Everything You Need to Know About Customer Courtesy in the Digital Age

When we talk about customer service, we often focus on response time, support quality, around the clock availability, and many other technical aspects.

While these are definitely important, they’re only a small part of the customer’s experience with your brand.

In an age where we hardly have in-person interactions, businesses need to offer their customers much more than good customer service. They need to focus on delivering memorable experiences across different points of the customer journey.

In this article, we talk about one crucial, yet often overlooked aspect of delivering these memorable experiences – customer courtesy. 

Read on to know more about how you can build stronger relationships with customers and make them feel valued by making small tweaks in your customer interactions.

Table of Contents

• What is Customer Courtesy?
• The Importance of Customer Courtesy in Digital Interactions
• 10 Best Practices for Customer Courtesy
  • 1. Take accountability when something goes wrong
  • 2. Offer a compensation when its appropriate
  • 3. Send unexpected gifts or thank you cards
  • 4. Listen actively
  • 5. Walk customers through what you do
  • 6. Handle escalations
  • 7. Add a personal touch when possible
  • 8. Avoid using a lot of jargon
  • 9. Ask for feedback after every interaction
  • 10. Create a customer-centric company culture
• The Power of Customer Courtesy: Building Trust and Loyalty in the Digital Age

What is Customer Courtesy?

Customer courtesy refers to everything (words, actions, and behaviors) that a business uses to demonstrate respect, recognition and empathy to its customers. It involves making customers feel valued and appreciated at various points of their journey with your business.

It’s about going the extra mile for your customers and reinforcing a sense of attentiveness to encourage them to come back to your business.

The Importance of Customer Courtesy in Digital Interactions

A majority of businesses today are based online. There is rarely any face-to-face interaction between businesses and customers. Since most communication occurs through channels such as email, chat, or social media, it is easy for customers to feel a lack of connection with your business. In fact, your interactions can even come off as cold and transactional since it does not include non-verbal cues like body language or tone of voice.

But, how does this actually impact customer experience?

Impersonal digital interactions make it harder to build a rapport with customers. They may not feel understood or valued, leading to a sharp decline in customer satisfaction and loyalty.

For instance, banks often use IVR systems in their customer support strategy. However, the endless loop of automated responses and menus may frustrate a customer, especially when they are dealing with urgent issues that require human intervention. If they are unable to reach a live agent even after multiple attempts, it automatically translates into a poor experience and leads to a negative perception of the brand.

This is where customer courtesy can make a difference.

Take the above example. An important part of courtesy is to show customers that you value their time. Instead of forcing them to navigate through complicated IVR menus, add an option for customers to directly speak to an agent for urgent assistance. And when a customer does connect with an agent, it’s always a good idea to acknowledge their frustration and provide a swift, personalized resolution. This may potentially turn a negative experience into a more pleasant interaction.
Similarly, small gestures and courteous behavior such as polite communication, active listening, and empathetic responses can de-escalate sensitive situations and turn them into productive interactions.

10 Best Practices for Customer Courtesy

Here are some tips to practice customer courtesy in your organization.

1. Take accountability when something goes wrong

It’s natural for mistakes to happen in business. However, when something goes wrong, be quick to take accountability for the problem and show your commitment to fixing it. When customers see that you’re willing to take ownership of their problem, it shows them that you care about their experience. This builds trust and gradually improves customer loyalty.

Let’s take Nordstrom, a luxury department store in the US. Almost 40 years ago, a customer came rolling in their tires into their store. He insisted on a refund saying he was told he could bring back the tires to the store any time and get his money back. 

Now, Nordstrom does not actually sell tires but it acquired a store that did and gradually narrowed down the merchandise to just apparel and footwear.

However, the company’s store associate did not want to turn the customer down and he went out of his way to arrange a refund for the customer. This was a testament to Nordstrom’s unwavering commitment to customers and a great example of showing accountability even when a customer request goes beyond policy.

Best practices:

• Be quick to acknowledge your mistakes and take ownership of the solution. Use statements like “I see there was an error on our end. Let me get this fixed ASAP”
• Provide clear next steps on the resolution and give a clear timeline within which the customer can expect a response
• Be transparent about limitations and offer feasible alternatives
• Show empathy throughout the process

2. Offer a compensation when its appropriate

Certain mistakes can cause significant inconvenience or losses to customers. In such cases it is essential to offer some sort of compensation as part of your apology to the customer. You can offer discounts, freebies, or gift vouchers to compensate the customer.

Doing this may help in rectifying the issue and strengthen your relationship with customers.

Ritz Carlton for example, allows customer service reps to spend up to $2000 in cases where they need to resolve guest issues. They can offer discounts or vouchers within this limit without managerial approval creating a better experience for customers.

Best practices:

• Evaluate how big of an impact the issue had on your customer’s experience. Decide the degree of the compensation based on the severity of the customer’s complaint.
• Offer a range of options so that the customer can choose one that’s apt for their situation. For instance, you can ask customers to choose from a shopping voucher, complete refund, or free product upgrade.
• Avoid over-promising by all means. You don’t want to promise a customer something that you’re not sure will be approved by management.
• Clearly communicate how customers can avail the compensation.

3. Send unexpected gifts or thank you cards

A good way to show genuine appreciation as part of customer courtesy is to break free from the usual transactional pattern of business.

Sending a thoughtful gift or personalized note every now and then as a gesture of gratitude makes customers feel special and appreciated. It encourages customers to return and improves brand perception.

For instance, Kleenex launched a unique campaign where they monitored social media to connect with customers for a special surprise. The company monitored Facebook for mentions of people being ill. Within 1-2 hours of these posts, the company sent out the ‘Kleenex Kit consisting of get-well items’ for sick customers. Customers felt pleasantly surprised and took to social media to share their experience.

4. Listen actively

Show customers that you value their time and feedback by practicing active listening. Put aside distractions like phones and make it a point to offer your undivided attention when a customer is talking.

Ask questions and show empathy by recognizing the customer’s tone and acknowledging their feelings. This is especially important during digital interactions where non-verbal cues are almost non-existent. It can go a long way in minimizing misunderstandings and ensures problems are resolved more accurately.

Best practices:

• Avoid interrupting when a customer is explaining their issue. If you happen to have questions, make note of them, and try to wait until the customer has stopped talking.
• Use verbal confirmations like ‘I understand what you’re trying to say’ or ‘that makes sense’ to show customers that you are indeed listening to them.
• Once the customer has finished speaking, paraphrase everything they’ve said and briefly summarize it to avoid any misalignment.

5. Walk customers through what you do

It’s very common for customers to feel frustrated or anxious if they don’t know how their complaint is being handled.

For instance, say your internet connection has been down for several hours. Your work is being affected and you end up calling your internet service provider.

If the provider responds with something vague like We’re working on it. It should be fixed soon, it’s natural to feel frustrated not knowing what exactly is being done and how long it will take for the internet to be restored.

A much better response in this situation would be – I understand how frustrating this must be. Let me walk you through what we’re doing to resolve the issue. First, I’ve checked the connection in your area, and it looks like there’s an outage affecting several customers. Our technicians are already on-site and are working to restore the connection. This typically takes about 1-2 hours. In the meantime, I’ll send you a text with real-time updates, so you’ll know exactly when it’s fixed.

This reduces the customer’s anxiety since they are aware of what’s happening, how long it will take for the issue to be resolved, and that they will receive updates on the resolution.

6. Handle escalations

Escalations are quite common in customer service but how they are handled can make a lot of difference. It is safe to assume that any time there is an escalation, there is going to be an upset or angry customer at the other end. Managing these situations poorly can further impair your relationship with the customer and you may even end up losing them.

On the other hand, having a proper escalation protocol in place can prevent negative reviews and provides you an opportunity to improve processes to prevent future escalations.

Best practices:

• Train your staff to handle escalations. They should know when to escalate a customer ticket, whom to escalate it to, and more importantly to remain calm under pressure.
• Define escalation paths clearly. Clarify who is responsible for what and the appropriate communication channels for different levels of escalation. For instance, chat for routine queries, phone calls for slightly more complex escalations, and emergency video calls to handle high-priority complaints.
• Set clear SLAs for timely resolution of complaints at each escalation level. For instance, all technical queries should receive a first response within 2 hours. If this is not possible the query should be escalated to an executive at a higher-level.

7. Add a personal touch when possible

In an era where a customer has almost too many options to choose from, try to create memorable experiences. Offer a personal touch to stand out and differentiate your brand from competition.

Ofcourse, this may not always be possible but going the extra mile for your customers can help humanize your brand and remind customers that there are real people behind your business.

Zappos is known for their almost maniacal obsession with great customer service. In one particular instance, a customer couldn’t find time to return their purchase because they were grieving the loss of their mother. On understanding what happened, not only did Zappos arrange for the shoes to be picked up but they even sent across a thoughtful flower arrangement and a personal note to console the grieving customer.

Best practices:

• Use customer data to understand preferences and tailor your offerings accordingly.
• Acknowledge significant milestones in your customer’s journey. For instance, sending them a gift if they have completed one year with your service.
• Offer exclusive benefits to loyal customers

8. Avoid using a lot of jargon

Customers are the end users of your product. When offering solutions, think from your customer’s perspective and try to communicate in simple, clear language. Encourage customers to ask questions and get clarification any time they are confused.

Aside from this, when customers are able to clearly understand what you are explaining, they may even be able to contribute their own insights that could potentially help in resolving the issue at hand.

Here are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind during your conversations with customers

Do:

• Simplify complex terms and avoid using acronyms. For instance, instead of saying “bandwidth,” explain it as “the amount of data your connection can handle at once.”
• Use relatable examples of analogies to explain complex concepts.
• Ask if the customer understands what you’re trying to communicate.

Don’t

• Assume the customer is already familiar with technical jargon even if they have used it previously.
• Focus solely on the technical problem. Instead try to help the customer understand the steps for resolving the issue.
• Sound condescending. Avoid making customers feel embarrassed if they don’t know what you’re referring to.

9. Ask for feedback after every interaction

Show customers that you value their opinion and genuinely care about their experience. Engaging customers and asking for feedback is important to make sure customers feel involved and to identify areas that need improvement.

It prevents small issues from escalating into complex issues and even provides opportunities for personalization and cross-selling.

An interesting example is the ‘My Starbucks Idea’ – an innovative campaign launched by Starbucks to improve their offerings.

Customers were encouraged to share their suggestions for newer products and post it on social media. Starbucks enabled users to vote and comment on their favorite ideas. This led to the creation of two of Starbucks popular, best-selling food items – cake pops and pumpkin spice lattes.

Best practices:

• Use interactive polls on social media to ask fun questions about your product or service.
• Leverage gamified feedback surveys to make the experience more enjoyable.
• Offer incentives whenever possible.
• Embed feedback forms in your post-service emails.
• Try to ask for video testimonials from customers who successfully use your products.

10. Create a customer-centric company culture

Ultimately, customer courtesy does not rest only on the shoulders of your support team. Every function and department in your organization plays a key role in delivering the best possible experience for your customers.

This is why it is important to encourage every employee to think from your customer’s shoes and see how they can be better. A truly customer-centric company has lifelong loyalty from customers and they reap the benefits of positive referrals.

A few examples of customer centric companies include Amazon, British Airways, Disney, and American Express.

All of these companies have an edge in the market and they are known for consistently committing to understanding and meeting customer needs.

Best practices:

• Leaders should set an example and reflect customer-centricity in their actions.
• Make customer-focused qualities an important part of your recruitment criteria irrespective of the role you are hiring for.
• Provide customer-centric training at regular intervals across your organization.
• Encourage cross-department collaboration when dealing with customer issues.

The Power of Customer Courtesy: Building Trust and Loyalty in the Digital Age

Customer courtesy is far from a gesture that is nice-to-have. Rather, it is the sum total of all the things you do to show you care about the customer and appreciate them.

By focusing on empathy, personalization, and customer-centricity, you can build lasting relationships with customers and drive brand loyalty.

As customer expectations continue to evolve, offering a thoughtful, courteous experience at every touchpoint will set your business apart in an increasingly digital world. Remember, it’s not just about what you deliver, but how you deliver it.