At Place, we’re committed to helping our staff improve their skills so they can perform at their very best. For support staff, there’s a large process on processes, new technology and of course, people skills such as Customer Experience. Read on for our tips on providing the best customer experience.
We live in an experience economy. By definition, this means that both consumers and businesses want more than just the delivery of products and services; they expect that an exceptional, positively charged, memorable experience will come packaged with their purchase of a good or service. As a support and administration person, it’s now more important than ever to focus on creating a memorable client experience.
Over the past two decades, as we’ve shifted from a service to an experience economy, expectations have shifted. It’s not an added benefit to have a great experience, it’s demanded. The expectation has largely evolved as we have become groomed through an ‘always-on’ digital universe.
This is no different in real estate, no matter what role you’re in. As a support person, you are the key to ensuring our clients walk away from their dealings with Place with a positive experience.
Want to know how you can provide the best customer experience? Here are our top tips:
1. Make listening a top priority.
Actively listening to a client’s needs, concerns and frustrations is pivotal in providing an exceptional customer experience. Take it one step further and verify and clarify exactly what you are hearing from someone before you begin to act. Not only does this mean you’ll offer the best solution, it shows the customer that you care, which is incredibly valuable.
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2. Create memorable, human experiences.
In a world where CRM, automation, AI and other digital tools dominate processes, it’s important not to lose sight of the human touch. These digital tools exist to make us more efficient and effective at our jobs, not take over, therefore it’s crucial to find the right balance between digital and human. If digital takes over, you risk losing the connection with customers when they need it most.
3. Communication is Key.
Have you ever been frustrated by a slow response? Yeah, it’s not great. Our ability to contact anyone at any time via digital platforms has increased expectations of what constitutes adequate communication.
One action you can immediately implement to help improve customer experience is to ensure you are quickly acknowledging requests and keeping people updated where they need to be. When your customers feel like you keep them in the loop and they don't have to chase you, trust is built more quickly and any mistakes are more easily forgiven. Even if you don’t have the answer yet, setting expectations for when you can provide an answer is a small action that goes a long way. Responses along the lines of, “Thank you for bringing this to my attention, I wcusill investigate further and have an answer to you by COB today” will always be appreciated and takes no time at all!
Image source: Unsplash
4. Make the customer journey as easy as possible.
Real estate transactions involve a lot of back and forth and constant communication between numerous parties. As the administrative support, your job is to ensure that even if things do get messy (which they might) you ensure the client only see’s the surface, giving the impression everything is under control and smooth sailing. In saying this, don’t wait for an issue to arise before you take action, be proactive early and try and prevent anything from causing too much trouble. Your future self will thank you!
5. Maintain a positive attitude.
Last but not least, is remaining positive. Though it might seem like the simplest, but that may not be the case when you’re dealing with stressed people and deadlines all at once. No matter what, remaining positive is one of the most important elements in delivering a positive customer experience and ensuring they remain clients for life. If you’re in a situation when you feel negativity creeping in, we recommend stepping back for a minute to gather your thoughts and dealing with the situation when you’re in a better mindset.
As a support person, incorporating these tips into your workflow and improving clients experience will have your agent and teammates praising you for being such a pleasure to deal with. It’s a sure way to get repeat clients!
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