Great products attract people, but exceptional customer service makes them stay. You need to take care of your customers to experience business growth. It's not always enough to innovate and be creative with your offers. You must also develop good consumer relationships, which is the ultimate secret to long-term success.
According to Salesforce Research, 9 out of 10 respondents will likely become repeat customers after experiencing positive customer service. What's more interesting is that 8 out of 10 respondents are still willing to transact with the same company even after a mistake, as long as they get exceptional assistance from its representatives.
What are the Benefits of Exceptional Customer Service?
Improve Brand Image
Your existing customers are crucial to the public's overall perception of your brand. Positive feedback helps improve your reputation, while a negative remark will make people question the credibility of your business. A mixed opinion, however, can be tricky because it can mean that your business has the potential to improve or can be a sign that you favor some customers over others.
"Excellent customer service, when done consistently, eliminates mistrust about your brand," said Sam Tabak, co-founder of Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Charities. "If your current customers have nothing but praise about how you interact with them, people will see you in a positive light, which may ultimately persuade them to do business with you."
Create Loyal Customers
Comparing one business with another is not uncommon among consumers. They consider many factors when choosing the brand that delivers what they need. While great products and reasonable prices are the usual customer magnets, nothing beats the convincing power of excellent customer service.
Loyalty comes next when customers love not only your products but also the way you treat them. You must build good relationships with them because they are considered the bread and butter of your business. Without loyal customers, your company will struggle to grow. You will be stuck in a never-ending customer acquisition process, which can be costly and exhausting in the long run.
Boost Employee Morale
Excellent customer service impacts your employees' morale. It's a satisfying experience for your team when they genuinely help customers and make them happy. Your business can capitalize on this sense of accomplishment by giving employees the right training and tools to optimize their performance.
Confident employees have the best ideas for improving customer experience. They are quick at resolving conflicts and offering creative solutions that sit well with the customers. This, in turn, allows you to attract more prospects and proudly reassures them that your customer service is unmatched.
4 Powerful Practices to Deliver Winning Customer Service
1. Master the art of empathy.
Empathy is the heart of customer service. Using it to your advantage allows you to form a deeper connection with your customers.
Encourage your team not only to sympathize but also put themselves in the position of the people they're serving. Once you know why a customer decides to purchase the product, it will be easier for your team to personalize the assistance and highlight your value proposition.
"At Water Filter Guru, part of our goal is to provide safe water to our customers. The art of empathy allows us to understand their needs, especially those of their loved ones who have health complications. We are committed to offering them top-notch residential water treatment and ensuring that the water they drink is free of contamination," said Brian Campbell, Founder and Lead Water Geek of Water Filter Guru.
2. Be highly responsive to inquiries.
Answering questions is one thing. Responding to important inquiries with a sense of urgency is another. Always remember that customers' time is invaluable, and you should be attentive to their needs whenever possible.
Grant Polacheck, Head of Branding at Squad Help, suggests responding to inquiries as soon as you receive them. "Customers appreciate companies who answer their queries within the first hour of sending them. A fast response makes people feel important. It also allows your business to entertain more questions from other customers and reduce long waiting times," Polacheck explained.
Moreover, offering 24/7 live chat customer support gives your business the edge against the competition. With this, consumers can directly get in touch with a human customer service representative without delay, which is most helpful when they need immediate assistance on specific matters related to your product.
3. Make the interaction more casual.
The problem with some companies is the lack of effort to personalize customer service. Instead of sounding transactional, make your interactions casual and encourage your team to be friendly. Customers are more comfortable sharing their sentiments if you are approachable and easy to talk to.
"Refrain from using cliché phrases when chatting with your customers," suggests Jonathan Merry, co-founder of CryptoMonday.
"Cliché lines may sound robotic to your customers, which leads them to doubt the authenticity of your service. They will think your responses are scripted and that you don't understand what they really need in the first place. Instead, laugh with your customers and be sad with them. Even if the issue takes time to resolve, the experience will become more memorable because of your emotional connection with the customers."
4. Go the extra mile.
Going the extra mile never gets old in customer service. Meeting and exceeding expectations not only proves how much you want to help your customers but also shows your drive to add value to your interactions.
Not every company is willing to go above and beyond its usual practices. Some argue that it takes a considerable amount of time and money to impress people who will eventually leave you for another company.
Peter Hoopis, President of Peter Hoopis, believes otherwise. "Going the extra mile doesn't always mean giving special discounts or offering anything that will cost money for the business. You can also show it through simple gestures, such as allowing customers to purchase items in your store outside business hours because you know their situation is urgent."
"Going the extra mile means surpassing the bare minimum and sometimes slightly bending the rules to provide unparalleled customer service," Hoopis added.
Make the Customer Journey Memorable
Providing exceptional customer support should be consistent from the start until the end of the customer journey. If you want to boost loyalty, your high-quality customer service should extend even beyond that. The key is applying all the above practices and consistently committing to them to deliver memorable and winning customer service.
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