{"id":41484,"date":"2020-03-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newrcblog.wpengine.com\/customer-service-principles\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T06:29:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T13:29:46","slug":"customer-service-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-service-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"9 customer service principles that\u2019ll delight your customers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ve heard it all before:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe customer is always right&#8230;\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDon\u2019t forget to smile&#8230;\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cFirst impressions are everything&#8230;\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But beyond the obvious clich\u00e9s and soundbite advice, what does it actually take to develop a solid customer service strategy?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can you build a customer service process that ensures a positive and pain-free experience for everyone who comes into contact with your brand?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You start with your fundamental customer service principles, of course.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we\u2019ll look at:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"table-of-content\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#customer service philosophy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why you need a customer service philosophy<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#foundational\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">9 foundational principles of outstanding customer service<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#real life\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 real-life examples of customer service philosophy in action<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let\u2019s start by looking at why you should develop a customer service philosophy in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f\u2b50\ufe0f<b>\u00a0<\/b>Ready to offer 5-star customer service?<b>\u00a0<\/b>Get strategies for every stage of the customer journey with this <b>free eBook<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n<div class=\"download-form-widget standart-download-form\" data-url=\"https:\/\/assets.ringcentral.com\/us\/ebook\/long-live-customer-service.pdf\" data-id=\"69d09fd36c953\" id=\"69d09fd36c953\">\n\t\t<button tabindex=\"on\"  on=\"tap:69d09fd36c953.toggleClass(class='open')\" class=\"open-modal-download-action download-form-button\" type=\"submit\">\ud83d\udcd9 Get the eBook<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-body\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-title\">\ud83d\udc40Get this free eBook to learn how to win in customer service.<\/div>\n<form class=\"download-form SMB\" method=\"post\">\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Full Name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"text\" name=\"fullname\" placeholder=\"Full Name\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"text\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"download-form-input\" aria-label=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" type=\"email\" autocomplete=\"on\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email (please enter a work email address)\" data-dl-events-hover=\"true\" data-dl-element=\"email\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"popup_form\" value=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"Lead_Entry_Source__c\" value=\"RC Blog\" class=\"download-form-input\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-part\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"download-form-submit\" type=\"submit\" data-dl-element=\"button\" data-no-auto-dl=\"true\" data-dl-additional-info=\"download form\" data-dl-name=\"Get it now\">Get it now<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<button on=\"tap:69d09fd36c953.toggleClass(class='open')\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\"  class=\"download-form-modal-close\"><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"download-form-modal-thank\">Enjoy!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a name=\"customer service philosophy\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why you need a customer service philosophy<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A customer service philosophy is an overarching ethos that guides your business in all its customer interactions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Different businesses have different attitudes toward customer service. For some, customer service is just another business function, while for others it plays a decisive role in maintaining a competitive advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The truth is you can\u2019t sleep on building your team&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-service-skills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer service skills<\/a> if you care about sustainable business growth. The benefits of good service are too great\u2014and the costs of bad service are just too steep.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Benefits of good customer service<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Word-of-mouth:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/happy-customers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Happy customers<\/a> spread the word: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">67% of customers will recommend your product or service<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to other people after a good <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-experience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer experience<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>1<\/sup><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Retention:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Good customer service improves the odds of your customer buying again: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">87% of customers are likely to buy from you again<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after a great experience.<sup>2<\/sup> Learn more about improving your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-retention-rate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer retention rate<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Higher-paying customers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Customers will even pay more to do business with you if you\u2019re known for having stellar customer service: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">67% of consumers and 74% of business customers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will pay a premium for a great experience.<sup>3<\/sup><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Costs of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/bad-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bad customer service<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Word-of-mouth: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disappointed customers are also inclined to spread the word: the average American tells their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/bad-customer-service-stories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">bad customer service stories<\/a> to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">15<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> people.<\/span><sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4<\/span><\/sup><\/b><\/li>\n<li><strong>Customer churn:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The variety of options available means your customers can simply switch to brands that offer a better customer experience: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">33% of Americans<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will consider switching companies after one instance of bad service.<sup>5<\/sup><\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Acquisition costs:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Losing customers puts the focus on gaining new ones\u2014and customer acquisition <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">costs up to 7 times more<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">customer retention<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>6<\/sup><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly, providing great customer service isn\u2019t just a matter of common decency; it also makes a lot of business sense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what exactly is \u201cgreat\u201d service? What are the key ingredients? And how can you achieve it reliably and efficiently?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are the questions your customer service philosophy will help answer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help hone your own philosophy, we\u2019ve collected nine core principles that form the foundation of outstanding customer service.<\/span><br \/>\n<a name=\"foundational\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>9 foundational principles of outstanding customer service<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>1. Responsiveness<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Response time is probably one of the biggest factors affecting customer service satisfaction. In fact, in the Customer Communications Review, 60% of respondents thought that waiting on hold for anywhere from 10 seconds to 3 minutes was too long:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/customer-communications-trends-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-43314\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-long-is-too-long-on-hold-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"how long is too long on hold\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" \/><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is hardly surprising. We\u2019ve all felt the agony of being put on hold for way too long.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two most important metrics to bear in mind when looking to develop fast customer service are <\/span><b>first-response time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/first-call-resolution-industry-standard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first-call resolution<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or <\/span><b>first-contact resolution ratio<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>First-response time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> refers to how long it takes an agent to respond after a customer first reaches out. A short first-response time reassures the customer that their problem has been registered and that someone\u2019s working on it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>First-contact resolution ratio<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> refers to the proportion of customer issues that are resolved in one go. Fun fact: up to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">67% of customer churn is preventable<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if problems are solved when the customer first raises them.<sup>7<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting responsiveness:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Agent\u2019s knowledge:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The more your customer service agent knows about your product or service, the more likely it is they\u2019ll have an on-hand solution to your customer\u2019s problem.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Agent\u2019s autonomy:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The more decision-making power your agent has, the quicker they\u2019ll be able to implement an unconventional solution when necessary.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Channel used:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Response time depends on the support channel you use. Email is slower; live chat is quicker. Ideally, you\u2019d have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/communication-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">communications tool<\/a> that gives you different options. For example, RingCentral\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/engage\/how-it-works.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">omni-digital customer engagement platform<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lets you talk to your customers through whatever channel they prefer, from phone calls to emails to live-chat:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3859\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/omni-digital-customer-engagement-platform.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1127\" height=\"943\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Know-how<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reps with a strong understanding of your product or service are better equipped to give accurate answers to specific customer questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This won\u2019t just minimize mistakes; it\u2019ll make your customers feel confident that their problem is being dealt with by a competent pair of hands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowledgeable agents are key to a better customer experience: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">33<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">%<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of customers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> say that speaking to an agent that knows their stuff is the most important aspect of customer service.<sup>8<\/sup>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting know-how:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Training: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more your agents learn about your product or service, the better they\u2019ll be at troubleshooting customer issues accurately.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><strong>Information management:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your agents can apply their knowledge more effectively when they have immediate access to background information about the customer and their specific problem.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>3. Effortlessness<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should try to make your customer service as easy to access and understand as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chances are your customers are already preoccupied with the problem or question they\u2019re contacting you about. The last thing they need is to jump through a bunch of hoops to get to you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting effortlessness:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Clarity:<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your communication should be easy to grasp. Customers should be in no doubt about what you mean. This applies just as much to your content as it does to how your agents talk to customers. Use simple, familiar words and phrases when you can.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><strong>Support channels:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> How clearly are your different contact channels listed on your website? How clear are the instructions about how to access and use them?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Content:<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Comprehensive and easy-to-access FAQ content can help customers solve problems themselves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>4. Consistency<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inconsistent brand interactions can leave your customers with a bad impression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to do all you can to ensure that customers receive the same quality of service across <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/communication-channels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">communication channels<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kate Leggett explains this in a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forrester Research analysis of consistency in customer service<\/span><sup>9<\/sup><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers expect the same experience every time they interact with a company\u2014whether it be when researching a product, completing a sales transaction, or getting customer service\u2014over all the communication channels that a company offers<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, consistency can play a big role in customer loyalty, with up to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">73% of customers willing to switch brands<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> if they don\u2019t receive consistent experiences across different channels.<sup>10<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting consistency:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Aligning outbound and inbound strategy: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companies often deliver a different experience when handling <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/inbound-calling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">inbound calls<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and communications (when customers reach out to you) versus outbound (when you reach out to them). This can lead to confusion if your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-service-teamwork\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer service teamwork<\/a> isn\u2019t consistent across both channels.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><strong>Consolidating customer history:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A common frustration for customers is having to repeat themselves when they\u2019re being transferred from agent to agent. You can avoid duplicate conversations by making sure your team has a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/digital-customer-engagement.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comprehensive history of the customer\u2019s interactions<\/span><\/a> ready whenever they&#8217;re on a call<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>Consistent routing:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that customer inquiries arriving from different support channels are all routed the same way so that no one channel is neglected.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>5. Openness<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maintaining a level of honesty and openness with your customers can go a long way toward earning their trust and respect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, it\u2019s okay to let the customer know if you\u2019re unsure of something. You can tell them that you\u2019ll look into it and to give them the answer as soon as you can.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Likewise, for most people, waiting isn\u2019t so bad. What gets people agitated is not knowing why they\u2019re waiting, or for how long they\u2019ll have to wait.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key here is to keep your customers in the loop so they aren\u2019t left hanging.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting openness:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Over-eager troubleshooting: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It can be tempting to jump right into solving the customer\u2019s problem once you think you understand what it is. But it\u2019s always worth informing the customer of what you\u2019re doing and how long they can expect to wait while you fix the issue\u2014even if doing so slows you down a little.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-feedback\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Customer feedback<\/a> methods:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage customers to give their honest feedback. Not only does this give you valuable qualitative data, but it also signals to customers that you\u2019re serious about improving your service.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>6. A human touch<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Politeness, personality, and empathy are key human traits that make all the difference in creating an inviting customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People don\u2019t like feeling like they\u2019re interacting with a faceless, soulless machine, and they certainly don\u2019t want to be treated like one themselves!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A human touch is indispensable: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">73% of customers stick with a brand<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because of the memorable experiences created by friendly employees.<sup>11<\/sup>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">68% of customers think being assigned a pleasant agent <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is key to a positive customer service experience.<sup>12<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Showing that you care about the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">individual<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the other end\u2014including their problems and goals\u2014will leave your customers feeling uniquely appreciated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting a human touch:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Customer focus:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Instead of emphasizing your company in your messaging, focus on how your company can help customers with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">their <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Personalized messaging:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Build stronger personal connections by incorporating customer data into conversations using <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-engagement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer engagement<\/a> platforms like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/digital-customer-engagement.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>7. Proactivity<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Truly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/great-customer-service-stories\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">great customer service stories<\/a> tend to be both proactive and reactive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proactive brands go out of their way to serve customers in ways that aren&#8217;t prompted\u2014that&#8217;s how you really exceed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-expectations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer expectations<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proactive customer service may include letting customers know about a new service or upgrade they\u2019d like, telling them about any errors or defects in a product, or reaching out to reward them with a loyalty bonus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The great benefit of proactive customer service is that it takes care of customers\u2019 needs before they even realize they have it. So it\u2019s not surprising that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">68% of customers view proactive brands more favorably<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>13<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting proactivity:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Customer feedback: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple way to figure out what your customers need is to ask them! Surveys are a great tool for uncovering hidden wants and needs that you can then act on proactively.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Social media monitoring: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monitoring what people are saying about your company on social media lets you snuff out any would-be fires by offering quick, public resolutions to problems. Learn about more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/social-media-best-practices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">social media best practices<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3860\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3860\" style=\"width: 464px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JetBlue\/status\/973304757115850754\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3860\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/JetBlue-Airways-Twitter.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"464\" height=\"594\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3860\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">JetBlue providing swift support to a dissatisfied customer on Twitter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><b>8. Customer autonomy<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers often like to take the reins and troubleshoot service issues themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">73% of customers want the ability to solve these problems on their own<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><sup>14<\/sup><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">70% expect company websites to offer self-service options<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>15<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-service is generally quicker and easier for the customer than opening a service ticket. It also reduces the amount of work for your agents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ideally, your customers will be able to choose self-service and escalate to a real-life service agent if needed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting customer autonomy:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Ratings and reviews: <\/b>People want the ability to let you know how they feel\u2014be it good or bad. (Here are a few <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/us\/en\/blog\/customer-review-examples\/\">examples of customer reviews<\/a>.)<b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Give them a way to voice their opinions through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/customer-collaboration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">customer collaboration<\/a> and open feedback avenues like service ratings.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/create-knowledge-base\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Knowledge base<\/a>: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The number one reason customers fail to solve issues themselves is because of a lack of online information. Make sure to create a knowledge base that has coherent and complete support content to minimize frustration:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3861\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3861\" style=\"width: 1600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3861\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/RingCentral-Knowledge-Base.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"993\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3861\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">RingCentral\u2019s knowledge base, which lets customers find answers to commonly asked questions whenever they want.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Omnichannel: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The customer\u2019s preferred support channel will often depend on the type of question they have. For example, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">40% of people prefer to resolve more complex issues like payment disputes over the phone<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>16<\/sup> Again, having an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/small-business\/blog\/omnichannel-customer-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">omnichannel customer service<\/a> solution like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/digital-customer-engagement.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral<\/span><\/a><\/b> here will<b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">let your customers seamlessly switch from one contact channel to another.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>9. Continuous improvement<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should continuously look for new ways to refine your level of customer service. There will always be things you can do better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To do this, you need to pay close attention to operational data and customer feedback.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Negative reviews often contain valid insights that you can act on to improve your service. You should value these complaints as much as you do positive feedback since <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">91% of unhappy customers will simply leave without complaining<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>17<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<h4>Factors affecting improvement:<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Collect and analyze customer feedback: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some places where you might find golden nuggets of customer feedback: surveys, reviews, live chat transcripts, customer sales calls, recorded website sessions, and social media mentions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3867\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3867\" style=\"width: 733px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3867\" src=\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Monmouth-Coffee-review.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"733\" height=\"665\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3867\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monmouth Coffee is a well-loved coffee shop in London. The handful of poor reviews on Google contain ideas of how they could improve their service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Business intelligence: <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To improve your overall service, you need to always be monitoring your operational data. For example, you could use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/features\/reporting.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RingCentral\u2019s call reporting data<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to ensure your <a class=\"waffle-rich-text-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/call-center.html\">call centers<\/a> are staffed when volume is highest.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"real life\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>3 real-life examples of customer service philosophy in action<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>1. Disney<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disney is perhaps the gold standard of customer service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The company obsesses about providing magical experiences to its customers, and its incredible <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">70% return rate for first-time visitors<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> speaks for itself.<sup>18<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disney even runs its own <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">institute (The Disney Institute) to help service professionals<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">other<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> companies improve their customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, how does Disney work its magic?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Walt Disney, the secret to quality service lay in the constant improvement of mundane processes and careful attention to detail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This philosophy remains at the heart of the company to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, Disney found that some children would wait in line for a ride only to find out they were too short to get on (despite efforts to make height-restrictions clear and obvious). To turn these situations into positive experiences, Disney now gives these children a special pass to skip to the front of the line for their next ride. (We tried to find you a photo of these fabled passes to show you what they look like, but alas\u2026)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In another example of process optimization, Disney found that many customers leaving the park would struggle to find where they left their cars in the enormous parking lot. The solution was to fill the parking lot each morning in a particular order and give guests a note of their arrival time. That way, at the end of the day, leaving guests could simply let the park tram operators know what time they had arrived in order to be dropped off in the right place.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disney also emphasizes the importance of employee knowledge, tone, and body language in service delivery. Employees (or \u201ccast members\u201d) must stay true to their roles in front of guests. For example, if you ask Cinderella, \u201cHey, can I take a picture of you with my iPhone?\u201d, you might expect her to reply, \u201cWhat\u2019s an iPhone?\u201d\u2014thereby staying in character.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Zappos<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zappos is another company with a legendary reputation for customer service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The company <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prides itself<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on being a service company first and a clothing and footwear company second.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zappos\u2019s mission to continually \u201cWOW\u201d customers and offer the best solutions possible spills into every aspect of their customer service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, customers can speak with an agent for as long as they want. Zappos has no restrictive call time parameters. In fact, the company\u2019s record for longest customer service call is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">10 hours, 51 minutes<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<sup>19<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zappos\u2019s Customer Loyalty Team is known for its big, customer-delighting gestures. Each year, the team sends out 13,000 custom-illustrated greeting cards directly to customers, for weddings, birthdays, and other special occasions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By doing all they can to go above and beyond for their customers, Zappos succeeds in building long-term relationships and a truly loyal customer base. That\u2019s why <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">75% of purchases through Zappos come from returning customers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>20<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rob Siefker, Senior Director of Customer Loyalty at Zappos, explains simply why the company is so obsessed with impressing its customers: \u201cPeople will not choose your business if you don\u2019t provide them great service\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Trader Joe\u2019s<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trader Joe\u2019s is yet another company known for its excellent customer experience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In fact, Trader Joe\u2019s was the only national grocery store to rank top in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumer Reports 2019 customer satisfaction survey<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<sup>21<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each store has a welcoming, neighborhood feel to it, and the staff are famously cheerful and eager to help customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Store managers spend most of the day on the retail floor interacting with customers, while store assistants respond to every customer need, readily offering taste-tests to undecided shoppers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, this level of service is no accident.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CEO Dan Brane lists <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">seven core values<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that each new team member adopts when they join the company<sup>22<\/sup>:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integrity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Product-driven company<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WOW customer service (Sound familiar?)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No bureaucracy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kaizen (a Japanese word that means \u201ccontinuous self-improvement\u201d)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The store is the brand<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019re a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><b>Ready to define your own customer service principles?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Top-notch customer service is an essential pillar for any customer-facing business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a key that unlocks some of the finest prizes on offer when growing a business: customer loyalty, brand advocacy, and rich customer feedback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Poor customer service, on the other hand, can lead to dire consequences for your brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your customer service strategy should be informed by an underlying customer service philosophy. This set of principles embodies your company values and will guide your employees in every customer interaction they have.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><sup>1 <\/sup>zendesk.com\/resources\/customer-service-and-lifetime-customer-value<\/p>\n<p><sup>2 <\/sup>experiencematters.blog\/category\/roi-of-customer-experience<\/p>\n<p><sup>3, 10 <\/sup>salesforce.com\/research\/customer-expectations<\/p>\n<p><sup>4, 5, 12, 16 <\/sup>about.americanexpress.com\/press-release\/wellactually-americans-say-customer-service-better-ever<\/p>\n<p><sup>6 <\/sup>https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/products\/service-cloud\/best-practices\/customer-retention-rate<\/p>\n<p><sup>7<\/sup> ameyo.com\/blog\/customer-experience-statistics-which-will-impact-your-business-in-2016<\/p>\n<p><sup>8, 13 <\/sup>info.microsoft.com\/rs\/157-GQE-382\/images\/EN-CNTNT-Report-DynService-2017-global-state-customer-service-en-au.pdf<\/p>\n<p><sup>9 <\/sup>go.forrester.com\/blogs\/11-07-16-a_consistent_customer_experience_requires_consistency_in_managing_voice_electronic_and_social_interac<\/p>\n<p><sup>11<\/sup>customerthermometer.com\/customer-service\/customer-service-and-satisfaction-statistics-for-2020<\/p>\n<p><sup>14<\/sup> bizreport.com\/2015\/04\/report-poor-customer-service-pushes-consumers-away.html<\/p>\n<p><sup>15 <\/sup>slideshare.net\/stevenvanbelleghem\/the-self-serving-economy\/13<\/p>\n<p><sup>17 <\/sup>huffpost.com\/entry\/50-important-customer-exp_b_8295772<\/p>\n<p><sup>18 <\/sup>huffpost.com\/entry\/how-disney-creates-magica_b_7093682<\/p>\n<p><sup>19 <\/sup>zappos.com\/about\/stories\/record-call<\/p>\n<p><sup>20 <\/sup>sharpencx.com\/blog\/zappos-customer-service<\/p>\n<p><sup>21<\/sup> consumerreports.org\/grocery-stores-supermarkets\/best-grocery-stores-and-supermarkets<\/p>\n<p><sup>22<\/sup> traderjoes.com\/TJ_CMS_Content\/Images\/Digin\/pdfs\/InsideTJs-Episode2-Transcript.pdf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve heard it all before: \u201cThe customer is always right&#8230;\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t forget to smile&#8230;\u201d \u201cFirst impressions are everything&#8230;\u201d But beyond the obvious clich\u00e9s and soundbite advice, what does it actually take to develop a solid customer service strategy? How can you build a customer service process that ensures a positive and pain-free experience for everyone &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":41489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17901],"tags":[743,402,18065,15541],"class_list":["post-41484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-leadership","tag-customer-experience","tag-customer-service","tag-customer-service-principles","tag-cx"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.3 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>9 customer service principles that\u2019ll delight your customers | RingCentral Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Develop your own customer service principles using these 9 foundational principles, including 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