Customers service may seem like a simple thing to do, but they are many ways to optimize it. A better customer service makes people want to come back to your store and makes it easier to sell. Having an amazing customer service can even be your competitive advantage. This glossary is an introduction to a few words and concepts that are at the hearth of customer service in different areas so you can have a better idea of what it is. I hope that you will have a better understanding of this concept by the end of this glossary.
Backlog
Noun
The amount of unresolved customer support requests in a particular time frame.
Example: We hired more staff to deal with the high amount of backlog.
fr: Accumulation de travail
Channels
Noun
All the possible ways your customers can reach your support team, for example phone, email, social media, live chat, etc.
Example: If you don't like live chat, we have other channels such as phone and email to help you with your problem.
fr: Canaux
Complaint
Noun
A statement that a situation is unsatisfactory or unacceptable.
Example: The client made a complaint about the food.
fr: Plainte
Cross-selling
Verb
Sell (a different product or service) to an existing customer.
Example: We must form our sales team in cross-selling if we want to get better numbers.
fr: Vente croisée
Customer
Noun
A person or organization that buys goods or services from a store or business.
Example: The customer bought a fishing rod.
fr: Client
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Phrase
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology for managing all your company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. The goal is simple: Improve business relationships to grow your business.
Example: Since we implemented our new customer relation management tool, our satisfaction level have been getting better.
fr: Gestion de la Relation Client (GRC)
Customer Service
Noun
The assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services.
Example: I love going to the SAQ, their customer service is amazing!
fr: Service Clients
Empathy
Noun
The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
Example: When a customer is angry you must show some empathy to understand them.
fr: Empathie
Feedback
Noun
A customer’s opinion of their experience with your company and how you could improve.
Example: I want to thank you for your great work, we received great feedback recently.
fr: Retour d'information
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
Phrase
A data-driven goal that helps measure the performance and objectives of an agent or team.
Example: We are doing a great job, our Key performance indicators are rising every year.
fr: Indicateur clé de performance (ICP)
Listening
Verb
Give one's attention to a sound.
Example: The reason why you don't close deals is that you are not listening to the customers.
fr: Écoute
Loyalty
Noun
The choice of using the product or service provided by a certain company or business over competitors.
Example: Getting customers in the store is nice, but the real goal is to gain their loyalty.
fr: Fidélité
Persona
Noun
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.
Example: Every publicity we make is based around the persona we established.
fr: Persona
Personalization
Noun
Tailoring support to individual customers by attaching names, faces, and a generally “human” touch to your communication.
Example: Adding a little bit of personalization makes our customers happier and more loyal.
fr: Personnalisation
Proactive
Adjective
An act of taking steps to help control a (negative) situation before it even becomes an issue.
Example: Enrique is a very proactive employee, he solves problems before they even happen.
fr: Proactif
Review
Noun
A customer’s publicized opinion about your service, product or company.
Example: In fifteen years working here I have never received one bad review.
fr: Critique
Sales
Noun
The exchange of a commodity for money; the action of selling something.
Example: Sales have been going up since we lowered the price.
fr: Ventes
Sales team
phrase
A sales team is clearly a section of staff dedicated to selling a business's product or service to customers. As a whole, a sales team is responsible for meeting the growth goals of a company in terms of the sale of products, subscriptions, services, and so on.
Example: I believe my sales team will do the best numbers this trimester.
fr: Équipe de vente
Satisfaction
Noun
Fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this.
Example: Are you sure you don't need anything else? Your satisfaction is my priority.
fr: La satisfaction
Survey
Noun
A questionnaire sent to the customer—generally after resolving the issue—to find out how happy they were with the support they received.
Example: Can you complete this survey to tell us about your customer experience?