High-performing customer operations all have one thing in common: they put the customer front and center. Sixty-five percent of consumers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising. And there’s a reason for that.

Focusing on the customer enables companies to dial in on each customer’s needs from the first interaction and throughout their lifecycle journey. The key is understanding the vital role that communication plays in all touchpoints of customer operations. More importantly, ops leaders must build the nuances of communication into their playbook to deliver positive, differentiated experiences for their customers.

Communication is the lifeblood of the customer experience, and getting it right matters. Seventy percent of customers would stop doing business with a brand they loved after one bad experience. Yes, seventy percent. A customer’s communication needs also vary depending on where they are in the customer life cycle. What doesn’t change is the architecture of excellent communication. For teams to display customer-centric communication, they must understand the different dimensions of communication.

Three dimensions of communication

Achieving great communication requires three separate yet interconnected dimensions. When customer-facing teams adopt these dimensions successfully, they enable a positive and productive dialogue with their customers. Here’s a breakdown of the dimensions:

1 Clarity and completeness of the message

People communicate from their frame of reference. This framework can create an unconscious shorthand, leaving out key details that may lead to misunderstandings and mistrust. Ensure that your teams communicate the full context of their message to get their point across more effectively and resolve issues more quickly.

2 Attitude 

Communication—both verbal and written—carries a tone that affects how we perceive the interaction. In written communication, the tone can be friendly, professional, neutral, negative; the list goes on. Tone can make or break the customer relationship. Providing clear guidance on brand-appropriate tones can help create interactions that are friendly, optimistic, and memorable.

3 Intentionality

If a customer is calling with an issue, there may be some frustration on their end. This is where mindfulness and intentionality come into play. Instead of reacting to the frustration, enable your team to communicate their intention of providing a solution to the problem. When customers understand that you’re there to solve their problem, you can deescalate the situation and turn it into a win. 

Customer experience leaders can set the standard by adopting customer-centric behaviors within their ops playbook. If you’re looking for meaningful ways to implement the three dimensions of communication into your customer operations, you’re in luck. Here are four tangible ways to step up your team’s communication with customers.

Keys ways to differentiate your customer operations

1 Practice active listening

Listening works in two ways—listening to respond and listening to understand. Active listening is the act of listening to comprehend another’s message. In this case, the customer in a conversation. Coach your team to focus on the whole message instead of the granular details. By understanding a customer’s point of view, you can better assist in finding a solution while ensuring they feel heard.

2 Mirror the communication

Meet customers where they’re at in the conversation. Mirroring, also known as reflective listening, is when the receiver reflects the sender’s message. Encourage your team to adopt the language the customer is using to understand and convey the message in a way they’ll be sure to appreciate.

3 Adopt a curious mindset

Providing excellent customer service is all about understanding the customer. Coupled with active listening and mirroring, a curious mindset helps reduce group conflict and minimize decision-making errors. Whether in sales, customer support, onboarding, and so on, encourage your team members to be optimistically inquisitive.

4 Leverage technology to fill gaps

Written communication is a skill that needs nurturing. Thanks to machine learning and AI, top-performing customer success teams are now relying on tools to ensure complete and clear communication and monitor tone. Teams leveraging Grammarly Business can reduce mistakes up to seventy-four percent while maintaining focus on giving customers a five-star experience.

Optimize customer operations with strategic communication

Providing an excellent customer experience requires companies to be on top of their customer operations strategy. Today’s customers are savvy, and competition is fierce. Take a look at your communication style and how it evolves throughout the customer journey. Leveraging the three dimensions of communication is a continuous effort that rewards successful companies with loyal customers. Add these four tactics to your strategy to boost your team’s communication process and maximize the customer experience.