18客户服务提示HubSpot代表发誓

Customer service is a challenging field to work in. It takes the right balance of communication skills and technical product knowledge to deliver a delightful customer experience. And, if I've learned anything during my time in HubSpot Support, it's that there's no such thing as perfect customer service.

There's always something your support team can be doing to improve your customers' experience. Just like professional athletes practice every day, support reps should work with the company's products every day and learn everything they can about your business and its customers. Even the most seasoned reps must routinely practice their skills to keep them sharp and prepared to handle any type of interaction.

If you're looking for some interesting content to pass along to your customer support team, here are tips they can use toimprove customer experienceat your business. These tips are from my own first-hand experience in support, as well as the experiences of other HubSpot customer service and success reps. Let's dive in.

1.解决客户。

At HubSpot Support, we have the saying, "solve for the customer's needs, not your own." This mantra leads our support team and reminds our reps how to approach each interaction with our customers.

Rather than looking for shortcuts or handing the case off to another rep, our team is expected to be as invested in the situation as the customer. This means looking for long-term solutions that fostercustomer success, not quick fixes that will require more attention later.

此外，客户成功经理Sierra Howardencourages anyone in a service role to find empathy when dealing with customers.

Howard told me, "Put yourself in your customer's shoes and be personable. You want to ensure that your customers don't feel as if they are being treated as just another number."

Howard says, "Take time to really think about how you can help solve their problem, how they could be feeling, and what value you could add from your interaction with them. It's always important to be personable and build rapport so they feel heard and understood."

She adds, "For instance, I always try to find common ground where I can, and use a customer's name in conversations so they feel as though they are getting a personalized and warm experience when working with me."

2. Let the customer know you're on their side.

Remember the last time you had a really good, effective conversation with a service rep? I'm willing to bet one of the main reasons you felt good afterwards was the rep's ability to make you feel like you were both on the same team.

In customer service, it's critical you show the customer you're on their side when tackling a problem.

As HubSpot's Customer Success Manager克里斯蒂娜·冯（Christina Vuong）puts it, "Being able to tell the customer that you're on the same page and working collaboratively is incredibly important for building rapport and trust. I often approach conversations by using 'we' language, e.g. 'We will figure this out together' or 'I am on your team here'."

Vuong补充说：“他们的问题现在你的problem. It's important to keep in-mind how urgently you would want the issue resolved if you were personally experiencing it."

A lot of negative emotions can be diminished if a customer feels like they're working with someone who cares equally about the outcome. As Vuong notes, "Working collaboratively with customers removes a lot of frustration and friction between yourself and a customer if the customer feels like you're a barrier to their success. Let them know you're as invested in their roadblocks and concerns as they are, and team up."

3. Set and manage expectations.

It can be tempting to say 'yes' to a customer at any cost, but this can lead to frustration and distrust down the road if you can't actuallymeetthose expectations. For this reason, it's vital in customer service that you take the time to set appropriate and realistic expectations with your customers.

HubSpot's Strategic Account ManagerFernanda Moreira Rodriguesprovides examples for whennotsetting expectations could get you into trouble.

她说，一方面：“如果您仍在调查导致客户报告内容的问题，请让他们知道您正在寻找答案，并且您将在一定时间范围内与他们联系（确保您给出一个现实的时间）。”

"After that time, if you haven't found the answer, let them know that you're still working on it. Letting the customer wonder whether you're working on it or you simply forgot their case can generate a lot of friction."

Alternatively, she adds, you want to be upfront about the services you can and can't provide. You'll want to point your customers in the right direction as soon as possible, rather than trying to fix a problem yourself if you know you don't have the bandwidth or resources to handle it. For instance, perhaps a solutions provider or vendor is more equipped to deal with your customer's issue than you are.

As Rodrigues tells me, "A lot of people lose too much time trying to solve problems they know in the end they can't personally solve, so it's better to set the right expectations so the customer can have their problem solved sooner rather than later."

HubSpot Customer Success ManagerJen Berengueragrees with this sentiment, telling me, "The most important thing a support rep can do for clients is manage their expectations. When I get support escalations, they're often because the rep hasn't responded to the client even though the rep is investigating the ticket."

Berenguer adds, "Additionally, it's important support reps tell clientswhy无法做些事情。例如，告诉客户“您不能在我们的产品中提及LinkedIn个人帖子中的人”，而不是说“我们的产品不允许您在LinkedIn个人帖子上提及人员，因为LinkedIn API不会允许我们的系统发展这样的功能。”

Ultimately, when you're in any customer-facing role, it's critical you set and manage a client's expectations to ensure you're not creating a sense of distrust when you agree to something you can't follow through with.

4.利用情绪智力。

Emotional intelligence is an important skill that customer support reps must develop in their careers. It refers to one's ability to interpret and decipher other people's emotions and respond to them in a constructive manner. Perfecting this skill will help your customer support reps quell frustrated or impatient customers and prevent escalations to yourcustomer success team。

For example, as you've probably experienced, some customers are less patient than others. These customers can sometimes seem pushy or over-demanding, but someone with strong emotional intelligence would recognize that these customers have immediate needs.

客户不想偏离您的支持团队，但是他们将优先考虑时间敏感的需求而不是保持私人支持代表的耐心。在这些情况下，利用情绪智力将有助于您的团队专注于实现客户的目标，而不是在客户的行为上。

5. Avoid making apologies.

这似乎是违反直觉的，但是我获得的一些最好的建议是停止对我无法控制的障碍道歉。无论我多么真诚，客户都不真正在乎我的道歉，他们只是希望解决问题。因此，我没有一次又一次地道歉，而是开始感谢客户的耐心等待。

正是在这项实验中，我了解到在客户服务环境中避免道歉的强大程度。我意识到，每次我道歉时，我都公开承认有问题。即使这是一个小错误，我也允许客户对我不高兴，因为我承认我的客户服务中的缺陷。

By thanking customers, I was still taking responsibility for the mistake but I was flattering the customer rather than instigating them. If the customer was still frustrated with the issue, my response appeared more confident which made it easier for me to de-escalate the interaction. It's much easier to convince customers that you're in control of the situation when you're not apologizing every few moments.

6. Listen, and ask your customers questions.

客户服务就是通讯unication — and a key aspect of communication is listening.

能够积极地听取客户的意见可以使您成为支持代表。如果您要多任务处理，则可能很难得出客户问题的根本原因，这最终可能会使您的工作更加努力而不是更容易。

作为EMEA客户专家Alnaica Augustavetold me, "Listening is a major asset for customer support reps in order to meet customer needs. It's important to listen and understand the problem by asking questions. Using the5 Whys Method当问什么estions can drive towards the root cause of the problem and support the customers effectively."

Augustave adds, "For instance, you may have customers who have difficulty expressing their problems, so it's up to customer support to be able to rephrase and define the cause of the problem to determinewhythe customer is having this problem."

“因此，作为侦探，有必要向客户提出关键问题，例如'谁在遇到这个问题？'，'问题在哪里？'，'迄今为止，客户已经完成了哪些步骤？'这些问题指导您的调查以了解客户的问题。”

HubSpot Customer Success ManagerPatrick Shelleyseconds this notion. He told me, "Active listening is one of the most important skills in providing a great customer service experience. In many instances, service professionals are quick to provide a solution without fully understanding the context and desired outcomes of the customer's unique situation."

"For instance, if someone comes to me asking for advice on how to generate more leads, I'd love to first find out what they have already tried, what their desired outcome is, and what their biggest obstacles are in preventing them from achieving their goal."

"Understanding context and goals are essential to developing a customized and valuable solution for the customer. One rule that I try to adhere to is always asking at least one clarifying question before providing a solution."

7.使用积极的语言。

你的团队使用词汇和语调可以引导the course of the conversation with a customer. So, it's important to focus on using positive language because it encourages a better customer experience. By using positive language, your team can prevent escalations by demonstrating their confidence in resolving the customer's issue.

For example, let's say your rep is working with a customer on the phone and they just can't seem to figure out the problem they're facing. After 10 minutes of back-and-forth questions, the customer tells them they're getting "a little annoyed" with how long the call is taking. If your rep responds with, "I understand this is very frustrating," they're escalating the issue in the eyes of the customer. They were just "a little annoyed," to start but now they know that they can be "very frustrated" if the call continues this way.

Instead, have your rep use the customer's own language in their response. Try saying, "I understand this can be a little tricky," as that uses the same positive language the customer did. The word "little" in this instance minimizes the complexity of the issue and reminds the customer they're still the best option for help. If your reps see the problem as small or easy to overcome, customers will rally behind that confidence and be more willing to collaborate.

8. Slow down.

通常，在客户服务中，您可能会急于找出对客户问题的正确答案，而您忘记了放慢脚步并提出故意的，关键的后续问题。

You don't want to waste time finding the answer to what youthinkis the customer's problem, only to realize they were struggling with something else entirely.

Additionally, good customer service happens when you slow down and take the time to acknowledge the customer, treat them as a person, and take the time to build rapport and facilitate a connection.

例如，我一次打电话给CorePower瑜伽customer service due to a billing issue. While on the phone with me, the customer service rep took the time to ask me how Boston weather was, and to tell me about an upcoming deal for which I'd be eligible. By the end of the call, I'd actuallyupgradedmy membership. How's that for good customer service?

9. Adopt the right customer service tools.

随着您的支持团队的发展和发展，您需要采用客户服务工具that can handle the increase in customer demand. These tools include help desks, automation, and票务系统这有助于管理传入的服务请求并将其分发给您的支持代表。这样，代表花费更多的时间与客户合作，而不是执行可以自动化的琐碎任务。

One customer service tool that you should consider adopting is ahelp desk。Help desks are customer service platforms that organize your team's open cases with customers. Thebest help desk softwarecan set up workflows for your reps, provide pre-written email templates, and trigger automated alerts to follow up on open cases.

作为纳塔利亚·纳尼斯托瓦（Natalia Nanistova），CloudTalk'sContent Marketing Manager, told me: "When existing clients decide to take their business elsewhere, poor customer service is often to blame. You don't earn a customer's loyalty in a day, you earn it day by day."

Nanistova adds, "To ensure your clients stick around for the long haul, invest in high-quality customer service tools. Don't hesitate to arm your agents with the tools they need to be successful. Your clients will thank you."

10. Anticipate customer needs.

A sign of an impressive customer support employee is often someone who knows how to go above-and-beyond for customers by providing next-level information beyond what's necessary.

Alnaica Augustave says, "As customer support reps, you'll need to anticipate customer needs if there are future demands. It's possible, for instance, that the customer needs more information than he specifies in his initial request. You should therefore pay attention to possible next questions the customer might ask you to resolve their problem or obtain more information."

Augustave补充说：“您必须能够预测客户需求并提供可以帮助您的选项或其他信息。例如，如果客户想使用您的企业无法提供的工具，那么提供其他选项，例如使用其他选项，例如使用可以连接到您的产品或提供类似工具的第三方集成的集成。”

Ultimately, anticipating customer needs is critical for finding opportunities toupsellor create long-term customer loyalty.

11. Open and close the conversation.

第一印象对客户服务至关重要，尽管开始和完成对话似乎很容易，但实际上，这可能比听起来更尴尬。毕竟，这并不是说您的代表接到他们最好的朋友的电话。他们有可能向即将吠叫的愤怒的陌生人接电话。

It's important to remind your reps that they're not getting a call from a customer, they're getting a call from a person who needs your team's help. Have your team practice their intro statement every day until it becomes a natural reflex whenever they pick up the phone. Reps should start with a warm greeting, introduce themselves, and ask for the customer's name. This formally introduces your rep to the customer and makes the experience feel more human.

此外，学习如何结束对话同样重要。您会惊讶于您的客户会有多少瞬间的想法，而您的代表可能会失去宝贵的时间来回答这些漫无目的的问题。虽然您当然不想削减客户，但重要的是要记住其他客户也可能正在等待帮助。因此，当您的销售代表确实解决问题时，请直接询问客户是否需要更多帮助，如果没有，请继续进行下一个案例。

12. Be transparent.

归根结底，您的客户是人们，too. So it's important you speak to them in a human, authentic way.

As Customer Success ManagerMatthew Galloputs it, "Customers reach out because they have a specific problem they are trying to solve, and we are there to solve it. From my experience, having rapport-building dialogue (i.e. "How are you doing? "How was your weekend?" "Where are you from?") can provide customers a better experience and make them feel like they're not just another ticket or inquiry."

加洛补充说：“很多时候，客户会要求某种可能是曲线球的东西。如果您处于支持角色，您可能会觉得自己需要知道所有内容的答案，但是如果没有，可以透明地说话很长一段路。不是真的。”

13. Provide a clear and concise response.

客户支持代表不仅需要拥有专家级的产品知识，而且还需要能够向初学者的客户解释。您的代表的解释有多深入和准确，如果客户无法理解它，那就不好了。

Your customers may love your products and services but they will never be as technically sound with them as your support reps are. So, it's important to respond to every service request like you're talking to someone who's brand new to your company. Reps should begin with the fundamental explanation of your troubleshooting then elaborate further if the customer wants more details. This will save your reps time from explaining complex information to customers who aren't really interested.

14. Respond quickly.

Even if one customer's complaint isn't the only ticket you see in a day, itislikely the customer's number one problem at the moment. So treat it as such by responding in a timely manner.

It might be tempting to wait until you've resolved the issue to respond, so you can respond with good news. But it's often better to respond quickly with a simple, "We've seen your problem, and we're working on it" response, so the customer knows you're prioritizing their needs.

15. Use email templates.

To ensure speedy, efficient customer service, you'll want to take the time to figure out where you can cut down on repeated activities. For instance, if you find you're often answering the same question, consider creating a客户服务电子邮件模板with a saved response to that query.

Email templates can ensure you're not wasting precious support energy re-writing the same response every day. Instead, you can allocate that time to what really matters: Building stronger relationships with your customers, and helping them fix more complex problems that can't be solved with quick email replies.

16. Take notes.

HubSpot's Inbound ProfessorAdriti Gulatitold me she feels it's incredibly important to take thorough notes on every case.

Gulati说,“最常见的一个客户rustrations is when customers have to tell, then re-tell, their story to different support reps. Mitigate this problem by taking clear, concise notes for every case. HubSpot uses the GRR method: Goal, Roadblock, Resolution. The goal is what the customer is trying to do, the roadblock is what's standing in their way (a.k.a. the reason they contacted customer support), and the resolution is how you fixed the problem."

17.掌握您的日常工作流程。

To be considered as an experienced customer support rep, your reps need to master their daily tasks and functions until they become second nature. This is one of the hardest things for new reps to do because there's no training you can provide to help them master their workflow. Every rep has their own workflow preferences and they need to discover them on their own by working with customers.

While the type of cases they take may vary, your reps' daily workflow should remain relatively consistent. Of course, there will be some days where abnormal cases will throw them off pace, but overall, having a consistent daily workflow demonstrates they're capable of meeting your customer's expectations.

18. Create strong knowledge materials.

Having strong knowledge and support materials is another good opportunity to cut down on redundancies and help your customers' learn how to fix their own problems. Consider how you might include video tutorials, in-depth instructions, and create high-quality content to take your support materials to the next level.

Don't have any knowledge or customer support materials? Check out创建和管理知识库：最终指南to create your own.

如果您仍在寻找改善客户服务团队的更多技巧，请阅读有关最重要的信息客户支持技能。