10 Top Customer Service Expectations to Guide Your Strategy

Steve Jobs once said, “Get closer than ever to your customers. So close, in fact, that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.”

Knowing your customer’s reality, expectation and needs is what makes your business worthwhile. In fact, Horst Schulze who is the founder of Ritz-Carlton has said so himself that, ““Unless you have 100% customer satisfaction, you must improve.” A business strategy is something that involves research and time, it is important that the strategy is perfect for your business. The customer’s expectation should always reflect in your strategy as according to PWC, 65% of all consumers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising.

Thus, we are here to help you build a strategy by listing the top ten customer expectations as of today!

1. Omnichannel support.

Omnichannel support is a continuous connection for customers between all your channels. There is urgent need of you to be able to communicate through a range of avenues, including live chat, email, social media, telephone, SMS, your physical store, and more. Customers expect such support as it means that they never have to re-explain something they already told another member of your team. There are statistics that prove such a expectation as well, for example, according to salesforce, 75% of customers desire a consistent experience, regardless of how they engage a company, through social media, in person, by phone, etc.

• The privacy of their data.

According to salesforce, 88% of people trust companies that vow not to share their personal information without permission and trust of your customers is important for any business. The Global Consumer State of Mind Report have also claimed that 60% of users say they would spend more money with a brand they trust to handle their personal data responsibly. So, one of the expectations to keep in mind while to strategize is to make sure that the privacy of your customer’s information is protected well.

• Prompt response to their queries.

No customer would like to wait for services or product if they can get it faster elsewhere. Customers value their time just like you do yours. Therefore, they expect you to be punctual with your response time. In fact, according to acquire, when it comes to online experiences, 94 percent of consumers cite speed as a key contributor to a great experience. In a Zendesk study shows that, nearly 60% of customers feel that long holds and wait times are the most frustrating parts of a service experience. It is also important to ensure agents have the knowledge and resources to give customers quick and accurate responses.

• A good support teams.

Sally Gronow once said, “Good customer service costs less than bad customer service” which is why it is important that you invest in a good support team because that is what your customers expect for you. In fact salesforce says that, 83% of high-performing service agents say they get the training they need to do their job well compared to only 52% of underperformers. Pwc also states that, 75% of consumers will still choose to interact with a real person even as the technology for automated solutions improves. So, invest in a good service team and you are good.

• At Par digital knowledge and innovation.

As technology evolves, customers expect businesses to incorporate new tech and tools like AI chatbots, VR, AR, and video, to improve customer service processes and efficiency. A salesforce statistic says that 59% of customers believe that companies need to provide cutting-edge digital experiences to keep their business. Appnovation also states that 72% of customers expect virtual assistance to become more common, along with 68 percent expecting immersive virtual or augmented reality experiences, for example. With changing circumstance, your business needs to keep up with the digital world to meet your customer’s expectations.

• User-friendly interface.

The more complicated your company’s interface gets it is likely that the less it will attract customers. Customers expect and prefer an easy and user-friendly interface and interaction. According to Appnovation, the top factors customers attribute to a memorable online experience include up-to-date inventory (listed by 15 percent of consumers) and ease of usage, such as easy navigation (13 percent) and user-friendly design (12 percent). As a business it is essential to keep your information and resources up to date with content that is easy to find and relevant to your customers’ most frequent questions. By maintain a up to date content and interface, you keep up with your customers expectation. In fact according to Zendesk, 69% of consumers first try to resolve their issue independently, but less than one-third of companies offer self-service options such as a knowledge base.

• Being understood and heard.

According to McKinsey, 70% of the customer’s journey is based on how the customer feels they are being treated. Your customer might not always be right but they in somehow in the right direction. Every customer needs to be heard and understood, it is only then that they will continue their business with you. New voice media’s study also shows that feeling unappreciated is the #1 reason customers switch products and services. So, if you wish to create a strategy accordance to your customers then make sure you hear their concerns first.

• Honest and transparent communication.

No one likes miscommunication, even if it is between your company and your customers. According to salesforce, 62% of customers say they have stopped buying from a company whose values didn’t align with theirs. Transparency also includes genuine and open communication about a product or service and delivering on the promises your solutions advertise. If things go wrong, apologize, accept responsibility, and let customers know what to expect with timing and follow-up while awaiting a resolution. In fact, Glance’s study says that 70% of unhappy customers whose problems are resolved are willing to shop with a business again.

• Self service options.

A Microsoft survey says that, 90% customers expect brands and organizations to offer an online portal for self-service. Customers can take advantage of the convenience of using self-service resources, like chatbots, help centres, and community forums to find answers on their own anytime without reaching out to customer support. According to Forrester, Customers prefer knowledge bases over all other self-service channels. Customers expect you to let them help themselves, especially the current generation likes to solve the problems themselves, if they can.

1. Personalization to your services.

Customers expect to be treated as distinct, unique individuals. This means having a personalized experience across all interactions with your business and encompasses everything from knowing their contact info and preferences to purchase and interaction history. An Accenture surveys shows that 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that recognize, remember, and provide them with relevant offers and recommendations. So, strategize in a way that makes every single of your customer feel special.

Scott Cook rightly said, “Instead of focusing on the competition, focus on the customer.”

Your customers’ thoughts and opinions matter. They can help you build a better product, help improve your internal processes, and give you a good heads-up that they are thinking about churning. So, create a strategy to satisfy them and not to only make profit.