Great customer service involves applying best practices like responding promptly to requests, strengthening product knowledge, and sending positive and personalized communication. To engage customers effectively, businesses should provide self-help resources, establish loyalty programs, ask for customer feedback, and implement regular training for reps. Read about these 10 excellent customer service examples from top companies below.
1. Prompt Response to Customer Concerns
As cliche as it may sound, time is gold for both businesses and their customers. That said, it is important to resolve customer requests quickly without compromising the quality of service. Complex technical issues that require troubleshooting take a bit of time, but simpler queries should not take too long to address. Don’t rush to end the conversation if the issue has not been completely resolved.
Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and live chat channels are among the best tools that you can rely on for prompt responses to customer queries. Carefully evaluate your business needs so that you can choose wisely between chatbot vs live chat. These tools help reduce wait times by 17%, resulting in about a 30-second faster response time. Well-built AI chatbots are able to manage 80% of customer requests without the need for human assistance.
Excellent Customer Service Example
Lexus tops our list of the best customer service experience examples. Prompt service does not merely cover response time, but also the actual resolution time. In 2019, the company recalled 560 Lexus ES 350 sedans because of knee airbag problems. Lexus asked the car owners to bring their cars to a dealership. Instead of having them wait while the airbags were fixed, the company replaced the defective units with brand-new ones.
Lexus ES 350 Recall quick service scheduler (Source: Asbury Automotive Group)
Pro tip: Use a customer service program like Freshdesk to manage tickets and improve agent productivity. Its dashboard gives you an overview of your service team’s open, unassigned, and high-priority tickets, as well as the average response time per customer request. It also has canned responses to help agents reply quickly to messages.
Freshdesk ticket dashboard for monitoring agent response time (Source: Freshdesk)
2. Strengthen Product Knowledge
Agents spend most of their time dealing with common customer service problems, like complaints about website outages and requests for troubleshooting support. You need to accurately provide clients with insights into how your product can address their problems and guide them through any troubleshooting process if needed. Every rep should make it their goal to study the features, benefits, and use cases of their products so that they can make smart recommendations to their customers.
Excellent Customer Service Example
Tech giant Samsung is also one of our best customer service experience examples, allowing its sales associates to personally use a piece of its technology to explore the device’s pros and cons. Doing this helps boost their sales reps’ product knowledge. This also empowers sales reps to effectively assist customers in making a purchase decision based on their needs, budget, and preferences.
Samsung support page (Source: Samsung)
Pro tip: Train your reps on giving product demos so that they can better present the benefits and value of the product or service they are pitching. Read our step-by-step guide and use our script examples for more effective selling.
3. Maintain a Positive Tone in Communication
Positive language and tone of voice are essential for customer service reps because most client interactions are done via phone or online. Given that 55% of meaning is conveyed through body language and 38% through tone of voice, it is easy to misinterpret the tone behind an email or a live chat message. Dispel assumptions of being cold by using emojis in written communication or switching to a voice call if tension within an email or chat conversation escalates.
Excellent Customer Service Example
In a Twitter thread, a Southwest Airlines customer expressed his frustration over the lack of Wi-Fi on his three-hour flight. The airline, on the other hand, sent a lighthearted response with a promise to send a whole fleet of planes with Wi-Fi. The positive tone of the company’s message helped lift the customer’s sour mood and even gained his admiration. This practice makes this airline one of the top examples of good customer service.
Southwest Airlines example of a customer response on Twitter (Source: Wix)
4. Personalize Responses to Customers
Make customers feel more like human beings than just ticket numbers by personalizing your responses. It’s OK to follow a templated response, but you can also go off script to deliver a personal touch to customer service. For instance, ask about your customers’ hobbies to recommend products based on their interests. You can also take note of their birthday and send small gifts or greeting cards on that special occasion. With HubSpot CRM, you can automate birthday email salutations from its workflow editor.
HubSpot CRM workflow editor (Source: HubSpot)
HubSpot CRM creating an automated birthday email salutation (Source: HubSpot)
Excellent Customer Service Example
Online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos is well known for its highly personalized responses, paving its way among the best examples of great customer service. The company does not put a cap on customer calls and allows its agents to chat with clients for as long as needed. This gives reps ample time to engage with customers and tailor their services according to what customers really need. Social media is replete with the best-personalized responses that real customers receive from the company’s service team.
Zappos example of a personalized customer service response (Source: Twitter)
5. Provide Self-help Resources
Self-help resources, such as knowledge bases, guide articles, and video tutorials, empower customers to solve common issues without the help of a live rep. These resources are especially attractive to customers who prefer to resolve issues on their own before asking for assistance. Keep your customers happy by giving them access to solutions right at their fingertips.
Excellent Customer Service Example
Amazon has one of the most comprehensive yet convenient help centers. It has a blog full of educational content for those who just want to learn about Amazon. What sets it apart is the ability to drill down on your initial search result to find the exact information that you need. If that does not work, there’s an option to contact community support or a support rep, or even ask Alexa to connect to a customer service associate. Its efficient help center propelled Amazon among great customer service examples.
Amazon help center and knowledge base (Source: Amazon)
Pro tip: Embed self-service and knowledge base content into both your business website and mobile app using a tool like Zoho Desk. This program also allows you to create customized self-service portals and moderated community forums.
Zoho Desk self-service with guided conversations for customers’ common concerns (Source: Zoho Desk)
6. Show Appreciation to Repeat Customers
More than half (56%) of customers are more likely to buy from a company that has a solid loyalty program. This goes to show that customers who feel appreciated tend to stick with a company. Gestures showing appreciation don’t have to be flashy and elaborate. They could be as simple as a discount voucher for a repeat purchase or a freebie on their next transaction. The important thing is to make them feel recognized and valued for their loyalty to your business.
Excellent Customer Service Example
When it comes to loyalty programs, Starbucks takes the cake as one of the best customer service experience examples. Its rewards program includes recurring complimentary drinks and points that you can convert into add-ons or free merchandise. It even has a mobile app for this rewards program, making it easier for customers to track their points. As a result, its average customer visits an outlet six times a month, and the most loyal ones come by up to 16 times.
Examples of Starbucks rewards for loyal customers (Source: Starbucks)
Pro tip: Build an organized rewards and loyalty program for your business using a tool like LoyaltyLion. Its main features include a points and reward system, tiered memberships, referral rewards, email and text outreach, real-time reporting, and ecommerce integrations. Check out our list of customer loyalty program examples for more ideas.
LoyaltyLion tiered loyalty program (Source: LoyaltyLion)
7. Proactively Address Issues
There are times when we cannot avoid technical issues that take a bit of time to fix. In these instances, it is best to acknowledge how the problem could make clients experience customer service negatively. Apologize for the inconvenience and assure customers that you are working double-time to fix the problem instead of waiting for them to complain. This way, you help foster a more understanding mindset for them.
Excellent Customer Service Example
Cloud company DigitalOcean’s response to a networking issue earned it a spot among the best examples of customer service. Before the complaints started flooding in, they announced the problem and assured customers that they were investigating the problem. They also gave subscribers an overview of what to expect in the meantime.
DigitalOcean’s X (formerly Twitter) status about a networking issue (Source: DigitalOcean)
8. Educate & Upsell to Customers
Take the time and effort to educate your customers about the benefits of your product and make personalized recommendations based on their needs. For example, they might just be looking at pencils but won’t immediately realize that they need a sharpener and pencil case too. Cross-selling and upselling help your customers get additional items that they potentially need or want.
Excellent Customer Service Example
Despite its popularity, Apple still constantly sends its customers emails—offering new products, upgrades, and other after-sales services, such as AppleCare. This particular service is bundled with Apple Music, cloud storage, and an extended warranty. It is a one-stop shop for technical support that takes care of a huge chunk of your bill in case your iOS device breaks. Given the high cost of the latest Apple devices, insurance would be very helpful for customers who lose their phone or encounter unexpected damage.
Overview of AppleCare products (Source: Apple)
9. Ask Customers for Feedback
The best customer service teams take time to ask their customers for feedback using surveys and interviews. Use the data from these surveys to measure customer satisfaction and to offer tailored solutions to your customers. It is also important to respond positively to customer feedback and criticism. This shows customers that you are paying attention to what they are saying and that you value their opinions.
Excellent Customer Service Example
Makeup brand Glossier is known for sending very detailed survey emails to customers after a purchase. These questionnaires usually ask the customer about the type of product (makeup, perfume, etc.), what they would prefer, and how they heard about the company. This is why we consider Glossier as one of the online customer service examples of companies that go above and beyond.
Glossier survey email (Source: Reddit)
Pro tip: After each customer interaction, you can send out a feedback survey using a service tool like HubSpot Service Hub. This program has a built-in feature that lets you send customized survey emails to gauge customer satisfaction and gather data on what your customers are looking for.
HubSpot Service Hub customizable surveys (Source: HubSpot Service Hub)
10. Provide Regular Training for Reps
As part of the process of creating a customer service strategy, build and train your customer service team properly. Given that 59% of customers feel that most reps lack proper training, businesses need to equip reps with the right skills and techniques they need to handle difficult cases. Regular coaching and training help reps become more efficient and savvy in dealing with various customer issues.
Excellent Customer Service Example
McDonald’s customer service is based on an extensive training program that combines demonstration, simulation, and hands-on practice. It is designed to help employees retain valuable life skills they can use in crew work, management, and even when moving on to another company. The company also has a separate training program for franchisees or store operators.
An overview of McDonald’s McTALENT training program (Source: McDonald’s)
Pro tip: Create a formal customer service program to standardize the training process of your reps. Read our guide on how to develop a customer service program and download our free customizable templates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Good customer service means a business consistently meets customers’ expectations and resolves issues quickly and efficiently. It also results from efforts to understand customers’ needs and tailor solutions based on those needs.
Some good customer service examples include having strong product knowledge, a positive tone of voice, speedy response times, and the use of customer feedback to tailor solutions. Other acts that contribute to good customer service are striving to maintain customer loyalty and regularly coaching and training customer service reps.
There is no definite standard for a 5-star customer experience, but companies with this rating have a deep understanding of their customer’s behavior and constantly exceed expectations. They also deliver quick, professional, and high-quality service throughout the stages of the customer journey.
Bottom Line
Excellent customer service for small businesses might be difficult to achieve at first, but it is not impossible. The real-life customer service examples above show how you can apply the best practices to improve customer satisfaction and engagement. You can also leverage any of the customer service tools we recommended to help your support team work more efficiently. All these help your customers have a great experience each time they reach out to you for help.
