Most people in the business industry know how important marketing is, but what some may not know is that customer service and marketing go hand in hand. In fact, in some respects, customer service is a method of marketing.
The Importance of Customer Service
We’ve all had the dreaded phone calls that we have to make whether it’s for professional reasons or personal reasons. Odds are that the person on the other end of that line will greatly impact the way that you feel about that call.
If you speak to Person A who exhibits strong customer service skills, there’s a chance that what was once a chore that had to be checked off of your lengthy list of things to do, became an unexpectedly pleasant part of your day.
If you speak to Person B who exhibits poor customer service skills, I can almost guarantee that you’ll probably hang up in a worse mood than you were already in when you started dialling the phone number for that obligatory call.
Needless to say, you’ll probably dread calling person B even more than before because you’ll expect that poor experience to be how all encounters with them will go. Person A’s handling of the situation might have left you feeling silly for not wanting to make that call in the first place, but odds are that you won’t dread calling as much if you do need to reach out to them again.
Investing in Customer Care?
Good customer service not only makes the situation more pleasant for all parties involved but also brings customers back. Let’s say that that phone call was a one-time thing, and you’ll never need to call Person A again. If your experience really was that pleasant and your problem was solved and you felt like Person A really cared about your problem and prioritized you, it won’t go unnoticed. This is where that marketing aspect that I mentioned before comes in.
Not only are people likely to tell everyone around them about how terrible Person B was, turning potential business away, but they are also likely to recommend Person A, bringing in more business that may not have been in their expected audience. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. What better way to draw in business than to give customers a reason to buzz happily about it?
Benefits of Building a Relationship with Customers
Due to the unspoken and undetermined value of quality customer service, customers are even willing to pay more if they know that they are going into the situation with faith that they’ll be treated properly and taken care of.
It can be really disheartening if a favourite company of yours that you’ve been investing in or dealing with for extended periods of time doesn’t take care of you as a customer when you need it. Quality customer service encourages loyalty by ensuring that the people that are investing in the company are prioritized rather than being left to fend for themselves. That being said, if we have two companies that are identical in every way except for the quality of their customer service, the company with better customer service has a competitive advantage. Success starts from within.
Online Review Criteria for Customer Service
The reassurance that as a customer, you can make a mistake and rely on the company to help you handle the situation. Bringing that comfort and reassurance to the table can make it easier for people to make the decision that spending money on your company isn’t that big of a risk. If you hear that a company’s customer service is a nightmare, would you want to deal with them at all? Things happen and life gets in the way sometimes, it happens to everyone. The only difference is which companies you choose to associate with and how they’ll help you get around any potential obstacles.
Even if a customer doesn’t tell everyone they know about how excellent their customer service experience with you was, there’s a chance that they will leave a positive review. The importance of positive ratings is underestimated on a regular basis.
Speaking from personal experience, when I started my current career path, I couldn’t seem to get any work. I had the experience to back me up, but I didn’t have any reviews on my profile. It was a frustrating process as I waited for someone to hire me. How was I supposed to get the ratings and reviews that I needed if nobody would trust me to begin with?
A lot of people encourage having family and friends leave your first handful of reviews to kick-start the process, but I dismissed this whole idea thinking that I could just put myself out there and I’d get hired. I think I speak for most people when I say that considering I won’t buy anything on Amazon without scrolling all the way down to take a look at the reviews, ratings, and what everyone had to say about the product, I’m more likely to put my hard-earned money into something that has been reviewed, that people genuinely enjoyed, and that I know I can trust.
Finding the Key to Building Long Lasting Relationships with Customers
We live in a world that can be very isolating, especially when you’re in an “Every man for himself!” situation, but that shouldn’t be the case. In a time where we are more easily connected than ever before, it’s amazing how little attention human interaction gets.
While, yes, there are some characteristics that people have that naturally make them good at customer service, there are also skills that can be taught and developed over time.
Active listening, patience, problem-solving, empathy, responding quickly, and being positive are all large factors in providing quality customer service.
Perhaps the most underestimated of all skills required in order to provide quality customer service is strong communication. Communication is important in all areas of life and can help to facilitate situations without all the hassle.
Have a Valuable Relationship with Your Customers blog post was written by Alyssa to 7needs. Her conversational style is evident in her writing. If you want to start working on improving your skills for potential customer service, start with communication. You can practice these skills anywhere, with anyone. Let us know in the comments what you think! Check out the collection of our business strategy blog posts.
Plan & Strategise
We may be living in the age of automation, but we still need people at the heart of companies to plan and execute strategy. Companies are shifting from product-led growth to customer-centric strategies that rely on market insights and an understanding of how to optimize for the future. Understanding your customers, competitors and the market is key to success.
7needs can help you with forward-thinking, strategic planning and strategy implementation to execute growth that is scalable and sustainable. Schedule a call today for a strategy consultation to learn how we can help you reach your goals.
