Consumers today are always drawn to businesses that offer above-average customer service. Your customers’ needs are crucial throughout the buyer’s journey, and for long term success in your industry, it’s vital to prioritise customer service.
Good customer service not only grows your business but gives customers confidence that you will always be available to solve their problems. Consumers now have many options and won’t want to stay with a company that doesn’t provide the service they seek. So if you are wondering why you should make more investments in your customer service, here are five reasons:
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Get More Referrals
Happy customers will always be willing to spread the word to their family, friends, and work colleagues. Think about the last time you had a positive experience with a brand, how excited were you to tell others. It’s natural to share your positive brand experience because you want others to commit to a trusted brand. Word of mouth marketing doesn’t require spending money on advertising. As long as you give your customers the right reason, they have the potential to be your biggest supporters.
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Retain More Customers
It costs more to attract a new customer than to keep existing ones and this shows it’s more cost-efficient to retain customers than to get a new one. In fact, only a 5% increase in your retention rate can cause an increase in profit by at least 25%. The reason is that repeat customers are more likely to spend more with your brand. Excellent customer service is crucial to building these kinds of loyal relationships.
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Boost Brand Image and Reputation
While you may have an idea of what your brand should represent, there could be a disconnect between what you want your brand to represent and how customers view it. Customers will typically judge and make assumptions about your brand based on your social media, advertisements, and other content from your brand.
However, your customer service team connects to your customers, and it can be difficult to establish direct communication without them. This is why your customer service team is crucial to building your brand image. They are your customer’s front line of support and if done properly, customers will trust you and see how much you value them. Keep in mind that every successful business is built on trust.
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Customers Aren’t Hindered by Price
A survey reveals that up to 85% of consumers will pay 25% more for a better customer service experience. This indicates the importance of customer service so much that some customers are willing to pay more just to interact with a business that does it well.
Many companies today are prioritising customer service and any company that doesn’t won’t survive. One experience can be the deciding factor for a customer and if it’s negative, that could send them right into the arms of your competitor. But if you give your customers a positive experience, that could make them loyal to you for life.
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Your Business Will Grow
The major reason for investing in your customer service is to grow your business. However, every business, whether it is a small startup or a large company needs to have professionals to handle customer problems and a great way to do is through customer service outsourcing.
By outsourcing your customer service, you will get access to experts that can handle both small or major issues efficiently. This also allows your management to devote more time to other aspects of the company and use human capital better. If you want to run an organisation that is effective and successful, you don’t want to have your resources spread too thin. Hiring an outside team of customer service professionals will ensure your customers get what they need when they need it and through the mediums they need it.
Related article: 8 Pointers to Fuel Customer Service Growth in 2020 and Beyond
Conclusion
Out of every 100 businesses, only 5 last up to the 10-year mark- a 95% failure rate. If you are serious about achieving success with your business, you have to focus on what is most important: your customers. Without them, your business would cease to exist. The importance of customer service to any business cannot be overemphasised. This is why you should ensure your customers can effectively communicate with your business. If you give your customers the service they seek and deserve, they will always remain loyal to you.
