Learn about the top customer service mistakes you should avoid

Table of Contents

Faced with the growing competitiveness of the market, consumers are becoming more demanding every day. Therefore, for the survival of a business, it is vital to avoid the main mistakes in the customer service, taking extreme care with all processes, so that the company delivers the best possible experience and solutions to its audience.

After all, customer service is one of the main factors in consolidating the relationship between the company and the customer – through it, the consumer chooses to approach the brand and continue with it or move away and go to a competitor.

Affordable prices and promotions are still valuable, but the days when the customer's decision only considered this are gone. In recent research, 80% of respondents say that the shopping experience is as important as the quality of the product itself, showing that failures in communication with the public can be fatal for a company.

When we talk about e-commerce, this topic is especially important, as the internet is a veritable ocean of competitors.

The infinite variety of options available makes the online consumer particularly demanding – after all, if an alternative does not meet their expectations, a click is enough for another to be accessed and the previous one to be forgotten. That's why we recommend that you make a good e-commerce course free to understand more and more about it.

We also observed that negative feedbacks left on websites can greatly damage the image of a brand before the public. From there, we already have an idea of ​​the weight of a well-executed online service.

This article lists the main mistakes in customer service that you should avoid, in order to help your company achieve increasingly satisfactory results in the relationship and loyalty of your audience. 

Often, failures in this regard can be quite subtle, so attention must be paid to each step towards better customer service. Come on?

    Top 10 customer service mistakes 

    In theory, offering quality customer service is a time simple to perform. However, in practice, we observe companies that leave a lot to be desired in this regard – from small business, managed by a single person trying to do a little bit of everything, even large companies with rigid lines of action and little attention to specific aspects of good management.

    Below, we highlight the top ten mistakes in customer service that you should avoid making, so that the experience provided by your company to your audience takes on increasingly affirmative characteristics. Stay tuned and check it out.

    1. Limited communication channels

    There is no quality service without cordiality and care for the consumer.. For that, it is extremely necessary to offer options of channels of marketing and communication. 

    Your client needs to be able to get in touch with the company in the most practical and comfortable way that is in agreement with who he is, where he is and what he needs.

    Currently, many companies avoid direct contact with their customers as much as possible, especially when it comes to telephone service. forms, chat and other automation features are valuable and should not be overlooked.

    However, an old-fashioned telephone service, in addition to humanizing the relationship between customer and company, considers that, often, the customer's question or problem contains subjectivities and particularities that only a computer would be unable to understand. 

    It is inconceivable to overlook the importance of direct assistance – whether by phone, email or directly through the website. Likewise, it is also important that fanpages and profiles on social networks operate actively.

    2. Lack of attention to the customer

    It is a fact that many doubts and complaints from the public are repeated by default. However, many companies sin precisely because they believe they know all the answers to all the questions, even before they are asked. 

    Neglecting the voice of the customer is a big and unfortunately common mistake.. If you want to get to know your customer – and this is essential – you need to listen carefully, study their profile, adapt their language and approach.

    3. Unprepared team

    A recurring mistake in many companies is the total lack of training of their teams. Good customer service training makes all the difference, even if your professionals are experienced. 

    Without proper investment in training, your employees will not have the right knowledge about the products and services offered by the company, nor will they master the language appropriate to their audience. 

    When these aspects fail, team members find themselves lost in the face of any adversity that comes their way; weakening the brand identity and the relationship with the consumer.

    4. Neglecting after-sales

    The after-sales process is constantly ignored by many managers – which is a huge flaw, given its importance in strengthening ties with the customer, showing the company's interest in knowing their opinion and experience with the brand. 

    Through this feedback, it becomes possible to evaluate new strategies to improve the quality of your business.

    ⚠️ Also check out these related articles 👇

    ➡️ Online service on WordPress: discover the best plugins
    ➡️ Need ready-made phrases for customer service? Check out 65 examples!
    ➡️ Learn how to do online service at home office

    5. Absence of performance metrics

    Companies that do not have mechanisms to listen to the customer are condemned to lag behind the competition. When dissatisfied, many clients don't even do any kind of complaint, just go to the competitor. Therefore, it takes effort on the part of the company to collect feedback.

    In addition to the aforementioned after-sales, opinion surveys are important, and to optimize the conduct of these actions, it is important to establish certain performance metrics, such as: 

    • number of calls answered; 
    • dropout rate;  
    • best time to contact; 
    • TMA (average service time); 
    • TME (average waiting time); 
    • FCR (First Call Resolution);
    • NPS (Net Promoter Score, or customer satisfaction level).

    6. Service bureaucratization

    Too much bureaucracy is the perfect formula for failure. A slow service, full of steps, call transfers, unnecessary questions, gigantic forms and endless waits makes the customer experience not only dull, but stressful, and can cause fury and abandonment. 

    Value for optimization, agility and efficiency. When a customer is looking for a customer service, he is looking for ease. Don't make the customer's life even more difficult, unless you want him to go away (and badmouthing you to everyone).

    7. Lack of clarity

    When terms are laid out clearly, everyone involved feels safe. When offering a particular product or service, the company must be transparent about what the agreement comprises, both with regard to the price charged and other relevant terms and conditions, so that the customer does not feel betrayed later.

    8. Arrogance

    Kindness and good will are extremely important factors. Companies that operate without humility, as if they were doing a favor for the customer, do not retain anyone. 

    The maxim “serve well to serve always” should always be remembered. the customer is special – if the error belongs to the company, it needs to be compensated; if the error is the customer's, it needs to be revealed and oriented with patience.

    9. Insufficient information

    When a customer contacts support, he hopes to solve a doubt or solve a problem. The information provided by the agents must be accurate, and if it is outside of their attributions or knowledge, the call must be transferred to someone more qualified in that matter. 

    Few points make the customer feel as disrespected as the feeling of not having a problem solved.

    10. Lack of omnichannel service

    The growing level of consumer demand demands more and more agility, in addition to a range of options through which they can contact the company. 

    Omnichannel service is a concept that proposes to solve this need, integrating several contact channels, such as SAC, WhatsApp, social networks, chat, etc., without the customer even realizing that they are moving between them.

    What makes good service

    As you can see, good service is as important as it is complex. At all stages of contact, it is necessary to ensure that the customer enjoys a pleasant and efficient experience

    In general, in addition to their specific characteristics, all the common mistakes mentioned above can be avoided based on three pillars that we present below.

    cordiality

    Friendliness is essential for good service. The client must be free to expose their questions, so that an adequate solution can be presented. 

    Thus, knowing how to listen is more important than knowing how to speak, even in the face of complaints about the product or service – so you can know exactly what the customer is looking for, at the same time they feel welcomed, valued and respected.

    Optimization

    Optimization is knowing how to operate with agility, but without losing efficiency. We live in an era marked by an uninterrupted flow of information and external stimuli. 

    People feel that they don't have time to waste, and therefore expect instantaneous contacts, high availability and assertiveness in responses.

    Technology

    Today, technology is more than a great ally: it is a fundamental work tool. Tools like WordPress, chatbots, social networks, Zoom and others make your service not only more fluid and efficient, but also practical and economical, and can be used via home office

    In addition, the implementation of Systems CRM (Customer Relationship Managers, or Customer Relationship Management) provides the centralization and computation of the most relevant information about its customers. The proper use of technology improves the quality of the service experience, both for the company and for the public, optimizing results.

    Did you like the article? So, we invite you to expand your customer service knowledge by checking out this content about WhatsApp service that we prepared!

    Leave a comment

    Start your free trial today!

    Try our digital signature tool for free.
    The first 5 documents
    are free!

    Share this article

    Do you want to stay informed?

    Subscribe to our blog

    Related articles