During times of economic uncertainty, great customer service can help your business survive by building relationships with your customers that make them want to return for more.
A horrible customer service experience can sour even the most incredible product or service. And a wonderful experience with your customer service team can help you retain customers and build your bottom line. In a best-case scenario, your happy customers will tell their friends and colleagues about your company, attracting more business to your organization and building a positive brand image.
Sales & Marketing Staffing Agency in Minneapolis Describes the Value of Customer Service for a Business
Customer service is how your company interacts with its customers before, during, and after a purchase. Your customer service team is often the first contact a customer has with your organization and is responsible for setting the tone for the relationship. Customer service occurs during a transaction and afterward if issues arise after a purchase. Providing exceptional customer service can have the following benefits:
Adds Value to your Product or Service
When customers are treated well, they associate positive feelings with their purchase, adding value to your product or service. In some cases, excellent service delivery can even justify a higher price tag. A helpful and knowledgeable service team can help customers gain familiarity with all the features of their purchase, further increasing its value.
Gets You Ahead of the Competition
People remember great customer experiences, and they want to repeat them. For example, you’ll never forget the call center representative that talked you through a tricky technical glitch that crashed your website…or the server that gave you the wrong order and refused to take it off the bill. You’ll likely stick with that tech company—just like you’ll probably never go to that restaurant again. You want people to remember their experience with your company in a positive light.
If your industry is highly commoditized, then customer service can provide an essential competitive edge. Your customer service representatives build stronger relationships with customers with every positive interaction. Hopefully, those relationships lead to loyalty, and the next time your customer needs a similar product, they will remember your great service and return to your company. When customers trust you to provide an excellent product backed up by a great experience, they have no reason to consider your competitors. In fact, 68% of consumers are willing to pay more for products and services from a company with a strong record of good customer service.
Increased Customer Retention & Revenue
According to Zendesk, 81% of consumers say a positive customer service experience increases the chance of them making another purchase. However, after one bad experience, 61% will switch to a competitor. Two bad experiences? 76% of your customers will jump ship.
Since it’s less expensive to retain customers than to attract new ones, providing great service can also lead to higher profitability. 84% of organizations working to improve customer service report an increase in revenue.
Boosts Employee Morale & Reduces Employee Turnover
Proactively working to improve customer service in your organization can improve employee satisfaction. By ensuring that employees have the tools and training to do their jobs well, you empower them to make more customers happy—and get fewer morale-shattering complaints. No one likes to be on the receiving end of a customer rant and not know how to fix the problem. Eventually, job frustration can cause an employee to quit—leading to expensive turnover in your organization. A strong customer service program creates happy customers, creating happy, loyal employees.
Higher Chances of Referrals and Word of Mouth Marketing
Word of mouth is one of the best—and cheapest— forms of advertising. When consumers are happy with your product and service, they will likely tell their friends about your company and leave a positive review. Similarly, if they are unhappy, they are likely to tell even more people about it and leave a scathing review. Customer service agents are your link to customers, and a stellar experience can lead to great buzz and reviews for your company.
How Can You Provide Better Customer Service?
Now that you understand the benefits of providing great customer service, you wonder how you can help your team provide a better customer experience. Depending on your industry, you may have unique opportunities to offer value to your customer. The customer experience can be subjective; a good customer experience for one consumer might be a terrible experience for another. However, making it easy to do business with you is a surefire way to improve your service experience. Here are four questions to help you identify areas for service improvement:
- How can we better help customers who want to purchase a product or service? Ensuring your team is knowledgeable about your company’s products and services will help them answer customer questions and provide outstanding service. In some cases, free samples or resources may help customers make decisions faster.
- How can we offer the most help during the purchasing process? Consider getting feedback from your customers and service representatives about what might make the purchase process simpler. Is it easy to place an order? When errors occur, is there a quick fix? Targeting complaints and eliminating barriers can deliver a better customer experience during the purchasing process.
- How can we assist customers after they have made a purchase? Providing customer support is a critical element of excellent customer service. Frustrated customers can leave negative reviews, adversely impacting your organization’s reputation. Consider thinking of ways you can quickly solve customer issues—or provide resources to prevent problems from occurring.
- How can we stay top-of-mind with current customers to ensure future business? Reaching out to customers to ensure they are satisfied with their purchase provides an opportunity to remind them about your excellent products and services—and might inspire them to place another order.
Partner with a Staffing Agency in Minneapolis to Hire Top Talent with Effective Customer Service Skills
Looking to provide a great customer service experience for your customers? The Vision Companies can deliver friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable customer service agents to positively impact your company brand. As experts in sales and marketing staffing in Minneapolis, we help local employers find talented professionals to help them reach their business goals.
Whether you need temporary staffing services to fill short-term positions, temp-to-hire staffing to identify the best fit for your team, or direct hire services to find your next star player, contact The Vision Companies to find the best customer service professionals in Minneapolis.
