What is customer service?

The customer service journey is different for everyone. Some buyers may quickly make their purchase and move on, while others may return with a customer complaint or question. Either way, the objective of customer service is to make the most of every interaction and develop long-term relationships with your customers.

There are many types of customer service, and keeping the quality consistent can mean the difference between a buyer returning repeatedly or leaving for good. In this guide, we detail the importance of customer service in providing an excellent customer experience (CX), key traits your support team should possess, and more.

More in this guide:

• Why is customer service important?
• 7 ways to deliver excellent customer service
• Frequently asked questions
• Exceed your customer service goals with the right CX software

Why is customer service important?

Customer service is important because an adept support structure can boost customer retention, help attract new business, increase sales among your existing customer base, and improve your customer experience.

The difference between average and good customer service can be razor-thin, but it’s a distinction businesses must realise and achieve. Customers who don’t feel taken care of by your organisation can easily look for greener pastures, while those who feel attended to will likely stick around long term.

7 ways to deliver excellent customer service

Whether you are building a support team from scratch or already have your team up and running, we’ve identified a few key tips to help you provide better customer service.

1. Prioritise agent training

A well-trained support team can handle customer interactions more effectively. Therefore, it’s important to prioritise periodic customer service training programmes so your agents always operate to the best of their ability.

Some important customer service skills and traits to focus on include:

• Empathy: If a customer is upset, being defensive in return can fuel the fire. Instead, train the agent to let the customer know they understand and will do whatever they can to help.
• Listening: Active listening can help agents better understand the customer's feelings, wants, and needs. Practice active listening by paying close attention to what the customer is saying and taking note of their tone and body language (if on a video call or in person). Wait until they finish speaking to come up with a response.
• Transparency: When customers reach out for support, the last thing they want is to wait on hold for an hour. If your customer service team is busy, make sure customers know how long they can expect to wait.
• Multitasking: Live chat support agents are expected to handle more than one conversation at a time, listening to each customer while finding an answer. Great multitaskers feel comfortable interacting with multiple people at once and don’t lose sight of the bigger picture, even when they’re bombarded with questions.
• Creativity: Unexpected customer needs and questions are inevitable. Customer service agents must learn to assess their customers' needs and use creative problem-solving to devise tailored solutions.
• Customer-first mindset: Customers aren’t necessarily right or wrong, but their perception of events shapes their experience. A customer-first mindset helps agents prioritise the customer experience and tailor their service to meet each customer’s individual needs, even in cases when they don’t agree.
• Digital literacy: Consumers demand natural, conversational experiences no matter which channel they’re using. Additionally, they expect anyone they interact with to have the full context of their situation. Agents should be well-versed in the technologies and solutions used in customer support to ensure a positive CX.

Role-playing exercises are great opportunities to fine-tune these skills in a controlled environment before putting agents in potentially high-stakes situations.

2. Use AI to improve efficiency

The use of AI and automation in customer service is quickly becoming standard. As a result, companies are increasingly shifting focus to bring this technology to every customer interaction. From automating tedious tasks to deploying an AI copilot to assist agents, AI is integral to any company’s ability to create an immersive CX.

Companies that invest in AI see a huge impact on their overall operational efficiencies. Per the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2024, 70 per cent of CX leaders believe that automations (like AI agents) are becoming skilled architects of highly personalised customer journeys. This indicates just how important an investment in AI can be for customer service teams.

3. Personalise every experience

Consumers expect personalised experiences, and you can deliver them through targeted promotions, product recommendations based on purchase history, tailored support interactions, and more.

That said, personalisation isn’t just beneficial for consumers. According to our CX Trends Report, 62 per cent of support agents believe having access to data that allows them to personalise interactions can help them perform better.

4. Evaluate existing customer service channels

Consumers demand more omnichannel experiences—a CX strategy that creates connected and consistent interactions across channels. So, take stock of your current service channels and ensure you’re offering support on the mediums your customers are most active on.

A few of the most popular customer service channels include:

• Phone

• Mobile messaging

• Social media

• Email

• Live chat

• Self-service

No matter which channels you use, it is important to deliver comprehensive support and a seamless communication journey for your customers.

5. Focus on business impact

Excellent customer service isn’t just about live interactions—it influences every aspect of your business. Align your customer service strategy with overall business goals to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

For example, our CX Trends Report found that 75 per cent of organisations believe a lack of transparency in data collection can lead to future customer churn. In situations like this, organisations should be proactive and educate customers on their data collection methods and security procedures to improve trust and the CX.

6. Ensure your systems can integrate

It’s critical to break down information silos between your teams. Ensure your customer service tools can seamlessly integrate with your other systems, like customer relationship management (CRM) software, to create a unified and efficient workflow. This can lead to greater access to customer information when agents need it most, resulting in fast and effective service.

7. Set measurable goals

A well-structured approach to measuring customer service performance begins with establishing customer service key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with both business objectives and customer satisfaction. Essential metrics should include qualitative indicators, such as sentiment analysis from customer feedback, alongside quantitative measures like:

• Average response time

• First-contact resolution rate

• Ticket Volume

• Customer satisfaction scores (CSAT)

Set specific, time-bound targets for each metric. For example, you can aim to improve first-contact resolution from 75 per cent to 85 per cent within six months or reduce average response time by 20 per cent within a quarter. Regularly review these metrics in weekly or monthly meetings to spot trends and identify areas needing improvement.

Frequently asked questions

Exceed your customer service goals with the right CX software

Good customer service is an attractor in the marketplace. Organisations with good customer service will win new business organically, while those with poor customer service will lose business to competitors. That said, you don’t need to work on your CX alone. Zendesk provides a complete solution, including a unified Agent Workspace, messaging, and reporting and analytics, to help you deliver an outstanding CX every time.