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. Need a little more clarification? Let’s break it down. 

In this article, we’re going to discuss:

• Customer service definition
• Why is customer service important?
• How to deliver excellent customer service
• Key customer service traits
• Types of customer service channels
• Examples of good customer service

Why is customer service important?

Whether you’re a well-established firm or just starting to scale and grow, a successful customer service team can help attract new business, boost retention, and increase sales among your existing customer base.

So while Joan Jett may not care about a bad reputation, business owners and leaders should—good customer service plays an increasingly critical role in a company’s success. 

It’s a high-stakes game: 73 percent of consumers will leave for a competitor after multiple poor interactions, and more than half will bolt after a single bad experience, according to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2023. (That’s a 22-percent jump from the previous year.) Make it two negative experiences, and 76 percent of customers are out the door.

81% of business leaders see customer experience and support as growing priorities over the next year. 

Benefits of great customer service 

Customer service is the foundation on which you build a home for your buyers. Great customer service boosts business, reduces churn, and enhances the customer experience. Our CX Trends Report revealed that high-quality service: 

• Improves customer retention: 77 percent of business leaders recognize, deeper personalized service experiences lead to increased customer retention.
• Stimulates business growth: 66 percent of business leaders believe deeper personalization lowers acquisition costs.
• Reduces costs: 60 percent say it keeps customers coming back. 
• Increases revenue: 60 percent of consumers have purchased something from one brand over another based on the service they expect to receive.

How to deliver excellent customer service

Whether you’re building a support team from scratch or you already consider yourself a pro, we’ve identified tips from our latest CX Trends Report to help you provide better customer service.

1. Make agent training a priority

Our CX Trends Report found that 70 percent of business leaders expect their agents to expand their roles and responsibilities over the next year, and among those who recognize support as a revenue driver, more than half reported training agents on identifying expansion and sales opportunities.

Our CX Trends Report found that high-performing businesses are nearly 10 times more likely to strongly agree that their agents are of the highest caliber and roughly six times more likely to have plans to greatly extend education and training opportunities.

2. Deliver richer service at scale with AI

The use of AI and automation in customer service is quickly becoming standard. As a result companies are increasingly shifting focus to bring both intelligence and automation to every customer interaction. From automating tedious tasks to free up an agent’s time, to deploying AI-powered chatbots to help with agent workflows, AI is an integral part of any company’s ability to create an immersive customer experience.

Companies that invest in AI see huge impact on their overall operational efficiencies. In fact, our latest CX Trends Report shows that over 66 percent of businesses that made investments in AI saw significant performance improvements. Yet the ability to scale does not come at the expense of quality. 71 percent of consumers found that AI and bots are helpful for simple issues and help them get faster replies.

3. Personalize every experience

In our CX Trends Report, 70 percent of consumers purchase more from companies that offer seamless, conversational experiences that feel personalized.

4. Evaluate existing customer service channels

According to our Trends Report, 64 percent of consumers will spend more when issues get resolved where they already are, whether that’s chat, email, phone, or any other channel. 

5. Focus on business impact

There is widespread desire for this – our report found that 80 percent of business leaders want their customer service organizations to become recognized (and proven) revenue drivers.  

6. Integrate systems

According to our latest CX trends report only 22 percent of business leaders say their teams share data well. But breaking down information silos between your service organization and other teams is critical to your business.

Integrating customer service and CRM platforms allows teams to monitor changes in customers and their lifetime value. Sharing data between these systems can lead to the discovery of personalized, relevant solutions to customer issues that otherwise wouldn’t be considered.

Types of customer service channels

An omnichannel customer service approach enables you to meet your buyers where they are and provide connected, consistent communications across channels. 

A few of the most popular customer service channels include: 

• Phone calls
• Mobile messaging
• Social media
• Email
• Chatbots 
• Video
• Self-service

Self-service includes resources like knowledge bases and community forums that allow customers to find answers to their own questions. 

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

How to structure your customer service department

Learn more about the key steps for structuring your customer service team with this free guide.

View customer service team guideView customer service team guide

12 key customer service traits

Customer service skills are the qualities and abilities a customer service representative needs to deliver good customer service. They include a mixture of technical and soft skills. 

1. Empathy 

A little empathy goes a long way. If a customer is upset, being defensive in return can add fuel to the fire. Instead, let them know that you understand where they’re coming from and will do whatever you can to help. The same goes for customers who are sad, confused, or even happy. Empathy breeds connection. 

Example: A customer is angry about a recent price increase. Instead of just telling them, “Well there’s nothing I can do,” show empathy by saying, “I understand that price increases can be upsetting.” Then inform them why the price increased, explaining that price hikes often add value to the product. 

2. Active listening

Active listening can help you better understand what your customer feels, wants, and needs. To practice active listening, pay close attention to what the customer is saying, and take note of their body language and tone. Wait until they’re done speaking to come up with your response. 

Example: A customer calls to complain about a product they purchased that isn’t living up to their expectations. By carefully listening to their comments, you’re able to determine that they meant to purchase a different offering, and you help them make an exchange. 

3. Transparency

When customers reach out for support, the last thing they want to do is wait on hold for an hour. So if your customer service team is busy, make sure customers know how long they can expect to wait. You may also consider implementing a callback system, where an agent will call or message a customer when they become available, so the customer doesn’t need to wait on hold. 

Example: You deploy an AI chatbot that tells customers how many people are ahead of them in the queue and how long they will likely wait for help.

4. Interpersonal skills

When your job revolves around dealing with the public, you need to make sure you can, well, deal with the public. Interpersonal skills—like good communication, positivity, flexibility, and responsibility—create a winning relationship between yourself and the customer. They establish trust and improve customer communication. 

Example: When you hop onto a phone call with an aggravated customer, you’re able to clearly and calmly explain how to resolve their issue. Pro tip: humor also helps. 

5. Ability to multitask

Live chat agents are expected to handle more than one conversation at a time and to listen to each customer while simultaneously finding them an answer. This is a skill in itself. Great multitaskers feel comfortable interacting with multiple people at once and don’t lose sight of the bigger picture as they’re bombarded by questions. 

Example: You’re chatting with two customers—one has a question and the other has a complaint. You manage both conversations without getting overwhelmed or distracted, enabling you to answer the customer’s question quickly while easing the other’s worries. 

6. Well-tempered 

Sometimes, it’s hard for customers to express themselves in writing. Other times, customers are terse because they’re frustrated. Customer service agents should be well-tempered enough to remain calm and pleasant in any interaction, even when they perceive a customer is being slight with them. 

Example: A customer is making rude comments via your internal messaging system. You don’t take this personally, and you’re able to stay positive during the interaction. 

7. Attentiveness

Even if you can’t address a customer’s needs right away, you can still make them feel seen and heard by acknowledging their request and telling them you’ll assist them when you can. This could mean emailing them back and saying you’ll respond more thoroughly later, or replying to an angry customer on social media and asking for more information via DM. 

Example: You work for a travel booking agency and get a customer complaint on Twitter from someone who arrived at a hotel to find their room double-booked. You respond immediately asking for more information via private message so you can resolve the issue. 

8. Collaboration skills

Answering a customer’s question often involves working with other teams or departments. Is responding to negative social media comments the job of customer support or marketing? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

If your marketing team manages your social media accounts, make sure they connect with the customer service team for help with any incoming support requests. Remember, everyone is responsible for good customer service, so agents need to have strong collaboration skills.

Example: When a customer service inquiry comes in over Instagram DM, your marketing team knows exactly who to ask about next steps. A customer service solution like Zendesk enables teams to collaborate with one another and help customers faster. 

9. Emotional intelligence 

Emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive and control your emotions. That can mean recognizing when you’re about to get angry, sad, scared, flustered, or any other big emotion, and cope accordingly. Strong emotional intelligence is a critical skill for customer service agents because it can help them stay level-headed on the job and maintain their emotional wellness. 

Example: You see several complicated requests come in at once, and you recognize that your heart is beating faster and you’re starting to feel overwhelmed. So, you spend a couple of minutes practicing deep breathing to calm down before tackling the tasks in front of you. 

10. Creativity 

Try as you may to prepare for everything, inevitably a customer will have a specific need or question that you haven’t heard before. Sometimes, there might not even be an exact answer or solution for it. In these circumstances, creative thinking is key. Your agents must be able to think on the fly and discern what the customer truly needs, then come up with a unique solution that meets those needs.

Example: A customer asks a question that you don’t know how to answer because it hasn’t come up before. Instead of panicking, you take a moment to think of a solution that fits company guidelines. You’re able to respond quickly and effectively, resulting in a positive customer experience. 

11. Customer-first mindset

The customer isn’t necessarily right or wrong, but their perception of events is crucial in shaping their experience. A customer-first mindset helps your agents prioritize the customer experience and tailor their service to meet each customer’s individual needs, even in cases when they don’t agree. This mindset also allows agents to offer proactive service by focusing on the customer and their needs, which can change the customer’s perception of events from bad to good.

Example: When an angry customer reaches out about an incorrect order, you anticipate that they’ll want a replacement and check your inventory so you can send it straight away. 

12. Digital literacy

In our latest CX Trends Report, over 70 percent of customers demand natural, conversational experiences no matter where they are, and for anyone they interact with to have the full contex.t 

Example: You need to explore your company’s internal knowledge base to get an answer for a customer. Because of your digital literacy, you know exactly how to log on and find what you need, leading to a fast resolution. 

4 examples of good customer service

We’ve all heard the stories of companies going above and beyond to provide their customers with incredible support—a Morton’s employee once met a man at the airport with a steak because he asked for one in a tweet. But you don’t need to create your own Morton’s moment to delight customers. 

Here are a few everyday examples of good customer service.

1. Providing fast first-response times 

No pressure, but 72 percent of customers want immediate service.  

Even if you can’t resolve an issue right away, make sure you connect with customers as soon as possible to give them a timeline. 

Example: Udacity implemented a chat feature that allows customers to get answers quickly via self-service, which helped the company reduce its first-response time and increase customer satisfaction. Read the full story here. 

2. Meeting customers where they are

Customers want to connect with businesses on the same channels they use to talk to friends and family. So, being able to help a customer on their preferred support channel is one of the best ways to create an excellent customer service experience. 

Channel preference can vary based on the issue type and customer need. Our CX Trends Report showed that 73 percent of customers want the ability to start a conversation on one channel and pick it back up on another. This is why omnichannel customer service is so important.

Example: WATCHA implemented an omnichannel customer service experience that enables its support agents to communicate with customers on their favorite channels and continue those conversations across channels. Read the full story here. 

3. Helping customers help themselves

Customers don’t always want to speak to someone, especially if their inquiry is straightforward. Our report revealed that 83 percent of customers will spend more with companies that allow them to find answers online without contacting anyone. 

Example: Spartan Race used chatbots and other self-service automations to empower customers to solve problems and find answers independently. The organization saw a 46-percent increase in self-service and a 40-percent increase in help center views—plus, a 90-percent CSAT score—as a result. Enabling customers to be self-sufficient allowed agents to spend more time on complex problems, increasing both customer satisfaction and engagement. Read the full story here. 

4. Being proactive

Reactive support used to be the standard: You wait for a customer to reach out with a question or issue and then respond accordingly. But now, companies must also provide proactive support—this is all about anticipating customer issues and addressing them before your customers are aware of them or need to contact you for help.

Example: In Good Taste uses data to get a comprehensive view of all the different tickets that may come in so they can figure out what to focus on next and fix problems before they arise. Read the full story here. 

Top customer service questions