A good customer relationship is essential if you want to promote customer engagement and retention. That’s why your company should invest in valuable resources to promote a more efficient dialogue. In this sense, psychological triggers in customer service can improve customer relationship and reduce points of friction.
If you still don’t use this strategy, read this article and find out how to apply it and provide quality customer service.
What are psychological triggers?
Psychological triggers, also known as behavioral influencers, are external stimuli that, when received by our brain, directly influence our decision.
They act as shortcuts that lead to quick intuitive decisions, often without thinking about the reasons.
Main psychological triggers
Now that you know what psychological triggers are, here are common types of psychological triggers used in customer service:
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Reciprocity
Reciprocity creates trust and collaboration between the customer and the company. It can happen by offering a high-value product, such as information and gifts. Then, when customers receive benefits, they feel the company is providing a more humanized and personalized experience.
As a result, customers tend to reciprocate, strengthening customer retention and brand advocacy.
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Trust
Trust is built when the company demonstrates that it can solve problems efficiently. This conveys authority, knowledge, and credibility. This way, customers feel more comfortable sharing their needs, doubts, and concerns.
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Social proof
Social proof is based on presenting evidence that validates the service quality and helps build a positive reputation. Examples include testimonials, reviews, and success stories, which directly influence the purchase decision and the long-term relationship between the consumer and the company.
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Humanization
Humanization is based on creating an emotional and personal connection between the company and the customer. Through empathy, understanding, and attention, the organization recognizes the consumer needs and offers personalized solutions, enhancing brand loyalty and reputation and building stronger relationships.
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Authority
Authority refers to demonstrating knowledge, efficiency, and experience in solving specific problems, which therefore positions the company as an expert. This way, companies can build trust and reduce consumer uncertainty, ensuring more effective interactions.
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Scarcity
Scarcity creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity that causes fear of missing out. As a result, consumers experience a desire to have a specific product of limited availability. It leads to quick decisions and generates a sense of priority, as the customer wants to have a unique or rare item.
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Novelty
Novelty causes a sense of value, arousing curiosity and needs that are already part of the consumer’s imagination. It’s very effective for brands that already have loyal customers, as it feeds the consumer’s need to learn about new products or services.
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Security
This psychological trigger is used to create a sense of security, ensuring protection against unwanted situations and persuading customers to make purchase decisions.
How can psychological triggers be used in business?
Psychological triggers in customer service promote more strategic interactions. After all, they can create needs and even reduce conflicts by implicitly influencing decisions.
Techniques such as scarcity, social proof, and reciprocity are examples of triggers that can create a sense of urgency, increase trust in the product, and strengthen connections to the brand.
However, everyone reacts differently to these triggers. For this reason, it’s important to identify the profile of your consumers and, based on this, use the triggers strategically.
How can psychological triggers be used in customer service?
Customer service teams can improve customer relationships using psychological triggers. To use these triggers ethically and effectively, it’s important to describe their appropriate use in the team playbook.
In addition, set clear guidelines that explain when and how to use each strategy. Do you still have doubts about how to use psychological triggers in customer service? Here are some suggestions:
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Reciprocity
There are many ways to use reciprocity in customer service. For example, thank customers for their loyalty. A simple “thank you” for a purchase or positive feedback can make all the difference.
Also, don’t forget to implement aspects of your customer feedback that make sense for your business. Show that you value your customers’ opinions and adopt measures to improve your services based on their feedback.
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Authority
Psychological triggers in customer service can also be used to highlight a company’s authority. For instance, you can use them in the introduction of your experts in website profiles, email signatures or marketing materials, highlighting the expertise and experience of your service team. You can also provide detailed and specific explanations while solving problems, demonstrating knowledge and capacity.
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Trust
One of the best ways to use the trust trigger in customer service is through clear and honest communication. Therefore, be transparent in all interactions and avoid empty promises and outdated or incomplete information.
Another strategy is to offer fair warranty and return policy. So demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction by offering clear, easy-to-understand policies with generous exchange or return periods.
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Humanization
Empathy and respect are essential characteristics in customer service! In addition, you can use humanization to really connect with your audience.
Show genuine interest in their problems and needs by using friendly language and active listening. Also, avoid complex technical terms in humanized customer service and use simple straightforward language that everyone can understand.
It will create a welcoming and inclusive environment. You can also personalize your service by tailoring your communication to the individual needs of every customer. So, call them by their names, and consider their preferences and purchase history.
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Security
With this trigger, you can offer customers peace of mind. For example, offer multiple service channels, so customers can easily contact your company.
Also, fast and efficient service shows that your business is able to solve your customer issues quickly and efficiently. It will minimize wait times and frustration.
This is where technology can help your business, whether with self-service tools like FAQs, chatbots or customer portals to speed up the process. Another strategy to use this trigger in your service is to keep customers informed about the progress of their requests through email, SMS or app notifications.
This is a great way to demonstrate security and reliability.
Read more: 5 ways to improve customer service – a guide for agents and managers
Count on Milvus to improve the performance of your service and support team
Now that you know all about psychological triggers in customer service and the importance of efficient processes, you can use different technological tools to support you, such as Milvus.
Milvus is a comprehensive customer service management solution with automation features, ticket management, data analysis, and much more. All these features are offered without losing the humanization of customer service.
This way, it is possible to identify data and information about customers in order to define which triggers can have a better result in each action.
To learn more about our platform and the features of our customer service system, contact us now for a free trial.
