How to Improve Customer Service
Make service a core company value and set your team up for success
July 2023 - 5 minutes
80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services.
![Astro with headset helping customers](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/customers/improve-customer-service-image1-600x432.jpg)
1. Make service a company value
![Astro and Codey with headsets on](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/customers/image2-600x432.jpg)
2. Enact internal customer service
3. Prevent problems before they start
Customer service agents form the front line for complaints, but they are rarely the fundamental cause of them. Problems often start in other departments or even with external vendors, whether that’s because of a faulty product or a service problem. Any misstep along the way can lead to the problem or defect that sparked the inquiry.
Agents regularly encounter valuable information about problems with products or services because they speak directly with customers. Sharing customer feedback should be part of agents’ roles, so that your company can use the information to remedy issues. Establish a clear process for surfacing information – who agents should tell and how quickly – and who will pass the information on to the relevant department or vendor. This way, your agents can help your company avoid many cases entirely.
4. Create a service tree
![Astro talking to a team member](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/customers/image4-600x432.jpg)
5. Find out what everyone needs to do their job better
33% of service agents say they often lack context about customer situations.
![Astro with backpack and team](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/customers/image5-600x432.jpg)
6. Set up your teams for success
If employees tell you they need a certain number of hours to complete a task, allocate that time or add more hands to speed things up. Be transparent with everyone about their role expectations so there’s no confusion.
If your agents have told you they lack sufficient knowledge to solve customer issues, make sure you offer the best customer service training. Consider learning modules from Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform to upskill agents. Communication Skills for Customer Service Agents and Artificial Intelligence for Customer Service are all great places to start. Also, make sure agents have the technology they need to get a 360-degree view of each customer, including their preferences, past purchases, and service history. When this information is available on every agent’s console, customers will always interact with someone knowledgeable about them and their case.
81% of decision makers say they’re making significant investments in training — up from 79% in 2020 and 77% in 2018.
![Astro sharing coffee with a woman](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/customers/image6-600x432.jpg)
7. Facilitate team bonding
8. Improve the experience for everyone
Altering your company’s culture and upgrading your technology to improve customer service will reverberate throughout your organization in many positive ways. Employees and customers will be happier, more engaged, and more likely to stay with your company.
Now that you know how to improve customer service, learn about the technology solutions that will help your team resolve customer concerns even faster.
![Astro with headset and State of Service report.](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/customers/rc-state-of-service-768x432.png)
State of Service
![Illustration of woman with headset sitting at her laptop](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/blog-3-ways-genAI-768x432.jpg)
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![Headshot of Jim Roth in front of Salesforce on Salesforce backdrop](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/blog-salesforce-on-salesforce-jim-roth-768x432.png)
How Salesforce Delivers Customer Service
More Resources
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Generative AI Can Help Fix Customer Relationships
![Two women sitting in front of a laptop; one has a coffee. Astro stands in front with the Trailhead logo.](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resources/trailhead-service-career-path-768x432.jpg)
Take the Customer Service Career Path
![Man in a computer monitor with thought bubbles. A calendar is behind the monitor, a potted cactus is in front of it.](http://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/images/resource-center/article/customers/blog-future-of-service-personalized-connected-brenda-768x432.png)