List of Customer Service Terms You Need to Know

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Customer service has its own lingo including dozens of distinct customer service terms.

The more of those customer service terms you know, the easier it’ll be to communicate clearly about the challenges your team faces. Together, you can strive toward improvement.

So let’s look at some of the top customer service terms you should know.

First Call Resolution (FCR)

First call resolution (usually expressed as a percentage or ratio) is when a customer’s question or complain is successfully dealt with the first time he or she makes contact. FCR is considered a vital sign of good customer service. It demonstrates that reps have the knowledge they need.

First Reply Time

First Reply Time is the time that elapses – hopefully in minutes or seconds – between the point when a support ticket is created and the point when an agent responds. A low first reply time makes a strong early impression with a customer who might already be frustrated.

Knowledge Base

A knowledge base is an online database of information support agents can look up to find ready resources for solving particular problems. That can include complete answers for troubleshooting technical issues. You can also develop customer-facing knowledge bases.

Business Rules

Business rules are the specific automation rules an enterprise uses to manage various functions. For example, your email marketing campaigns all have business rules. Business rules can also apply to how a customer service call is routed, responded to, and resolved.

Call Center

A call center is a type of contact center that focuses on handling a high volume of phone calls. On the other hand, a contact center may be devoted to all kinds of omni-channel customer service. Call centers can be inbound service departments or outbound sales departments.

Churn

Customer churn happens when an existing customer ceases doing business with a company. Your churn rate is a measure of the percentage of customers your business loses this way over a certain period of time. Poor customer service is a major contributor to churn.

Coaching

Coaching is where the rubber meets the road on your talent development program for agents. Coaching can take the form of feedback, one-on-one meetings, and contextual lessons delivered within the call management system itself. Good coaching is a predictor of performance gains.

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)

CSAT is one of the most basic metrics customer service teams need to track and grow. It is the average score customers give to a specific interaction with your brand.

Customer Experience

Customer experience has a lot of competing definitions, but you can think of it as the sum of feelings, beliefs, and expectations a customer develops about your brand at a point of contact or during his or her interactions with your company. Each individual can be said to have a different customer experience based on which aspects of the enterprise they’ve interacted with and how well those performed.

Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

LTV is the revenue impact of a single customer over their entire history (and projected future) interactions with the brand. Customer service teams support higher LTV by making sure product glitches don’t end a customer relationship. They can also do cross-selling and up-selling.

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How to write an effective complaint letter

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Customer complain

Having a problem with a product or service can be frustrating. When you’re trying to resolve a problem with a company, the first step should be to discuss your concerns with a representative of the business. If a phone call or email doesn’t resolve the problem, consider writing a complaint letter.

A letter is important. It puts your complaint on record with the company, helps preserve any legal rights you may have in the situation, and lets the company know you’re serious about pursuing the complaint.How to write an effective complaint letter

  1. Be clear and concise. …
  2. State exactly what you want done and how long you’re willing to wait for a response. …
  3. Don’t write an angry, sarcastic, or threatening letter. …
  4. Include copies of relevant documents, like receipts, work orders, and warranties. …
  5. Include your name and contact information.
  • Be clear and concise. Describe the item or service you bought and the problem. Include serial or model numbers, and the name and location of the seller. If you’re following up on a conversation, be sure to say who you spoke with and confirm the details of your discussion.
  • State exactly what you want done and how long you’re willing to wait for a response. Be reasonable.
  • Don’t write an angry, sarcastic, or threatening letter. The person reading your letter probably isn’t responsible for the problem, but may be very helpful in resolving it.
  • Include copies of relevant documents, like receipts, work orders, and warranties. You also may want to send copies of emails and notes from conversations you’ve had with the seller about the problem. Keep your originals.
  • Include your name and contact information. If an account is involved, be sure to include the account number.

You may want to send your letter by certified mail and request a return receipt. That way, you’ll have proof that the company got your letter and who signed for it. Was this helpful? 

How do you end a conversation with a customer?

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It’s a lesson all live chat support agents need to learn–how you end a chat truly matters.     1. Make Sure All Their Needs Are Met. …
      Before you end a chat, always throw in an extra offer like “Is there anything else I can help you with today?” for good measure
    2. Last Moments Matter. Last moments can colour a whole memory. 
Now imagine exercising your excellent customer service skills on a chat, only to have a customer feel it was awful because of your closing statements in the last few minutes. Can you imagine how terrible that would be? Don’t let that be the case–deliver quality customer service up until the very last closing spiel
3.Avoid Being Abrupt. …

The first rule is more about what NOT to do, but it’s the important first step. Never blurt out a curt “goodbye”. Even if you mean it with the best intentions, it’s hard to convey tone over the Internet. It can come off as rude and like you trying to get the customer out of your hair so you can move onto the next problem on your list. When you end a chat like that, you make customers feel like just that–a problem.Give your customer the same attention you gave her when she first came to you. She is just as important now as she was then. Think about it, you don’t want a customer to think she is less valuable to you after she makes a purchase–because the reality is, she is now more valuable. Positivity goes a long way in turning site visitors and one-time patrons into loyal customers.4. Thank the Customer. …
Thanking a customer for their business is thanking her for the relationship she chose to have with you. Thanking your customer is absolutely crucial to ending your live chat session. This let the customer know that the interaction is more than just about the money.  

5. Give a Goodbye That Means “Talk to You Soon” 

When you are getting ready to end your chat, remember that this is hopefully not the last time this customer will be using your company or buying your product. Avoiding negativity is a huge part of it, but that’s not enough. Remind the customer that you are there for her, and invite her to speak to you again in the future.Try lines like: we appreciate you for choosing us and hope to hear from you soon!

Social media customer service: Things you need to know

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Social media customer service is exactly what it sounds like. You use social media tools to provide online customer service and support.

In today’s digital world, people use social media channels to connect with businesses. And they expect businesses to be available on social media to provide help when they need it.

You likely already have a solid strategy for social media marketing and a great customer service team. But do you have a strategy for how your brand will use social media customer service solutions?

Using social media for customer support is different from using the same tools for social marketing. Social media customer service can help improve relationships and protect your brand’s reputation.

1. Make social customer service a priority

You have to view social media customer service as a business priority, not an afterthought. At Bumble, customer service is the “backbone of the entire business.”

2. Set up a dedicated social handle for customer service and support

Brands often use a separate handle to manage social customer support. This helps filter out support and service issues from your primary channel.

3. Create social media guidelines

Social customer support has different challenges and opportunities than social marketing. It is important to have social media guidelines in place for customer support. These should align with your company values and with the social media marketing team.

Your social media guidelines for social customer support should cover some of the following:

 1)Tone of voice

2)Response time for each channel

3)Answer to frequently asked questions

4) Protocol on escalations or other customer issues