Contacting a company about a product or service is usually not a fun experience. It’s often boring and not really something the customer looks forward to. But you can also do it in a fun way! If you pay some attention to the way you interact in customer conversations, the process can become a better experience for everyone.
How do you do that? Well, just add a little more fun!
Why Does Humor Work in Customer Interaction?
Humor connects people and creates a certain intimacy. It can make the bond with your customer stronger and also build more loyalty for your brand. A positive and funny experience with a brand can easily lead to a funny story during lunch.
If customers know you’re up for a joke, they’re more likely to engage in the conversation themselves because they know it won’t be a very businesslike or boring conversation. And because it’s more personal, they’ll also be inclined to share more.
In addition, customer service agents often follow a script. This makes it difficult to know whether you are talking to a chatbot or a real person. Humor can already do a lot in this regard. It makes the conversation a little more human. Making customers feel more of a connection, as you would have in a physical store. Humor can also make difficult situations just a little less difficult.
First Things First!
Before you start making jokes, make sure your customer service is completely optimized. If you constantly have unhappy customers because your customer service is not working, then humor does not really add anything. It can only irritate them more. But if you have everything in order and customers are being helped well and on time, then it can certainly add value.
In addition, not every situation is suitable for fun. So pay attention to the tone and mood of the customer to assess whether it is a good time for a joke.
Humor in customer service can certainly be trained. So train your employees to use it in the right way for optimal results. And to avoid mistakes.
But How Do You Add Humor to Customer Interactions?
We know by now that a little fun in between business conversations can pay off, but how do you do it? Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Make a joke in conversations. During a conversation with a customer, you can capitalize on something the customer is saying, and make a joke about it. Or pick up on something in the news, for example. But be careful not to make the same joke over and over again, because then it won’t be funny anymore.
- Send a relevant meme in chats. Almost everyone has sent them at least once: memes. So make good use of this internet humor in your interactions with customers.
- Polls. Polls are a playful way to gauge what customers think about something. And it’s fun for customers to do because it takes little time. You can use polls for reviews, for example, where they have a number of options. But you can also make customers co-creators by asking a question about your (future) product or service. This way they can make a difference in the implementation.
Fun in a conversation is not only a nice way for customers to interact but also makes the work for customer service agents a lot more enjoyable. According to Andrew Tarvin, author of Humour That Works, people who use humor in the workplace are more productive, less stressed, and happier. So it’s a win-win for everyone!
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