Around the world, countries and communities are in various stages of reopening. As pandemic-related restrictions are lifted, customers will return to retailers, restaurants, and all types of businesses in their community. This is a hopeful, but precarious time, for business owners as the world adjusts to a new sense of normal. Bringing together employees and customers will require some finesse and patience.

Lives have shifted, habits have been altered, but for the most part, people do not like change. The changes related to COVID-19 occurred suddenly and feel out of our control, which can be overwhelming and trigger negative responses. Unfortunately, negative feelings towards a business can lead to disaster. Shop owners have just one chance to prove to customers that their business is ready and prepared to serve them in a safe manner.

If there is chaos, ambiguity, or uncertainty, customers will likely find other ways to fill their needs. This can cause your business to be removed from their set of consideration. A command of the new conditions and requirements demanded by COVID-19 precautions can reflect positively on your business and improve customer relations.

Addressing Customer Service Post Covid

Prepare your business for reopening

Staying educated and informed about the requirements of your local community can help you stay ahead. Local health departments, licensing agencies, and government organizations are excellent resources for reopening guidance. Your first step is to remain in compliance with local ordinances or laws related to COVID-19.

When it comes to in-house changes, it is important to do more than post policies and procedures. Consistent communication focused on safety can help keep your team on the same page. Include your staff in discussions about the changes to your business, so they feel secure in their new work environment. They do not want to bring any sickness home or get sick themselves. The fear is real, and you will have to address it before you can expect superior customer service from your employees.

Employee training will be critical before you open your doors. If your staff is timid or tentative, their energy will be obvious to your customers and may even transfer over. Confident and informed employees can lead to confident and informed customers. Practice skills like empathy, compassion, and active listening to equip your employees with the tools they need for success.

In a recent blog on the Pipedrive.com website, we are reminded, “Your reps will have varying reactions to this health crisis. Some may be struggling more than others and in need of additional support. Set the tone by acting as a pillar of strength and offer guidance. Your reps are likely to mirror this behavior with their customers and represent your business as a reliable, trusted resource” (2020). If your staff feels secure and safe, they can be more effective.

Tips for a successful reopening

Your business will be challenged throughout the phases of reopening. Transparency in the event of setbacks or obstacles can help build trust with your employees and customers. Establishing regular team meetings, maintaining an informational blog, sending a regular newsletter, or providing informational flyers in shopping bags can connect your internal team and customers. Posting procedures in visible places throughout your business can reinforce new processes and help you deliver excellence in your business.

Once the basic preparations are made and your doors are open, keeping calm, being proactive, and remaining positive are crucial to keeping your business viable. The Harvard Business Review recently provided some common-sense steps to make your customer service the gold standard. Front-line staff and call center staff will face demands and challenges from customers that they have never faced before.

Arm representatives and staff with techniques that reduce frustration. Empower your staff to resolve issues at the point of contact and equip them with solutions that are proactive and customer focused. “The clear answer to these challenges is to empower reps to make exceptions in order to solve the customer’s problem, but changing service organization culture and policies can be a long journey. In the meantime, equipping reps with language techniques to reduce customer effort, even if they can’t make exceptions, can lead to better outcomes” (Dixon, McKenna, de la O, April, 2020).

Addressing Customer Service Post Covid

For managers, there can be a temptation to revert to bad coaching behaviors. Shift company-wide coaching policies from structured traditional coaching to a more integrated approach. “This “integrated coaching” happens in short bursts — before, immediately after and even during customer calls — and research shows that it can improve team performance by 12%. In fact, the best managers spend more than 75% of their coaching time on this type of coaching “(Dixon, McKenna, de la O, April, 2020).

Use collaborative tools to help your staff tap into the collective wisdom in the organization. Create a network mindset so that team members can share and assist each other as challenges occur. “Creating this sort of “network judgment” climate, however, is difficult under normal circumstances and even harder when reps are no longer sitting side by side in the contact center. Fortunately, modern collaboration tools like instant messaging and Slack can create workspaces for reps to connect in near-real time to get advice and perspective from colleagues “(Dixon, McKenna, de la O, April, 2020).

To deliver the best customer service in these changing times make sure you focus on the following basics as well:

  • Be mindful of your tone and the tone with which your team members use to address your customers. Keep in mind that conflict often happens not because of what was said but “how it was said.” Intention aside, the customers’ interruption is their reality. You have to ensure that their reality and your team’s intention line up as much as possible. Body language and eye contact can escalate a situation that might normally end in a more positive way.
  • Focus on listening with empathy and coach your team on active listening techniques. Asking question, reducing interruptions and acknowledging concerns keeps the communication flowing. Avoid quoting rigid policy or arguing which will escalate negative results.
  • Don’t focus on giving bad news, but set new and proper expectations. Provide the positive side of situation with phrases like, “We are doing this to keep you and our staff healthy” instead of, “We don’t want you here without wearing a mask.” Simply flipping the situation around can deescalate a moment of tension.
  • Create a great experience. Instead of focusing on what your customers may be missing, find ways of enhancing the experience in unexpected ways and provide your customers with something they can remember and share.
  • Ask for feedback from your customers and encourage your staff to do the same. Review suggestions and comments regularly to see if there are things you can adopt to enhance the customer’s experience further. Implementing something new that a customer recommended can go a long way to creating a sense of belonging and loyalty.

Your team’s performance will be critical to your business’ success. Investing time, energy and resources into creating a cohesive, empowered staff will enable you to serve the needs of your customers. You can continue to serve your community long after the effects of the pandemic subside.

Trust the processes and systems you implement to help your business run smoothly. Employees use processes and systems to meet the needs of your customers, and customers keep coming back because you have an environment which gives them comfort and security. If your customers know you care about them and you care equally as much for your staff, they will find it easier to come back time after time.