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The modern consumer is firmly in the driving seat, especially when it comes to purchasing products and services. They know what they want, and how much they are willing to spend on a particular service or product. Not only that, the consumer usually wants the object of their desire almost immediately. Businesses must ensure that their wares and services are readily-accessible to the target consumer. Any delay can risk an imminent sale! Similarly, organizations strive to secure customer satisfaction by resolving complaints and requests as rapidly as possible. The bottom-line is that people want their issues resolved swiftly. Luckily, there are several customer service best practices that managers can introduce to their teams to increase efficiency – effectively speeding them up!

Here are three reasons why speed is the need for customer-centric organizations:

#1 – Keeps the Issue from Escalating

Moving fast helps any ongoing customer issue from snowballing into a bigger, more challenging problem. The angrier the customer is, the more damage a delayed response from customer service will have. The sooner an employee can resolve a customer service issue, the greater the chances of retaining that customer for the long-term. Critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and conflict-resolution are all soft skills that come handy when trying to satisfy upset customers. One way to make sure that your team is equipped to deal with complex situations is by hosting customer service skills training workshops. On-the-job performance can improve immensely for customer-facing staff with experiential learning sessions.

#2- Builds Trust

The first step to gaining customer loyalty is to secure the customer’s trust. This is especially true when they need the organization’s products or service the most. According to research, poor customer service drives away customers. A quick turnaround time paired with a real interest in the customer’s situation can result in a connection. Individuals in a customer-facing role have numerous opportunities to build the customer’s trust, starting with a polite conversation and ending with a speedy resolution.

#3 – Enhances the Customer Experience

Quick turnaround time is at the foundation of positive customer relationships. Consumers usually associate a helpful customer service experience with a speedy resolution time. Service time indicates the priority an organisation puts in pleasing their customers. Customers should feel delighted when they walk into your store or speak to an employee over the phone. No matter the industry, well-trained members can boost the customer experience by being communicative, and friendly.

As it is the era of omni-channel customer support, companies can provide assistance in many ways:

?     Set-up a  dedicated toll-free number for customer complaints and concerns,

?     Provide self-service options like support blogs and FAQs,

?     Integrate Live Chat Support on all digital platforms,

?     Respond to email queries promptly, and

?     Have active social media profiles on leading platforms like Facebook and Twitter

The secret to sustainable business is to embrace a customer experience mindset throughout the organization. When it comes to customer service, speed definitely matters.