It can take just one bad review from a customer to outweigh multiple good ones, so keeping an eye on your customer service is crucial. To stand out from the crowd, your business needs to deliver exceptional customer service, ensuring happy and loyal customers that are ready to recommend your business to family and friends. By running a customer service audit, also known as a customer contact audit, you can find out exactly how your customers feel and what you can do to improve the service you offer them.
What is defined as a customer service audit?
So, what exactly is a customer service audit? Its purpose is simply to examine and enhance your business’ customer service protocols, by assessing all the different ways your team interacts with customers. Customer service audit procedures vary from business to business, but the key things reviewed are tools and procedures used, feedback from customers, the effectiveness of your team and the general knowledge base of your business. By completing an audit, you can hone in on areas that need improvement to make sure you are giving your customers the best service possible.
What are the benefits of a customer service audit?
There are lots! Although it can be a time-consuming process, it’s definitely worth it. Let’s go through some of the key benefits of running a customer service audit:
1. Gain crucial insight into your customer service experience
Conducting an audit will highlight any weaknesses, and also show you your strengths. This will help you to see exactly what needs addressing so you can commit to a plan to fix them.
2. Find any training gaps
An audit like this can bring any gaps in training to light. Any extra training and support you can give your customer service agents will help them deliver the best possible service.
3. Keep your customers happy and sticky
Customer retention is so important – no one wants angry customers! Content customers will stick with you, give you more business and are likely to refer others. By doing this audit, and pinpointing any possible weak spots, you can make sure your customer service is the best suited to keep your customers happy and loyal.
4. Create a customer-centric culture within your business
Set a precedent in your company about how important your customers are to you. By doing audits, you’re showing your staff that you care about the customer service you’re providing. When every team member prioritizes customer service, the business as a whole does better on that front.
How to perform a customer service audit
Now you know what a customer service audit is, and you’ve hopefully decided to give one a go, you need to work out how you’re going to do it. The details will vary from business to business, but here is a good framework to work with to get you started with the customer service audit process:
1. Work out your objectives
Before you start, need to nail down your goals for the audit, and ascertain what you’re hoping to achieve. Having a clear goal will help keep the audit on track and make sure it truly benefits your business.
2. Collect your data
You’ll need to gather all the relevant data, from customer surveys to metrics like answering times and any number stats you can get. Really talk to your customers to see how they feel about your business – they are a vast source of valuable feedback.
3. Analyze your findings
Go through everything you have collected and see if there are any themes or common areas you either excel at or are struggling to do well.
4. Determine any areas for improvement
Once all the data has been analyzed, you should have a clear idea of any areas in your customer service that need some help.
5. Get to work!
Take action to implement changes and encourage your team to work towards your communal goal and achieve impeccable customer service.
Use VoiceNation to screen your calls
Here at VoiceNation, we’re all about great customer service. So, if your audit highlights any of your customer pain points to be delayed call answering, or even missed calls, then we’re the solution. We can answer all of your calls or only the ones you can’t get to.
Get on with what you do best, and let us be the first port of call for your customers. To check out our pricing packages or to chat to a salesperson call 866-766-5050 today.