Customer service is often best provided by small businesses, according to customers.
Customers will spend more on a brand that values customer service and will be more loyal to it in the future.
Customer service teams need to be recalibrated to achieve value. The right tools and training programs, as well as understanding employee feedback, can improve customer service.
The purpose of this article is to help high-level business professionals improve the customer service in their organisations.
Customers are increasingly valuing customer service as an aspect of a company’s offerings when making a purchase decision. According to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer in 2011, great customer service accounts for a significant portion of customer loyalty.
Consumer attitudes and preferences regarding customer service were surveyed in 10 countries, including the United States. Despite the fact that the results are more than a decade old, they are still relevant.
What the Amex survey said:
Customers are more likely to stay with a company that offers excellent customer service, according to an American Express survey conducted in 2011. Smaller businesses also demonstrated a better understanding of customer service practices compared to bigger brands or companies.
Eighty-one percent of the survey respondents said small businesses provide better customer service, and 70 percent said they spent more at businesses with exceptional customer service — 13 percent more than at businesses with inferior customer service.
Customer satisfaction promotes brand loyalty
Outstanding service is worth more to consumers. However, if the transaction is not handled correctly, they will also forgo the purchase altogether, according to the Amex survey. Almost 78 percent of respondents said they had ended a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of poor service.
Based on PwC’s survey of customer loyalty in 2022, 26 percent of respondents ended their relationship with a business due to a bad experience in the past year. According to the survey, more than half of respondents want online shopping to be just as enjoyable and easy as in-person shopping.
One-third of respondents said they enjoy human interaction as the world becomes more automated, and they are more loyal to brands when they speak with real people. In addition, 82 percent of respondents said they would be more open to sharing their personal information with brands that offer good customer service, especially if they get a more personalized shopping experience.
Word of mouth matters for businesses
It doesn’t matter if you own an established brand if your customers have bad experiences with you. As effective as word-of-mouth marketing is at marketing a product, it’s also great at exposing the weaknesses of your business.
It was found in a Salesforce study that 72 percent of respondents enjoyed sharing their experiences with others. Poor word of mouth leads to customers leaving brands and reduced profits for those who do not care about customer service. You can, however, learn from what customers say online. 47 percent of respondents in a Statista study said brands who responded to customer complaints on social media were viewed more positively.
Tips to improve your business’s customer service
Changing your company’s customer service won’t happen overnight, but working directly with your customer service department and reassessing your infrastructure is the most effective way to go about it. For better customer service, consider these tips.
Make sure you have the right tools.
Customer service teams can be more efficient by automating processes. You can help your team thrive even when dealing with a multitude of customer issues and questions by using customer service software. Zendesk, Hootsuite, and LiveAgent are some of the most commonly used customer service platforms.
Looking for a way to improve your customer service and build better relationships with your target audience? Find out how CRM software can help.
Develop mastery in your team members.
As soon as you’ve provided your team members with the right tools, you should also provide them with adequate training so that they can fulfill their responsibilities and provide exceptional customer service.
Training your team in empathy, positive language, and other soft skills related to emotional intelligence will help them work with customers more effectively. While hiring people who know how to communicate effectively with different types of customers is an advantage, you should still train them to communicate effectively without sounding too transactional.
Ensure that professional development opportunities are available.
You can encourage your team members to take professional development courses in addition to the company-provided training. There are a number of customer service training programs available on Udemy and Alison, for example. Customer service training can jump-start or develop the careers of your team members.
Listen to your team’s feedback, and make necessary changes.
Team members who feel their feedback is being considered and their voices are being heard are more likely to do the same with your customers.
You can also improve your customer service by improving your company’s loyalty and implementing interactive voice response (IVR) and voice over IP systems, such as Nextiva. The social media customer service channel can help you manage your queries effectively and ultimately connect with present and future customers and deliver top-notch customer service.
There is always room for improvement when it comes to customer service
There’s always room for improvement in customer service for small businesses. It will be well worth it in the long run to invest in new technology, expand your team, or invest in training.
