The world of sales and marketing is nothing less than a battleground, and “do or die” is the motto. While the customer base grows at a slow pace, more companies are cropping up every day. In such a world, gaining an edge over the competition is crucial to success. Let’s take a look at some customer service hacks and how they might help you to beat your competitors:

1. Make it easy

Data suggests that about two-thirds of the users who add a product to the cart never complete the transaction. There are two very prominent reasons behind it.

The first reason is the difficulty in filling out the details. Most e-commerce sites require creating an account before making a purchase, which often puts off the customer. This is the reason why many companies are discarding the sign-up option and simply adjusting with bare personal details. Even if making an account is important to you, provide options of social media sign-ups. Since most people have a Google or Facebook account, provide the option for one-click login so that customers don't have to make much effort. Some plugins even pick up basic personal details from these platforms, thus making things even simpler.

The second reason is the hidden charges involved. Most customers realize just before making the transaction that some taxes or shipping charges are added to the cost. This is one of the worst things you can do for your customer. To avoid this, always mention the shipping charge and any other charge besides the cost of the product, so that the customers know the total cost before adding the product to the cart.

2. Social media is the king

It has been said many times before, but the importance of social media cannot be stressed enough. Setting up call and email support is good, but social media is fast becoming the de-facto mode for customers to resolve queries.

One of the reasons why companies hesitate from social media presence is the public nature of the platform, which means even negative feedback becomes public. However, the benefits far outweigh this drawback.

Customers are much more likely to engage with a brand on social media compared to other modes. Customers on social media are also more likely to recommend you to their friends and family. Social media presence can also help in building the brand image, and do it better than other marketing modes. In simple words, a great social media team is one of the best customer service hacks you can use.

3. Create personalization

The desire to automate responses and be more responsive to the audience has a strong appeal. CRM works great with automation, so it helps too. However, there is another aspect of CRM that is often neglected in the race for automation: personalization.

Since we are talking about "edge" here, it makes sense to understand what you can do different from others. An average user knows well that he is a mere customer for every website he visits. If you want to be different, you need to stop treating him as a customer and start treating him/her as an individual. Personalization helps a great deal in that, despite being one of the lesser known customer service hacks. It is fortunate that many vendors are providing CRM tools with the ability to gather customer data and provide relevant insights that would help in providing a more personalized experience to them.

4. Be tactful with up-sell/cross-sell

Upselling and cross-selling are undoubtedly great tactics to make a sale. Unlike advertisements, these tactics involve a one-on-one conversation with the customer, which makes the persuasion much more effective. However, a tactless approach can not only skip the sale opportunity, but may also lose a customer.

The first rule is to make a pitch only when the customer is happy. Pitching to an angry customer is like stepping on his toe. The second rule is to pitch products/service that the customer actually needs. For this, you need to have access to customer history (which CRM can provide), and a sharp eye to notice any perceived requirement. The pitch must always be made by making the customer realize that they need your product and/or how it would benefit them.

5. Post-sale engagement

Most people assume that making a sale is the end of the cycle, but that is just a myth. Once you make a sale, the customer becomes a part of your customer base. So, the choice remains between attracting a new customer and retaining an existing one.

While it might seem like a 50-50 choice, the reality is starkly different. Creating a new customer is 5 times more difficult than retaining an existing one. Thus, post-sale engagement is definitely a more prudent and effective way to move forward, and also one of the best customer service hacks.

So, how do you do it? The options are many. You have to keep a track of the lifespan of the product sold and prompt the customer to buy again when the end of that lifespan approaches. Frequently asking the customers if they are satisfied with the product is a good way to show that you care. Like we mentioned before, customer support is of paramount importance, and the concerns of existing customers should have the same priority as the new ones. You should also keep suggesting the customers with other products/services you offer.

Conclusion

There is no magic trick to increase sales and customer satisfaction, but these customer service hacks can help to a large extent in accomplishing this. The rest will depend on your diligence and efforts.