How to develop customer service for anxious customers?

People often take the help of experts to mitigate their anxieties. For example, a patient goes to the doctor to gain a clear understanding of their blood report. Similarly, the financial services industry is also a high-risk industry where customers become anxious about their actions. But companies usually don’t think in the same way. They prefer cutting down expenses by providing limited human support and instead employing Self-Service Technologies (SSTs) such as websites, mobile apps, chatbots, and kiosks to help customers. Anxious customers feel dissatisfied with the decisions they make after interacting with SSTs. Research indicates that the trust they have in the service provider decreases. 

Let’s see the parameters to identify an anxious customer.

Today, companies implement Self-Service Technologies very early. They expect AI-enabled chatbots to provide a solution to all customer queries, which isn’t possible. Moreover, the absence of face-to-face communication with a human restricts the formation of a robust and long-lasting customer relationship. And human-to-human communication is critical when you consider anxious customers who have a strong aversion for robotic assistance. Here are a few parameters that will help you identify anxious customers:

1. Irritable voice 
2. Abusive language
3. Use of qualifying words like “somewhat,” “seems,” “indicates,” “may,” “unlikely,” “probably,” and “suggests.” 
4. Fearful/hesitant voice 
5. Stammering 
6. Disjointed ideas

Also Read: How to deal with a stubborn customer?

How can you help the anxious customer?

The core of any customer service initiative is to solve customer queries conveniently and instantly. SSTs such as websites, chatbots, emails, FAQs are an effective way of doing that. But there is an extra dimension that companies need to consider for anxious customers. 

No robotic assistance will assuage an anxious customer. They may get restless and even stop using your service altogether. Instead of depending solely on virtual assistants, you should have a support service department where customers can call and discuss doubts with a human. Remember that technology cannot replace the quality of trust that human voice or touch can generate. Companies need to effectively balance the “Touch and Tech” strategy to provide the required assistance to anxious customers.

Gartner recommends that by 2020, 85% of customer communication will take place without human involvement. Companies need to balance robotic and human assistance if they want to accommodate anxious customers.

Let’s see the steps that you can take to serve anxious customers.

By using chatbots, AI-enabled CRM systems, website apps, and robotic voice, you can build an excellent customer service department. Moreover, you can segment customers based on geography, demography, behavior, and psychography to provide targeted help. But if there is no human-to-human connection, an invisible wall will be formed between you and your customer base. Also, several companies adopt a “set it and forget it” approach, which means that they interact with their clients passively once they have solved their problems. 

By implementing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools, employees will be free from time-consuming work. They can use this time to build effective customer relationship strategies targeting various customer segments.  

Also Read: 5 New Customer Relationship Management Trends to Look For

Here are a few tried and tested methods you should keep in mind while interacting with anxious customers:

1. First listen and then provide the solution

It’s essential to listen to your anxious customers — their problems, ideas, overview, and beliefs — before responding. When they think that you have understood their situation’s nitty-gritty, a deep sense of trust develops. And sometimes, even if they don’t get an immediate solution, they wouldn’t feel disappointed because they got to keep their problems in front of you. So whether you respond on social media, email, chat, or over the phone, try to listen and understand the customer’s viewpoint and only then respond.

2. Provide emotional support

Emotional support plays a significant role while conversing with anxious customers. The best way to do it is by being empathetic to their worries and concerns. Don’t let them feel that they aren’t capable enough to solve their problems. Instead, put yourself in their shoes and understand the problem from their perspective. Don’t express pity on their current situation. Rather, provide them the required confidence that the solution to their problem exists and then suggest the steps.

3. Stick to your promise

Anxious customers hate hollow promises. If you don’t deliver within the deadline, they may doubt your intentions. It would be best if you kept your commitments, which will give rise to an adequate level of trust between both of you. If there exists a relationship of trust, the anxious client will turn into a life-long advocate and spread good word-of-mouth for your company’s offerings. 

Conclusion

Developing top-notch customer service for anxious customers has become mandatory for businesses across industries. Anxious customers are doubtful and concerned about what might happen in the future. So companies cannot depend upon robotic assistance in this case. They need to recruit and train human employees to interact with them. They need to develop a feeling of trust as it’s the only glue that binds them together.

At Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd., we are home to world-class ERP software and CRM software that will solidify your business tech support fundamentals and enable you to build a customer-centric organization. To know more about it, SMS SAGE to 56767. You can also write to us at sales@sagesoftware.co.in

Disclaimer: All the information, views, and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and their respective web sources and in no way reflect the principles, views, or objectives of Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd.