Why a customer service policy is important & how to create one
You want to provide customers with a great customer service experience.
But what does that mean exactly?
Let’s say a customer has a complaint about a recent purchase. Will all of your support agents handle it the same way? Maybe one agent feels that the situation warrants a refund while another doesn’t believe it requires follow-up at all.
It’s important not to leave “good customer service” open to the interpretation of individual employees.
You can ensure that your customer service team knows exactly how to operate with a document called a customer service policy.
When all of your employees follow the policy, agents know what they can offer and customers know to expect consistent, high-quality customer service from your company, regardless of who they talk to or what channel they use.
This article explains why you need a customer service policy and how to create an effective one for your business.
What is a customer service policy?
A customer service policy is a document that guides the way your employees and your organization approach customer service.
Sometimes this is an internal code of conduct only, but many companies publish their policies publicly to let customers know what kind of high-quality service they can expect.
Customers today expect more than ever. 68% of customer service leaders in the US have seen an increase in customer expectations since February 2020.<sup-*>
One of those expectations is consistency. Customers expect a consistent experience regardless of the channel they use, the customer service representative they speak to, or the location they visit.
In fact, 69% of consumers do more shopping with brands that offer consistent experiences in-store and online.2
In order for all of your employees to provide consistent service, you have to set guidelines. That’s what your customer service policy is for.
Why are customer service policies important?
Customer service policies are vital for a customer-centric business because they:
#1 Offer clarity on your goals
You have goals for your organization’s customer service. They might include things like resolving customer issues quickly or providing friendly and empathetic service.
A customer service policy connects those big goals to concrete actions your employees should take. No one has to question whether resolving issues quickly means getting back to a customer in one hour or one week — it’s right there in the policy.
#2 Keep all employees on the same page
With a customer service policy, everyone is on the same page. This is becoming increasingly important as many teams move to remote work. 65% of customer service leaders say they plan to embrace remote or hybrid operating models going forward.<sup-*>
#3 Shine light on important benchmarks
Your customer service policy contains important benchmarks for response and resolution times, as well as guidelines on other important processes such as escalation and collaboration. When you evaluate the performance of your agents and your team, you can do so using the standards of good service defined in the policy.
#4 Help your team deliver better customer service
When employees know exactly what they’re supposed to do, they’re less likely to cut corners. There’s no room for disagreement about what great customer service looks like.
If you choose to make your customer service policy public, it also lets customers know what to expect. For example, you can include information on your return policies or specify which items are guaranteed.
How do you develop a customer service policy?
The first step in creating a customer service policy is to consider the big picture. What is the mission of your customer service team? How do you define excellent service?
Many customer service policies begin with a mission statement. This is usually one or two lines summarizing how you want to treat your customers.
The mission statement is the overarching vision. Before you write the guidelines that support it, here are three things to think about –
1. What do your customers need?
Your customer service policy should address the real needs and expectations of your customers. Don’t guess, research.
Start by talking to your customer service employees.
They already know a lot about common customer concerns and pain points. You can also send out customer surveys to learn more about what your customers want and what frustrates them.
For example, if they feel unsatisfied with the speed of service or the consistency of their interactions with your company, address those things in the policy.
2. What can you realistically offer your customers?
Promising your customers everything they want sounds nice, but your customer service policy needs to be realistic in terms of what you can provide.
The document will be meaningless to your employees and your customers if the promises it makes aren’t achievable.
Find out how your team is doing now. What’s your average response time? How many tickets do you resolve each month? Which channels can customers use to contact you? Set goals that are optimistic but within reach.
If you’re not happy with what you can currently deliver, consider the technology you’re using. Your customer service software greatly affects what you can promise.
For example, implementing AI chatbots can help provide faster, more efficient service without sacrificing the personalized touch.
What should be included in a customer service policy?
The bulk of your customer service policy should be guidelines for how your customer service representatives will act in specific circumstances.
They’ll be unique to your business, but there are some common things to consider including.
Your company values. These can be part of your customer service mission statement.
Promised response and resolution time. Will you get back to your customers in one hour or six? How soon will you resolve an issue? What are your support hours?
Guidelines for professionalism. When your employees interact with customers, how should they behave? For in-person interactions, this could include guidelines for professional dress. For remote customer service agents, it might include expectations for how they greet and speak to customers.
Industry or business-specific policies. For example, if you run an e-commerce business, you could include the rules for shipping, returns, exchanges, and billing.
How you’ll collect feedback. Include how you’ll collect it and how often. If your customer service policy is customer-facing, let customers know how they can contact you and how you’ll respond to negative feedback.
What to do when customers are unhappy. If the customer isn’t satisfied, do they get a refund? Store credit?
The escalation matrix. Make sure everyone knows what to do when these policies or (service level agreements) SLAs are violated.
Guidelines for inter team collaboration. What is the common procedure for raising bug requests? What are acceptable wait times? How do you escalate delays from other departments?
Real-life customer service policy
Zappos is a business known for its excellent customer service. The company considers itself “powered by service” and promises to adhere to the following ten principles:
Easy-to-find contact info
Unlimited call times
Friendly, solution-oriented representatives
No phone tree
No scripts
24/7 call center
Empowered to help
365-day return policy
Free shipping and returns
No upselling
Bonus customer service policy tips
Not all customer service policies are equally effective. For best results, your policy should be clear and impactful. Here are some tips that will help you craft the perfect policy.
Creating the policy
Be specific. For example, guaranteeing an email reply within 24 hours is better than saying you’ll provide fast service.
Keep it simple. One or two pages is fine. Prioritize the goals that will have the biggest impact on the customer experience.
Make it easy to understand. Whether the reader is a brand new employee or a customer, your policy should be clear and straightforward. That means laying off the industry and company jargon.
Implementing the policy
Every employee in the company should have access to your customer service policy.
Put it in your internal knowledge base so team members can check it quickly. Post physical copies in your workspaces or stores. You can also publish it on your website where customers can read it.
Training for customer service employees should include the policy. These are your team’s main priorities and you should take the time to make sure your trainees understand every item.
Once your policy is in place, monitor your success. You can use your helpdesk to track SLAs and CSAT.
If you aren’t reaching the goalposts in your customer service policy, it could mean that your employees are underperforming or need more training. It could also mean that the guidelines aren’t realistic given your resources and technology. If it’s the latter, look into what your team needs to meet their objectives.
A customer service policy is a living document. Update it if anything changes and make a plan to review the policy yearly.
Customer service technology and your policy
Consistent service is only possible if everyone has access to the same information and tools. When you evaluate new solutions, do it with the goals of your customer service policy in mind.
For example, if you say you’ll respond to customers on multiple channels, make it easy for your agents to do so by choosing a platform with omnichannel support.
You can use your helpdesk to track SLAs. These SLAs should match the benchmarks in your customer service policy. Generate reports to look into breaches and discover the reasons and trends behind them.
Conclusion
A customer service policy is a simple way to hold your organization to a consistently high standard.
The ideas in your customer service policy shouldn’t come out of nowhere — base them on your company’s goals and outline concrete ways to reach those goals.
Keeping the promises made in your customer service policy will be easier with the right tools. Consider your technology investments and how they can improve your customer service and track your success.
For customer support software that can help you effortlessly implement your service policy and take your standards to the next level, sign up for a demo of Freshdesk now.
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