Jay Manangan suggests 5 long-lasting benefits of good customer service.
Considering that customers are your lifeblood, you need to focus on making them happy. Without customers, you won’t have any business, and in the end, you won’t have a company. Therefore improving your customer service should be a priority for your company.
Great customer service is an excellent way to ensure that your existing clientele keeps on coming back. Attracting new customers is relatively difficult.
However, extending that hand to people who already have a certain level of trust towards you and establishing a relationship is not only comparatively easier, but will have long-term benefits for the growth of your small business, such as:
1. Offsetting Price
Let’s face it—the very real threat of huge corporations is a competitor you must always consider. They can afford to secure their supply in bulk, resulting in lower prices across the board. It’s what has allowed physical stores like Wal-Mart and online stores like Amazon to reign supreme, undercutting their brick-and-mortar rivals.
You have an ace up your sleeve, however. While you may not be able to match them in price, you’ll be able to provide better, more personal, customer service. Use your relative smallness to create a tailored customer service program, and show that you care about the customer.
2. Repeat Business
Remember that the customer is always right, and that they are more valuable to you than you are to them. Simply showing your appreciation to the customers who have patronized your business goes a long way towards getting that valuable mindshare. When your customers remember who you are for good reasons, it will increase their chances of coming back.
Send them a thank-you note whenever they buy anything, offer them exclusive promotions, and let them know that should any problems arise, you’ll provide follow-through support. This level of dedication will be noted, and they’ll know who to look for in the future.
3. Improved Employee Morale
Implementing an excellent customer service strategy doesn’t just benefit your end users. Its positive effects will show in your employees as well. Once your customers begin showing satisfaction with your products and service, your employees will take great pride in their work and their results. They’ll want to keep this up, and maintain the high standard that you all have established, resulting in steadily rising progress.
4. Differentiation
The dominance of big business has resulted in customers thinking that they matter very little to these giant, faceless corporations. Differentiate yourself from these large companies by giving customers what they are looking for.
Focus on customer service as part of your marketing campaign, and actually walk the walk. Show them that you care about their aims and purposes, and work together to make your company a better one. You’ll quickly stand out.
5. Better Reputation
Whenever people have extreme experiences—good or bad— with any company, they will usually spread the word. Make sure that you provide rock-solid customer service, and you will reap the benefits of rapid word-of-mouth. With the proliferation of social media, word-of-mouth has become especially significant. Use this to your advantage, and you’ll essentially be getting free advertising.
With more and more people believing in you, your product, and your customer service, customer confidence will increase, and you’ll achieve brand recognition.
Trust will be implicit in your name and logo, and people will know subconsciously that you are a company that delivers. Customer service is the key to the hearts of your customers, and understanding these customer service benefits is the first step towards establishing that valuable brand.
About the Author
Jay Manangan is an active blogger and marketing strategist for BPO Australasia.
