How to Implement Proactive Customer Service (& Why You Should)

您最后一次对客户服务团队感到惊喜是什么时候？

也许您在网上订购了一件外套，只是发现商店没有库存。代表没有放弃或发行退款，而是将外套从另一个位置运到您的家门口。或者，也许您与家人预订了航班，并且由于飞机的容量不足，因此服务员提出要更换座位，以便您可以坐在一起。

这些增加价值的令人惊讶的实例是主动客户服务的形式。积极的客户服务在增加customer retention也客户喜悦。

在这篇文章中，我们将定义主动的支持，解释如何在自己的业务中实施实践，并提供现实生活中提供主动服务的企业的例子。

尽管积极的支持和积极的服务都提供了令人愉悦的体验，但前者专注于预测和解决客户问题，而积极的服务涉及提供可以增强客户体验的补充机会。

The mentality behind proactive customer service is that your company wants to go超越for its customers, past the point of purchase. You want to prove your trustworthiness and increasecustomer loyalty，因此，您为客户提供了他们拥有最佳体验所需的一切。

但是，并非所有客户服务都可以主动发生。反应性客户服务同样有价值，但保留给不同的情况。

Proactive vs. Reactive Service

You can think of proactive customer service like getting vaccinated. It's proactive protection of your body against a virus that may affect you in the future. Proactive customer service offers solutions to problems that haven’t happened yet.

反应性客户支持就像非处方药。这是对身体已经影响您的疾病的反应性治疗。在反应性客户服务中，一旦出现问题，代表步骤。

理解差异的一种直接方法是知道谁采取了第一步。主动服务意味着业务启动联系，而反应性服务意味着客户是第一个接触的客户。

Neither is better or worse than the other. In fact, the best-case scenario is to use both strategies. When you notice patterns in a customer's purchasing behavior, proactively recommend services that would supplement or support their processes. When a customer has questions about their product, reactively answer those questions and guide them to成功。

8-Step Guide to Implementing Proactive Customer Service

If your customer service team is traditionally reactive, adding proactive measures may seem like a daunting challenge. Below we’ll discuss how you can implement proactive service at your own company.

1. Send out surveys.

Consumer feedback is essential to improving your proactive customer service. One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is assuming that they know what their customers想要和需要，从内部的角度做到这一点几乎是不可能的。结果，了解您的客户的最佳方法就是询问他们的感受。

问卷can help you gain information from customers about how to improve aspects of your business. You can ask questions such as, "What do you wish we had done more of?" or "How could we have improved your experience shopping with us?" to gain insights into how to be more proactive with future customers.

Survey tools, likeNet Promoter Score®，非常适合收集此反馈，因为他们收集定性和定量客户数据。

2. Create a knowledge base.

知识库包含有关公司，其产品和服务以及其他相关主题的信息。bob全站app

It can contain articles, FAQs, and video tutorials that customers can use to troubleshoot issues independently without needing to or before resorting to making a call to your support teams. This is a form of proactive support because you’re anticipating possible problems and giving customers access to the information they’ll need to resolve their issues before they even arise.

For example, here at HubSpot we have a知识库that helps us better serve and delight our customers by giving them access to the solutions they need 24/7.

3. Introduce a "Products You May Like" feature.

A “Products You May Like,” or a recommendation feature, is a form of proactive customer service, as you're setting customers up for success by making recommendations that will supplement or enhance their experience. Instead of having to search for new products, you’re already letting them know what they should consider buying.

您可以根据个人买家的行为提出这些建议，也可以使用算法来了解类似客户如何进行以前的购买。您不仅会通过推荐感兴趣的东西来向您所关心的客户展示您所关心的客户，而且还通过鼓励他们进行额外购买来推动收入。

不过，这些建议不需要用于产品和服务。例如，Netflix是一项电视和电影流服务，它会根据用户的观看历史记录以及他们提供的内容的评分向用户推荐新内容。

4. Start an email newsletter.

除推荐产品和服务外，还有其他方法可以与客户保持联系。Email newsletters是一个伟大的方式来这样做,你会保持客户connected to your company and provide them with valuable information.

Your email newsletter can include blog posts, industry news, new product announcements, events, and more. No matter what you include, you should tailor content to your business's offerings.

如果您通过推bob官网官方网站荐满足其需求的产品或服务来解释客户面临和现在解决方案的经常性问题，这些新闻通讯可以提供积极的支持。

5. Automate scheduling processes.

Part of providing proactive support is reducing customer effort, and one way to do this is by offering automatic or SMS调度选项。

例如，如果您的产品之一需要例行维护，请将客户放置在自动时间表上，以便他们不必手动约会。或者，如果客户喜欢产品，则可以提供自动付款计划，以便他们可以继续使用其产品，而不必记住每个月重新订阅。

This practice offers both proactive support and service as you’re reducing their effort and providing them with tools that help them succeed, like automatic subscriptions.

6.监视您的社交媒体。

就像八卦的方式一样，公司丑闻可以在社交媒体渠道周围传播bob全站app，并迅速使您的缺点公开可见。

如果您不监视客户在社交媒体上对您的评价，那么您会错过宝贵的机会来更好地了解客户。鉴于此，始终最好注意您的各种社交渠道并跟踪人们对您公司的看法。bob全站app

You can conductsocial listening并遵循与您的业务相关的关键字和标签，这为社交媒体上的积极客户支持打开了大门。例如，如果客户发布了有关延迟交付的挫败感，您可以立即做出响应并提供解决方案。

7.提供忠诚度计划。

It takes a lot for customers to commit to a company, so you should pat yourself on the back for eachlifetime customer你吸引。但是，您永远不要忘记向忠实的客户展示您对他们对业务的奉献和信任的赞赏。

忠诚计划是表达欣赏的好方法，因为您正在奖励客户不断与您开展业务。这些计划是积极服务的一种形式，因为您提供的特殊优惠和折扣可以增强和补充客户体验。

8.对错误诚实。

如果客户与您的故障，技术错误或他们遇到的一般错误联系，可能会令人沮丧。这也让客户灰心，因为他们宁愿听到您的问题，并且知道您已经实施了解决方案。

因此，主动的支持最佳实践是承认错误，并让客户在自己发现问题之前出现问题。对于给您带来的不便，您可以道歉，解释您如何找到解决方案，并提供折扣或退款，如果您无法充分解决问题。

This strategy is proactive service and support. You’re giving customers the solutions they need if they experience an issue, and offering a refund to alleviate the strain from a faulty product for a stress-free experience. Customers also value this approach because it shows them that you’re keen, honest, and dedicated to providing value.

遵循这八项措施应有助于任何业务提供积极主动的客户服务，支持并培养有价值的客户体验。

让我们介绍一些积极实践主动服务的企业的现实示例。

1. Debenhams

Debenhams is a UK-based retailer that sells clothing. As an Ecommerce site, one of its most significant points of friction is product returns and exchanges. Customers are often left with additional shipping expenses, which creates a less enjoyable experience.

为了打击这一障碍，Debenhams创建了购买指南，以帮助客户选择最适合其衣柜的产品。客户可以浏览包含的知识库self-servicearticles that explain everything from buying men's suits to what to wear at a wedding.

可能对Debenhams产品感到困惑的客户可以阅读这些指南，并在网上购买时做出更自信的决定。

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2. Copa Airlines

Air travel can be a stressful and

航空旅行对客户来说可能是一个压力和令人困惑的过程。有些人不经常飞行，也不习惯大多数航空公司常见的正式程序。

Copa Airlinestries to reduce this friction by implementing a live chat virtual assistant. Customers can contact the chatbot 24/7 with questions about their trip and resolve issues accordingly. Their webpage also includes explanations of what their chatbot can and can't do, so customers know when their best option is to contact a service representative.

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Copa Airlines’ investment in proactive customer service has resulted in a40%reduction in support agents’ case volume. The support team now has more time to focus on complex and time-sensitive cases that are more likely to result in customer churn.

3. Anglian Water

供水的中断会对您的日常生活产生巨大影响。如果您的水被切断，您可能需要实时更新，以提醒您何时将其重新打开。

Anglian Waterprovides a self-service option with an “In Your Area” webpage that notifies customers when there's an outage or construction taking place near their water line.

客户还可以订阅电子邮件或SMS消息，这些消息可提供有关其所在地区服务中断和施工的实时更新。该业务通过让他们知道可能的破坏并提供一项可增强他们体验的服务，从而主动提供支持。

4. HubSpot

HubBot, HubSpot's chatbot service, acts as a proactive customer support tool on the company website. When customers have questions about products or want to speak with a support representative, HubBot can help them accomplish their goals without friction.

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Additionally, HubBot adapts to the page that you're on. In the example above, HubBot is showing a response tailored toHubSpot的CRM页面。如果您导航到销售量Hub page,Hubbot更新特定于销售的消息，如下图所示。

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5. Timberland

林地, an outdoor retailer, came up with a creative approach to proactive customer service when it debuted its virtual dressing rooms.

将电视监视器放置在店面显示窗口中，接近他们的客户会在屏幕上看到自己。然后，客户可以通过Timberland产品滑动，看看他们的外表如何。

下面的视频显示了该广告系列的运作方式。

该业务通过提供一项服务，可以预见客户对衣服如何为他们工作的服务来增强其客户体验。

6. IKEA

在增强现实之前，家具购物是一个猜测的游戏。直到您将其物理放在那里，就无法告诉您在家中的外观。

宜家的augmented reality app relieves this pain point, as it allows buyers to place items in their homes and see how they look before following through with a purchase. This is a proactive service that gives customers peace of mind and reduces the need for further support interactions when customers aren’t satisfied.

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7. KFC

在2018年，肯德基experienced a crisis when the company ran out of chicken to serve its customers. Being its number one product and having chicken in its name, KFC took a proactive approach on social media to address the problem. It released a series of light-hearted posts, like the one below, explaining the issue and the steps it was taking to correct it.

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This comedic stance was well received by KFC's customer base and helped the company navigate an unexpected crisis. It's a great example of how proactive support can reduce friction when a company makes a costly mistake.

有关提供主动客户服务的更多方法，请阅读客户保留策略。

编者注：该帖子最初于2019年3月发表，并已更新以进行全面性。