Businesses are always eager to set themselves apart from competitors. However, a crowded marketplace can make it tricky to differentiate your company. For retailers and service providers, in particular, it can be difficult to distinguish your brand from others in the market.
According to the latest statistics, customer service is becoming increasingly important to consumers and business buyers. In fact, 96% of people surveyed by Microsoft maintained that customer service plays an important role when choosing which company to engage with. In addition to this, 55% of people are willing to spend more on a product or service if they’re guaranteed great customer service.
Making customer care your unique selling proposition or USP is a viable way to achieve commercial success. With the potential to increase customer retention, expand your market share and enhance loyalty, there are clear financial gains to be made by implementing effective customer service processes.
If you want to boost your business, take a look at these top tips for making great customer service your USP.
1. Facilitate Multi-channel Customer Care
Today’s consumers expect to be able to get in touch with you in a number of ways. Instead of providing customer service only via the phone, explore other ways to facilitate communication. Popular options include:
- Social media platforms
- Online chat
- Company forums
- Apps
2. Use a CRM
A CRM or customer relationship management system is essential for businesses. As well as enabling you to maintain accurate and up to date customer records, the right CRM system will ensure your firm meets the relevant data processing regulations too. Furthermore, many CRM systems have in-built marketing tools, which means you can automate personalized marketing strategies quickly and simply.
Of course, finding the right CRM system for your organization is critical to its successful implementation. Comparing the features, pricing, and compatibility of well-known CRM systems will help you to gauge which one is most suited to your business needs. For example, visit the PieSync website and you can read this detailed comparison of Hubspot and Salesforce to get an idea of what factors to assess when choosing a CRM system. The PieSync website also has other comparisons you can read if neither of these is suitable.
3. Put Things Right
Even the most customer-centric companies get things wrong from time to time. Being prepared to deal with valid complaints will ensure you can respond appropriately, considerately and efficiently. While it’s important to try and minimize the risk of things going wrong, it’s equally vital to have an effective complaints protocol in place too.
When you respond to customer concerns in line with their expectations, you can even enhance the customer’s opinion of your firm and make them feel even more valued.
Prioritizing Great Customer Service
Being known for delivering great service won’t just help you to acquire new customers, it will ensure you retain your existing customer base too. As businesses strive to boost profits despite shrinking margins, the gains to be made by prioritizing great customer care simply can’t be overlooked.
