How can we help you?? Providing Great Customer Service — a priority for small businesses
By Gunjan Chandok
“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” — Walt Disney
A great idea, seed capital, and some human resource on the job is not sufficient to get a new business going. Right from the initial stage, great customer service helps in building a solid base for further growth and development of a business.
There is a thin line of difference between a good company and a great company- customers feel more valued and regarded when associated with a great company. Irrespective of the size and scale of the company, customer service occupies the topmost position in the list of company objectives.
“You’ll never have a product or price advantage again. They can be too easily duplicated. But a strong customer service culture cannot be copied.” — Jerry Fritz
Understanding Customer Service…
It is the support provided by a business to its customers prior to and post-purchase of the products or services from the business. It also includes keeping a track of the usage and experience of the customers during an entire customer’s buying cycle.
Customer retention although is a primary objective, improved image of the brand comes as an added bonus.
These days customer service is not just limited to the traditional telephone support model rather it has now evolved to providing support and engaging customers across channels like:
- Live Chat
- Text messaging
- Social media, and
- Self-service support, where customers can get answers on their own, irrespective of the time of the day.
So How Can Small Businesses Provide Great Customer Service
- Customers can build their perception within seconds about a business. Particularly, when it comes to small businesses, creating the first impression is important. Using the magic words, “Please” and “Thank You” goes a long way in earning customer trust, loyalty and appreciation.
- A “can-do attitude” helps businesses become more dependable and worthy of customer trust. It builds certainty with customers and reinstates that their decision to buy products from the company has not gone in the wrong direction. Phrases such as “I don’t know,” “I can’t,” “You have to…” reflect complacency and a laid-back approach signaling a negative attitude. Such phrases prove to be unhelpful and act as triggers for already frustrated customers.
- Adding a personal touch by giving calls to the customers goes a long way in staying connected with the customers. Although in today’s fast-paced era, short personalized emails can be great support instead of an overloaded and lengthy email.
- Following up and maintaining contact with clients helps customers realize their value and highlight the importance of customer experience for the business.
Impact of a Great Customer Service
Running a small business invites competition from bigger & better market players. Small businesses have a smaller bunch of customers to manage which in turn gives the chance to impress and retain the customers for longer periods.
Lasting impressions are embedded in the mental framework of customers. These impressions get transferred to their acquaintances via word of mouth leading to new customer acquisitions.
A Great Customer Service brings with it below stated 5 advantages for small businesses:
1. Escalating trend of sales.
Managing the existing set of customers might land a business in a laid-back position, thus, finding new customers has to be a priority. Customer service helps in increasing sales since not only the existing customers but also the prospective ones have questions to ask.
As per recent reports, 52% of customers are willing to abandon online purchases if they don’t find the information they’re seeking.
2. Retaining customers.
As per an oft-quoted statistic, acquiring customers costs 6–7 times more than retaining your existing ones. Keeping in mind the time availability and resources with a small business, satisfying customers becomes more critical in running and operating a small business.
As per a report of the U.S. Small Business Administration, 68% of customers tend to leave since they were upset with the treatment they’ve received. Hence, swift and considerate service for the customers goes a long way in earning their loyalty.
3. Discovering opportunities for cross-selling and upselling
With the advent of advanced systems such as Customer relationship Management (CRM) and platforms like Mezchip, everyone in the company are aware of the customers.
- Support agents have access to order histories, open opportunities, and shipping status.
- Salespeople are aware when a customer requires assistance
4. Improvising the products and services being offered
The support team serves as an important link to the external business environment as they establish a connection on a real-time basis. The inputs derived from their interaction with the customers serve as important leads for improving the quality of service delivery and products being offered.
5. Make better business decisions.
Customer service tools have multiple uses — apart from providing service to the customers, they contribute to the virtual improvement of various business aspects such as customer satisfaction scores, the performance of the agents which further aids in taking better and improved decisions for the business.
For a majority of people, good customer service is an expectation, customers need their queries to be answered and issues resolved but that’s not sufficient to stand out from others in the competition.
So how do you stand out?
The answer lies in transforming good customer service into a Great one!! Small businesses do not require a big budget or a big team to do that, just some brainstorming, the right tools, and an empathetic thoughtful attitude towards their customers.
Looking for ways to manage your customer support better and stand out from others? Book a demo at mezchip to let us help you better!!
