DOES YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE OUT SHINE YOUR COMPETITION?
Attracting new customers can be time consuming and expensive. All forms of customer attraction now have a price attached to them. However, if you can hold on to the customers that you have fought so hard to win, you are already moving forward. Maintaining a loyal customer base will always be more cost effective than constantly acquiring new ones.
You may have noticed that those organisations that work hard at customer service are the ones that get noticed and talked about in a positive way. Let’s see how we can put your business into that category. To do this we have pulled together some great tips on customer service that will make an impact on extending the lifetime value of your customers.
Understanding your product or service
Detailed product knowledge is the first tip. Whoever deals with your customers should have comprehensive knowledge about your products or services. They should know and understand the features and benefits, so how does it work? How do you use it safely and correctly? You never know what questions your customers will come to you with, so it’s good to be armed with knowledge, or know exactly who to talk to who has that knowledge.
Great communication
As a customer, it can be annoying or downright unpleasant when we are ignored or misunderstood. These days people are not always very good listeners, and this means they assume what the other person is going to say rather than actively listening. Being an active listener means that your customers feel confident they have been heard and that their question is going to be answered appropriately. This is particularly important on social media. I recently saw an instance on Facebook where it was obvious that the organisation was using some sort of automated answering service and it made them look rather silly and downright lacking in consideration.
This brings me on to how you respond to your customers. Most customers appreciate conciseness and accuracy above everything else. They want their question answered or their problem solved as soon as possible with as little fuss as possible. Don’t be defensive – be optimistic and positive. Give your customers confidence that you can handle the question and resolve any queries.
Another thought is to make sure you offer more than one way in which your customers can commune with you – phone numbers, email, social media options. Give them the opportunity to communicate with you in the medium in which they feel most comfortable.
Customers need to be reassured that you’re working on the problem. It’s a good idea have a standard complaints response policy to make sure every complaint is addressed in the right way. If you promptly apologise and get more details, customers are less likely to talk about their negative experiences online or with friends and family.
Understanding or empathy
It pays real dividends if you can be patient with your customer and take the time to find out what is at the root of their need. Keep asking questions until you really understand their point of view, without rushing them. If you really understand your product and the benefits it offers and have taken the time to understand your ideal customer too – you will have empathy when they talk to you. You will understand why they are interested or purchased your products and what they are hoping to gain.
Being honest
When you try to cover things up, it generally backfires and impacts on the reputation of your organisation. If you have made a mistake or a product is faulty – raise your hand and apologise. Your customer will probably be so surprised that they will take it in their stride. People value honesty and can usually tell when the wool is being pulled over their eyes. Being honest will also mean that customer will develop trust in you and your organisation. Having that trust can be important in managing a long-term relationship with them.
Flexibility
Being flexible in how you handle your customer service is important and again builds trust. This can be flexibility in the way we treat people, and in the way in which we solve problems. Just because something has been handled in one way before, doesn’t mean it always has to be handled that way. Customers respect you more and will be more flexible themselves if they can see that you are trying hard to accommodate them rather than push a square box into a round hole.
Your customers often have rubbish days too – so sometimes we must be a little forgiving. It’s always a good idea to be firm with rude customers, but don’t lose your temper – it’s not personal – just stay calm and collected. You get to demonstrate your professionalism in these circumstances which is often respected by customers. Once they have calmed down many will apologise for being ‘short tempered’. Make sure you have a company policy for how you deal with rude customers and what sort of language or behaviour you are willing to put up with – or not as the case may be. There is nothing wrong in asking a customer to talk to you once they have calmed down and you can both have a rational conversation.
Be Proactive
Take responsibility for problems and for solving them. Be pro-active with your customers. Don’t think about if this is part of your job description – just get their problem solved in the most beneficial way. This is often about taking care of the small stuff that comes up. Think about the great referrals this could bring when your customer has this type of excellent customer service.
How do you think customers feel when they are told: “There’s nothing I can do” or “That’s not our policy”? It sends the message your business doesn’t care about solving problems. Have you had this happen to you? How did it make you feel?
This is also about thinking about the outcome that the customer clearly wanted from buying your product and how you can make that happen for them.
Good service leaves customers with greater trust and admiration for your business. Choose the right follow-up action to strengthen a favourable opinion of your organisation based on each customer’s needs. For example:
- Offer a discount or credit note.
- Refund a product.
- Offer a replacement product or free repair.
- Provide personal support to choose a better product solution.
- Upgrade the customer to a higher quality product free of charge.
- Act as a go-between if the problem involves other suppliers.
When an apology is not enough
Apologising isn’t enough to keep customers satisfied if they keep facing the same problems and nothing changes. Use every opportunity to get feedback, make useful changes, and increase sales. Customers will love your business more if you listen to problems and work hard to make products or services better in the future.
Helping your business to provide the best customer service experience
Providing the best possible customer service experience should be one of your goals when running a business. But it can take time, money and effort to get your customer service up to scratch. This can also be risky when you’re a new company trying to build up a strong, reliable customer base, and a good reputation for yourself along the way.
This is where Bamboo can help, with our customer support services. This involves an experienced team that will go the extra mile in helping your customers, from taking customer phone calls to handling queries.
To learn more about these services, please visit our Customer Support page, or contact us to talk to a member of our team. Alternatively, request a free 14-day trial to experience how we can support your business.
8 REASONS WHY E-COMMERCE CUSTOMER SUPPORT IS YOUR MOST VALUABLE SERVICE
What does the term ‘Good Customer Service’ actually mean? For most, it means helping customers make the best choices and solving any problems your customers may have both quickly and efficiently.If you have an e-commerce site, then your most important priority will be to reduce your customer’s uncertainties, answer any questions, and establish enough trust to convince the shopper to buy your product or service. This can be harder for online shops because you have no physical sales assistants to help and support your shopper at the critical buying stage.
The customer experience will convert a one-time shopper into a repeat customer, helping to grow your business.
The internet is a busy place, so good customer service will convert interest into a purchase. Your attitude to customer service should be considered an opportunity to develop and build a long-term relationship with your customers. This involved going the extra mile to keep them loyal.
Why your e-commerce brand’s customer support service is so important
1. Use customer service as a foundation for your marketing
Many businesses see customer service as a competitive advantage for their e-commerce website. If this is the case, you can build your marketing around your brand’s customer friendliness. If your customer service stands out from your competitors, then you can shout about it which can, in turn, convince new customers to shop with you.
Social proof is a big help with this, especially if your real customers are like your target audience. Asking them to share their personal stories about your customer service can be key. These days it easy to do this using Facebook and Google reviews. Also, ask for testimonials and reviews of your product or service after customers have purchased. I often get an email following on from a purchase asking me to rate a product and all the large e-commerce sites have this automated.
You could request feedback, testimonials or reviews in your post-purchase email automation series and add in an incentive to help you generate more responses. You could offer something free, free shipping on their next order, or a referral to a friend discount.
2. Building trust
Building trust and loyalty can make a huge difference to your e-commerce success. Generating loyal customers will give you a competitive advantage.
In many business sectors, competition is fierce and a failure in customer service can drive customers to another online store very quickly. Customers are used to voting with their feet these days, and of course, negative feedback on social media can be very damaging.
An e-commerce website must work harder than other businesses to retain customers and develop trust. It’s so easy to lose customers without any explanation.
3. Customer support will make or break your reputation
Social media allows unhappy customers to publish their unhappiness immediately for their followers to see. This has become a bit of an epidemic recently with customers taking their frustration out on brands who disappoint them.
We have all seen evidence in the news about businesses who been hit hard by a public relations disaster because of bad publicity – especially on social media. Customers have so much more power these days.
Your business will attract negative comments if your customer support fails to live up to expectations, and this is why going the extra mile and over delivering to customers is so important.
4. Direct inquiries can be the only contact customers have with your brand
We all must deal with customer issues and problems from time to time. When these product issues crop up, we could make matters worse, or turn the situation into a positive one with exceptional customer service.
Customers can spend a significant amount of money (to them) purchasing your products. We must think about the lifetime value of a customer as opposed to the one-time cost of the product or service. Keeping your customer happy can result on a lifetime customer, a positive google or Facebook review and an additional email subscriber. This is why it’s so important to invest in good customer service.
5. Great customer service reduces overall problems
Customer service problems are part of any business. It doesn’t matter how good the online shopping experience, or how well-trained your customer service team are, how good your delivery systems – every brand will come up against customers who are worried, frustrated or concerned.
The good news is that you can reduce the impact of these customer worries with great customer service. Proactive customer service prevents problems like angry customers being kept on hold to complain about product problems, delivery issues or returns questions. Quality processes can help you reduce refunds and exchanges.
6. Excellent customer service improves and strengthens your business
If you want to improve your brand, build a solid reputation and improve the public perception of your business, the quality of customer service will help you stand out from your competition.
Referrals from customers are gold dust and you can encourage this by providing genuine, customer-first online shopping experiences. People always lend more weight to the experiences of someone they know. Social proof from friends, family, colleagues or respected influencers of your target audience will always outperform your promotional claims.
Happy customers are more likely to recommend your products to their friends and family and make positive comments about your business across different social media channels. This raises the profile of your business and helps you bring in new customers, saving you cash, time and effort in customer acquisition.
7. Customer service helps to achieve customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is the holy grail of most e-commerce businesses. One of the best ways to convert customers into repeat sales is the exceed your customers’ expectations. It’s also important to establish a personal connection with the customer.
Marketers recognize the need to meet customer’s rational and emotional expectations, focussing on surprising, delighting and satisfying their customers.
You can only create truly memorable experiences on a consistent basis with a great customer service desk. Most online shoppers are now willing to pay a premium for brands they care about and who they perceive ‘look after them’.
8. Products will be forgotten, service will be remembered
Customers don’t just search for products – they are searching for information and solutions to their problems. This is why it’s important to design a content experience that informs your customers, reduces their uncertainties, solves any potential problems, answers common questions, and provides clear delivery and returns expectations.
Don’t forget, customer service is the single touch point for your customers with your business. Online customers have no physical interaction with your business and any personal connection is an opportunity to show how much your business truly cares.
It is important to provide customers with a clear link to customer support. This can take the form of a dedicated email address, a phone number, a Twitter handle, or a live chat function. Don’t forget to set your customer’s expectations as to when they can expect to receive a response, and make sure you reply to their query on time.
If your customer service exceeds expectations – you’ve probably earned yourself a loyal customer. They will remember the interaction and tell others about it. If the opposite happens and the customer is unhappy, they won’t return and will spread to bad news widely.
E-commerce brands with the best customer service see lasting success
Customer service is critical for any business. If your e-commerce website provides the best customer support in your business sector, it will result in developing loyal customer relationships, generate regular repeat business and retain the customer.
Helping your business to provide the best customer service experience
It can take time, money and effort to setup up your e-commerce and your customer service processes. This can be especially important when competing against much larger businesses.
It can often be beneficial to use business support services and free up your time to spend elsewhere. If you’d like some additional support in managing, operating and growing your business, Bamboo can help you.
We provide a range of support services that are designed to help businesses run as effectively as they can. Whether it’s setting up e-commerce on your website or helping you to segment your email list or sourcing the right packaging, we’re here to help.
To learn more about our services, please see our customer support page or contact us to talk to a member of our team. Alternatively, you can request a free 14-day trial https://www.bamboo-support.co.uk/ to see for yourself how Bamboo can help your business.
