We all know that customer service can be a tricky business. You are trying to provide the least expensive option that also gives consumers exactly what they need

But there is also a fine line between what your customers do and don’t want. Nobody wants a pushy salesperson trying to sell them something or to be left completely clueless as to what they are supposed to be doing. You have to figure out the best balance for you and get on top of it. Thanks to Forbes, here are a few ways you can improve your customer service:

Help your customers help themselves

Automation is becoming increasingly important in today’s society. Of course, there are still those customers who feel the need to get help with every transaction, but most people (especially the young ones) would prefer interacting with a machine than a person, or at least find it more efficient. That means you need to create the easiest way for your customers to check out or get their products without ever having to call in for help.

Maybe this means creating registers for self-checkout in your store or just making the buying process easier on your website. If a customer has to go through the effort of calling you to get checked out, they are not going to finish the transaction. If you have an automated artificial intelligence texting program or chatbot, you are giving those customers a much faster and easier way to communicate with you allowing them the opportunity to help themselves a little more.

Serve customers where they are

There is nothing more frustrating to a customer when they do go through all the effort of calling in to get help just to have to start the whole checkout process all over again. Your customer service agents should have access to the data they need to help your customers without having to ask it to be repeated several times. Sometimes, it is as simple as having a personalized code on every shopping cart to reference, and sometimes, it is as easy as allowing them to text in concerns with the establishment to be addressed while they are still shopping.

Get personal

The most important part of every customer service team is relationships with customers. If you can develop a relationship, you’ll have loyal business for years to come. If you know your customer, you’ll know how to serve them. With an automated texting system, your customers are able to text in their questions and get automatic responses within seconds, making them feel as if you are constantly there to take care of them. Though it is still an automatic response from artificial intelligence software, they feel as though you are sitting and waiting for their texts to come in and give them a response. There is nothing more personal than that, and it will most definitely make your customers feel as if you have a relationship. Of course, if there is a problem, it is important to contact them and get it resolved still, but at least you can spend a lot less time on the phone over simple questions such as what are your hours and do you serve burgers.

Source: forbes.com/sites/salesforce/2014/09/25/when-good-is-better-than-best/