Did you know that up to 75 percent of customers expect consistent and reliable customer service when engaging with your brand?
As a business owner, you need to understand that customer experiences define your brand and every other aspect of your business. Today, the path to winning customers is no longer just the product or service you deliver; it’s also how you treat your potential and existing customers.
Here are some of the reasons why it’s important to improve your customer service.
1. Customer Experience is the New Product
No one wants to engage with a business that treats them poorly. This simple fact has pushed businesses to start selling their customer experiences. It’s no longer enough to just focus on products or services. Consumers want and sometimes even expect personalized experiences from brands. If you want your customers to stay loyal, you have to redefine your customer experience.
For example, Mercedes Benz has installed large TV screens at some of their dealerships; these screens display welcome messages that greet customers by their names as they enter the service area or showroom. The Mercedes Benz app recognizes the customer when they walk in. A welcome message on a TV screen might sound like something very small, but it makes Mercedes’ customers feel recognized and important.
Other brands ship candy or “thank you” cards with their products so that customers feel appreciated or like they got something for free.
How can you make your customer experiences stand out? Gather and analyze customer data to find effective ways of “wowing” your customers. Listen to customer feedback and figure out how you can make their interactions with your business not only more efficient, but also more pleasant and unique.
2. Keep Your Churn Rate Down
52 percent of customers say they’re likely to switch brands if they don’t get the quality of service they expect. If consumers get frustrated when you don’t provide consistent and reliable customer service, you’ll experience high churn rates. A high churn rates simply means you do not retain customers.
Keep in mind that frustrated customers are likely to tell other people about their experiences with your business. However, if you offer excellent service, up to 72 percent of customers will share their experiences with others. So, you need to start engaging with your customers in a way that makes them feel appreciated, valued and respected.
Customers are not just numbers, but people. For example, you must return missed calls, follow up on any complaints and problems, and avoid long hold times. If you have issues with customer calls, then it helps to use an answering service. A professional live answering service will ensure that all of your customers’ calls are answered by a polite and professional live human. It also means that calls are triaged and handled in an efficient manner. When customers feel that they are able to get prompt responses from your business, they are much more likely to feel satisfied. Thus reducing your churn rate!
3. Be Different from the Competition
Your brand and business are somewhat defined based on your customers’ opinions. Good customer experience will certainly lead to better customer reviews and testimonials and this is important if you want to stay ahead of the competition.
If you’re in a saturated field, such as dental, plumbing, or legal services, high quality and reliable customer service really matters. When customers are faced with two competitive options, they’re likely to consider the company with high ratings and better reviews. Even if a competitor offers the exact same product and charges less for it, if their online reviews are horrible and yours aren’t, it’s extremely likely that you can win the business.
Essentially, you need to give customers a reason to choose you over your competitors. Providing exceptional customer service is one way you can do just that!
4. Happy Customers Are Much Easier to Do Business With
How many times have you had to call your cable company knowing that you are going to get pushed through an automated menu, sit on hold for 45 minutes and have to attempt to communicate with someone who speaks broken English to get your problem resolved? Don’t you feel frustrated just knowing you have to make the call in the first place? You’re already frustrated when you finally get to speak to a live person.. No matter how kind you are, it can be difficult not to be a bit on edge in these situations.
When a company has already provided you with horrific customer service, you dread having to deal with the company. When something happens that forces you to deal with that company then you are probably NOT in a good mood. Your customers are no different.
Providing your customers with superior customer service means that they don’t dread calling you. And that’s better for everyone involved.
Provide Consistent and Reliable Customer Service
To deliver the best customer experience, you have to put in some extra work. You need to deliver unique and positive customer experiences, make yourself available to resolve issues and you need to stand out among your competitors, but the most important thing you need to do is be consistent and reliable. If you do all of the things discussed in this article, but you do them inconsistently then you will not reap any benefits from these suggestions.
Make a plan and implement any changes to your customer experiences in a manner that’s reliable and consistent. Make sure that your entire organization is aware of the changes so that every person involved in the customer journey knows how operations are being changed to accommodate improved customer experiences. Even making a small change to the way you handle customers and the experiences they’re having with your company can lead to huge increases in revenue!
Do you have any question about customer service? Feel free to reach out to us for help.
