previous training.
Incentivize Superior Service
Beyond training your staff on customer service, you want to incentivize the employees who truly embody a service culture.
When you recognize or reward the employees who go out of their way to make your customers happy, you demonstrate that you practice what you preach.
Did you know that 92% of workers are more prone to repeat specific actions if they are recognized?
Accordingly, when you shine a light on successful customer success initiatives, other employees notice and will make more effort in their own roles.
Promote Opportunities for Improvement
One of the most straightforward steps you can add to your customer experience workflow is to encourage your field service technicians to promote ways to improve the use of your product or service.
For instance, if you are an HVAC company that sells and installs furnaces, your technicians should take the time to ensure your customer knows how to maintain their furnace to extend its lifetime.
If your field service technician spends a few extra minutes after installation walking your customer through the particulars of the correct filter size or recommending a few filter brands, your customer will feel appreciated and trust your technicians more in the future.
Focus on the Next Steps
Remember, the initial contact or service is only the beginning of your customer relationship. When training your employees to have a customer service mindset, think about how you can encourage your employees to improve customer retention by improving the next steps after the service.
One possibility would be adding a follow-up sequence to ensure customers are not only happy right after the service but continue to be weeks or even months later.
Customers that feel valued are more likely to become loyal, repeat customers that tell their friends and family about your business.
Empowered Service Providers Create Happy Customers
What is posted online lives forever, so your reputation matters. Someone could read a review from years ago and use it to make a purchasing decision—for better or worse.
Therefore, you want to guarantee that what your customers say about you is positive, which only happens if you focus on creating the ultimate customer experience.
And since your employees are the face of your company, you need to empower a “completed service work” mentality that allows your technicians and support agents to deliver an exceptional experience every time.
Using Zuper, the most flexible and customizable field service management software available, you can automate customer communication, request feedback, and improve your overall service experience. As a result, teams utilizing Zuper are able to provide a superior customer experience while maintaining their productivity and efficiency—making it a win-win solution for all.
This post was inspired by Zuper FM’s Completed Service Work and Its Value in Field Services with David Nour. Listen here now.
