{"id":20371,"date":"2020-09-01T15:07:26","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T14:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=20371"},"modified":"2024-07-12T17:12:44","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T16:12:44","slug":"customer-follow-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/customer-follow-up\/","title":{"rendered":"The art of the customer follow-up and delightful customer service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part of the ritual of eating a meal in a good restaurant is the waiter asking if you\u2019re enjoying your food and if there is anything else they can get for you.<\/p>\n

Now, you might not think much about that particular restaurant practice \u2013 after all, it\u2019s just a simple customer follow-up<\/a> question shortly after your food has arrived.<\/p>\n

However, there are a few lessons in this simple example of customer service<\/a> that are valuable for anyone who works in customer support<\/a>. How do customers feel about the service they’re paying for? Does our service contribute to a sense of customer delight<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n

Importance of following up in customer service \u2013 asking is what matters<\/h2>\n

Usually, we can reply that everything is delicious and quickly forget the waiter even checked in with us. Sometimes there will be an inevitable issue \u2013 you\u2019re missing some cutlery or condiments, or the food isn\u2019t quite what you ordered \u2013 but above all, it is the very asking of the question that shows they care about your experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re paying for a service, despite not feeling like you\u2019re getting much of a service at all\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Contrast that sense of care with those occasions when you can\u2019t catch the eye of a waiter no matter how hard you try. Or worse still, you have to ask the waiter where your food is and why it\u2019s taking so long. Those situations are infuriating \u2013 you\u2019re paying for a service, despite not feeling like you\u2019re getting much of a service at all.<\/p>\n

There are a few elements of this scenario that translates to customer support. A proactive support<\/a> model, where you follow up with your customers consistently and help pre-emptively solve their problems, signals that you care about your customers and are dedicated to ensuring their continued success. It is this sort of consistent follow-up that will help ensure customers return to use your product or service again and happily recommend it to others. And when you take upselling and customer LTV into account, following up is actually a critical part of the sales process as well.<\/p>\n

The art of the consistent customer follow-up<\/h2>\n

Ensuring your follow-ups are consistent and effective, however, is as much an art as a science, and it involves overcoming the inherent challenges of customer support, which can be relentless (consistent inbound volume, meeting SLAs<\/a>, having a constant pulse on latest product releases). Agents can sometimes feel the need to just get through it and move on.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to make sure the customer is happy with the resolution, so consistent, thoughtful follow-ups are key\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Support isn\u2019t just about resolving a customer\u2019s first question and moving on, however. You need to make sure the customer is happy with the resolution, so consistent, thoughtful follow-ups are key. They are seemingly simple, but they have a profound impact on the customer experience and people\u2019s sense of being respected and cared for. This is something that small business owners often understand, but that larger companies can lose track of.<\/p>\n

One of the key elements of the follow-up is the timing \u2013 after all, waiters know to ask how you\u2019re doing shortly after the food has arrived, long enough for you to gauge if there are any problems but not so long that any issues can\u2019t be corrected without ruining your meal.<\/p>\n

How to follow up with a customer<\/h2>\n

Below, we share six examples of how you can follow up with a new customer after a sale. Regardless of your relationship with your client one of the best ways to follow up with them is through a modern business messenger<\/a>. You\u2019ll be able to proactively send targeted messages to help customers at the precise moments they need it, seamlessly send relevant help content, and even hop on a call for more complex conversations.<\/p>\n

1. Say thank you<\/h3>\n

This is the most common type of follow-up message for a reason: it lets you express appreciation for the customer\u2019s purchase and establish consistent contact into the future. For example, for conversations with VIP customers, you can include a phone number or email address where they can reach you if they have questions or run into stumbling blocks.<\/p>\n

2. Help them get started with your product or service<\/h3>\n

Just as a mai\u0302tre d\u2019 can set the tone for your whole experience at a high-end restaurant, a well-crafted welcome message or onboarding product tour sets the tone for your product or service. These types of messages should focus on things that will actually help the recipient get value from your product from day one. Things like:<\/p>\n