The coronavirus has put pressure on everyone. Customer service representatives are bearing a lot of the burden of this pressure, handing the brunt of worried people during an unprecedented time of crisis. During these challenging days, companies must continue to keep up with customer service.
This article will help you continue to communicate well with customers to help your company continue to respond effectively to their concerns.
Stay Calm
You’ve seen the memes, “Stay Calm and…” This is particularly true if you are a customer service representative. You should try your best to remain calm even when customers are less than gracious. Today, even more than in the past, it’s important to have a plan to stay calm and get the job done. Make certain you sound confident and stay in control of the situation. Don’t become emotional—this will open the door off the cuff remarks that you will regret later on.
Proactively Communicate
Transparency is essential during the pandemic. CEOs should reach out to staff and companies should communicate with their customers. Look for ways to be empathetic to your customer concerns. Remember that many of your customers may have been affected by the economic downturn. Be sympathetic but also represent the corporate strategies for customer communication if, for example, they fall behind on a payment. Don’t set any unrealistic expectations that will hurt the credibility of your company, but be humane and respectful whenever possible.
Revise Customer Talking Points
Your website, particularly any customer Q&As, should make it very easy for customers to search for the information they need. If you haven’t put a public page on your website about the coronavirus and your response, you absolutely should. This should be the go-to page for anyone accessing your site during this crisis. Make sure your customer service talking points also reflect the same approach you take on your website to make the messaging consistent.
Revise Your Marketing Strategy
Marketing is another kind of frontline for customer contact. But it is no longer business as usual for our marketing efforts. Companies should review all marketing, including email, social media, print, and paid advertising. You likely you did this around the time social distancing forced businesses into new workarounds. Communicating information to customers about what they can expect when entering your storefront, such as should they wear a mask, or sharing new services you’re offering such as contact-free delivery, are now better uses for your marketing efforts as we make our way into the pandemic summer.
Customer service still matters. At PrideStaff, we work hard to guarantee that our customers always come first. If your business is seeing talent, we’d like to show you our difference. Contact us.
