It’s no secret that business — in any industry — is extremely competitive. Winning over customers is a constant battle, and businesses are willing to invest a pretty penny if it means driving both consumer and customer attention away from their competitors.
But skimping on the quality of your customer support could cost you, no matter how much money you dump into marketing your products or services. According to a study by NewVoiceMedia, U.S. businesses with poor customer service and support lose approximately $41 billion annually.
Your customers expect you to help them whenever they need. But if you’re still not convinced that investing in your customer support and service is worth the pay off, here are three reasons why you should:
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It’s a good way to promote your products.
Besides helping customers resolve their issues, customer support can also be leveraged to promote your products or services. Your customer support and marketing departments should collaborate to ensure that your range of services is presented properly. This includes:
- Promoting content that answers frequently asked questions with the help of customer support.
- Requesting customer feedback to help your customer support team anticipate issues and work on solutions.
- Collaborating to brainstorm new ideas for product placement and marketing.
Finance experts say that, with support’s help, companies can increase their sales by at least 50 percent.
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It’s an investment in your staff.
By investing in customer service and support, you provide employment opportunities to people who will be valuable assets to your company as they’ll learn your product inside and out.
It’s important to deploy a ticket-management system to maintain both workloads and employees’ expectations. This will ensure that your support team can be effective no matter the workload or team size. According to Forbes, 49 percent of consumers have switched vendors due to poor support.
Provide regular workshops and seminars that enforce positive responses and protocols when difficult situations arise. Let your employees learn from their own mistakes and teach them how to analyze the errors made.
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It’s the right thing to do.
Your customers are the most valuable resource you have — you create products and offer services for them. Offering them high-quality support shows you’re investing in making your products or services better.
Follow these principles to provide top-notch customer service:
- Truly listen to your customers: 79 percent of customers complain because their requests are frequently ignored. Every customer has a right to be listened to, and addressing issues quickly will prevent them from snowballing into bigger issues.
- Work smarter, not harder: If it’s hard for you to handle all requests, try categorizing the most common ones and providing answers to them on your website. Starbucks is a great example of providing that kind of service. Plus, it will unload your customer service a little bit.
- Take a personal approach: Netflix gained its popularity by analyzing its content and offering customized recommendations. Take the time to think about retention measures you can implement so your customers are willing to stay with you even if they encounter an issue.
Without a doubt, investing in customer service and support is a must for your business. After all, taking care of your customers is your responsibility, and your hard work will definitely pay off!
Take it a step further.
Do you run a business? What customer service tips would you share with our readers? We'd love to hear from you!
