Could ‘Good’ Customer Service Be Letting You Down?
Customer service as a concept is as old as business itself and has long been used as a way for companies to better connect with, and convert, even begrudging consumers or those who have had bad experiences. In recent years, so-called ‘good’ customer service has centered around the idea of treating customers how you would like to be treated. In this way, companies have been able to achieve a personable level of service that leads to satisfying results and ample turnarounds.
However, in this fast-paced, always-on age, many companies are finding that this ‘it’ll-do’ approach to customer service as an afterthought isn’t quite the solution they need. In fact, with as many as 89% of consumers reporting that they’ve turned away from a company after lackluster results in this area, it seems like effective modern customer service needs to exceed, rather than simply tick, all of the boxes.
The problem is, if your customer service is functional and you’re reluctant to pay more for something that you think already does the job, then it’s all too easy to overlook these suggestions in place of the familiar. Worse, you might not even notice the difference because you’ve always operated this way. Until that is, the needs of modern consumers exceed your offerings so badly that you lose customer interest altogether.
To stop that from happening, and to make sure that great customer service sets your company apart, at last, it’s vital to take steps now towards a brighter future in this field. Luckily, this doesn’t necessarily mean spending a fortune. It does, however, mean shifting your processes with the following considerations in mind.
#1 – Consumer expectations are growing
Not too long ago, consumer expectations in terms of customer service pretty much ended at the requirement for friendly, efficient, and reliable results. Now technology has raised that standard level a fair bit, particularly in terms of the availability consumers expect from all companies when it comes to customer service offerings. This is true in a few different ways and is something that you need to consider in all aspects to ensure that you’re meeting even these new expectations on the ground.
Expectations surrounding accessibility have especially meant that consumers have far less patience when it comes to having to hunt down customer service offerings, or wait for more than a minute (though a third of consumers report that they aren’t willing to wait at all) to receive them. This is relevant in even traditional phone calls, where long hold times now have the power to entirely unravel even great customer service at the other end. If you use a call center answering service with automated messaging, you need to be careful that you don’t frustrate customers who just want to speak to a human.
Only by implementing multi-line channels like those that you’ll find when you visit website for companies like Phone.com is it possible to achieve the call volume, and thus consumer satisfaction, on which modern success rests. Equally, implementing tools like chatbots online ensures immediate answers to basic queries, as well as acting as a buffer to the wait times that would be inevitable here otherwise.
Perhaps even more pressingly, modern expectations also require companies to offer customer service across omnichannel solutions that, as well as covering everything from phone to social media, email, and beyond, must operate as a cohesive whole to bring service together as one. This, in turn, enables not only the accessibility that’s now so important but also the seamless experiences that keep consumers on board and simplify the quest for solutions at all times.
#2 – Competition is heating up
Business competition has always existed, and it’s also been a pressing consideration, but as competitors increasingly implement real-time improvements, it’s more important than ever for companies to keep up or keep behind. This is especially true of customer service that, according to 67% of customers, has improved significantly in most areas across the past two years. Such generalized improvement means not only that even ‘good’ outdated solutions face increasing pressure to update, but also that offerings compared directly with those of competitors make it more likely that your holes will show.
In many ways, updating in itself is the solution to overcoming this, but with success in this area tied so much to the activities of your closest competitors, it also pays to analyze and research what others are doing, keeping in mind how you can adapt that to outstrip their offerings. Particularly great examples of customer service this year that any company could benefit from paying attention to in this sense include –
- JetBlue Airlines responding to Paul Brown’s Tweet about not being able to get a Starbucks by having one delivered to his seat
- Tesla ‘meeting customers where they are’ by addressing issues in customer’s homes
- Zappos personally replying to every customer email
- And more
In each instance, innovation, personality, and drive were behind the success of these efforts. By approaching these same customer service lessons with their own unique takes, companies will therefore inevitably be able to stand out above the crowd, and attract the largest possible audience as a result.
#3 – Customers as brand representatives
While word of mouth marketing has long been a great incentive for getting customer service right, the importance of customers as brand representatives has drastically increased in this age of social media, where mentions and hashtags have become currency for increased sales across many companies.
The trouble is that substandard offerings simply don’t provide enough incentive for customers to put their reputation on the line when recommending you. Instead, you need to provide something special that they can’t help but shout about, not just in terms of your product, but also through the service you’re offering.
Obviously, things like timely delivery and additional touches (e.g. merch and freebies) can all help towards this, but just as Paul Brown couldn’t Tweet highly enough about JetBlue Airlines after their personal address of his complaint, you’re also going to need to go above and beyond to get the highest recommendations possible.
Personalization that adds an extra touch of caring service can be especially useful in this sense, making consumers feel like you care about them, and increasing the chances that they’ll care enough to recommend you. Equally, incorporating focuses like personalized, sharable discount codes into your customer service options provides a little incentive to mention you, as well as giving their followers more reason to check you out.
#4 – Customer service should be customer-centric
While it has always addressed the needs of your customers, customer service has ultimately operated with the end goal of increasing sales, making it a profit-driven model that operates on the blanket idea that the customer is always right, and that rectification is generally the best way forward. However, increasing expectations of companies to not just fit around consumers, but to put their customers at the heart of what they’re doing in the first place means that even good customer service nowadays can’t be great unless it’s tailored towards more customer-centric focuses from the start.
This more purpose-driven approach to anticipating consumer needs rather than addressing failures in the moment has seen companies enjoying as much as 60% more profitability than their competitors. And it’s hardly surprising. After all, in true prevention rather than cure style, this more proactive approach to reaching out with great service in the first place (e.g. tailored suggestions, additional touches like complimentary drinks, valuable content according to what you know about your customers) makes it far less likely that you’ll have to use customer service as damage limitation that means even good results might not lead to lasting value.
#5 – Lifetime value is the ultimate goal
Speaking of lifetime value, ensuring consumers who keep on coming back is now the ultimate way to grow your business for less and ensure results that you can rely on. Unfortunately, ‘good’ customer service that addresses base needs without necessarily going beyond that is unlikely to provide the lasting impression necessary to make this happen.
Instead, companies in fierce competitive landscapes especially need to work on going the extra mile to create strong, lasting consumer relationships. In some ways, everything we’ve spoken about already is going to help here, but it’s also worth more specifically considering how the service you offer makes you a company worth investing in over longer periods.
Personalization including targeted email suggestions, personal discounts, and first-name interactions are perhaps the best tool that you have in this sense, proving that you care, and that customers are in safe hands with you moving forward. Further to this, specific customer service efforts to encourage secondary and future purchases, including follow-up emails, relevant product alerts, etc. can all help your service to keep one foot in the most lucrative door possible.
Conclusion
To succeed, you must turn ‘good’ customer service into something great that sets your company apart at last. Taking into account modern challenges and their opportunities is the best and often only way to do that. So, make sure that your customer service exceeds all expectations moving forward by considering these challenges and climbing over them with ease.