Why Customer Service Is More Important Than You Think
In a world where we want things done right away, it ca be easy to let customer service concepts slip out of your line of sight. Yet, customer service is more important than you think.
Your Clients Have More Choices Than Ever Before
Customer service matters because your clients have more choices than ever before. Not long ago, most people were limited to choosing providers in their area. With easy access to the Internet, people can choose from service providers from all over their state, their nation, or sometimes from other parts of the world. Good customer service makes your business stand out from the competition. Creating a client-centric environment is one of the best ways that you can give yourself an edge in your industry.
Client Loyalty Is Key to Your Success
When clients aren’t happy with a service provider, they can choose someone else. Client loyalty is the key to your success. Customer service plays a large part in client loyalty. When clients feel like you care about them, they’re more likely to stay even if they aren’t totally happy with the service that you provided.
Some simple customer service techniques you can use to show clients that you care include:
- Returning emails sent to your office within 24 business hours. You don’t necessarily need to have all the answers when you respond. Just the acknowledgement of the email and letting the client know that you need some time to look into it can make clients feel special.
- Returning all messages within 24 business hours. It’s the same concept as returning emails. No one likes to wait. In some industries, waiting on a return call for days can be flat out terrifying for clients.
- Give the client your undivided attention when you’re with them. Even if they’re not your only client, treat them as if they are when they are with you. Making clients feel special and giving them the attention that they deserve is one more way that you can make them happy.
Customer Service Protects Your Reputation
Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, Google, the BBB, and consumer complaint sites exist and can give your business a bad reputation. There are some people who simply leave bad reviews to be mean (even if they’ve never used your services). Yet, often negative reviews are left because a (former) client doesn’t believe that they truly received what they paid for when they contracted with your services.
Using customer service to protect the reputation of your business is an ongoing process. It doesn’t stop when someone is unhappy. It doesn’t stop when someone leaves a negative review. Customer service policies should be created and used during the client relationship. The policies should address areas like returning phone calls, billing, payments, refunds, and questions about your services or your methods. Of course, you may have specific areas that you want to cover.
If a client contacts you and expresses their unhappiness, you should address the issue. Make sure that you hear them out. Don’t interrupt while they are speaking. Don’t patronize them. Act like a problem solver.
There are some people who believe that you shouldn’t respond to online negativity. To some degree, this can be true. You don’t want to get into an exchange of negative opinions or words. Yet, if someone is reaching out via social media and informing people of a bad experience they had with your company, you need to respond. If you don’t at least try to make it right, you could potentially lose social media followers and future business.
Need Help Handling Your Customer Service?
We know you’re busy. You have a lot to do as a business owner. If you need help handling customer service for your business, contact Clients ARM. With more than 30 years of experience, we use old fashioned customer service principles along with great technology in order to provide your clients with the customer service that they need and deserve. From client intake to creating a customer service line, we can help. The best part? Your clients never know that they’re not calling your office. Calls are routed to Clients ARM via an unused extension for your office. Clients ARM becomes a natural extension of your business. Put our 30 years of experience to work for you. Contact us now and schedule your free consultation with our CEO.
