5 Customer Service Tips to Help Small Businesses Stand Out
Customer service is a critical area especially for small businesses because, depending on the quality, customers can be lost or gained, resulting in growth or loss for the company.
Taking into account that technology has allowed us to have customers at the click of a button, it’s necessary to recognize the importance that we must give to our customer service department.
In this way, we can create the differentiating factor for a consumer deciding between brands.
This applies also to those customers who still don’t know their options or to those who know what they want.
A customer can be at any stage of the sales funnel or buyer’s journey (whichever way you prefer to direct your strategy) and we can deliver exactly what they need at each stage.
Now, customer service is not something that is developed just by hiring people who have certain skills for the job; it’s more about first clarifying the image we want to provide to our customers. The work to deliver excellent customer service begins, like everything else, at home.
Get to Know Your Customers
Before starting your business, you probably had to study your customers; know their profile, not only their demographics but what interests they have, what bothers them, how you can help them.
Maybe if they have problems at some point with your product or service. You can check out what are the most frequent issues and how you can assist them.
All of this is of utmost importance so that you have an idea of what systems you need to build in order to meet your customers’ requirements.
Always keep in mind that each customer, even though they may have similar characteristics to others, is unique and that each need must be met with attention and dedication.
Remember that Time is Money for You and Your Customer
2020 was one of the most difficult years worldwide, especially in the business world.
There was an increase in the need for customers to contact companies. This increase in demand for customer service took many companies by surprise.
Too few channels of communication led to long waiting times and clients abandoning companies.
A bad customer service experience can be the reason why a customer stops consuming products or services.
Facilitate your customers’ experiences by adding different communication channels and improving verification methods. Your customers will thank you, you will save time for them and the customer service representatives.
The Best Way to Deliver Great Customer Service is by Being Honest
We put our company at risk when we don’t meet customer expectations. One of the rules in every business that works pretty well is “offer a little, deliver a lot”.
Better yet, keep the facts in mind, speak clearly about it in your offer and in your approach to resolving issues with your customers. They will appreciate your honesty and you will begin to build your credibility, which will ultimately lead to your customers trusting you.
When you succeed in building trust with your clients you have also secured referrals and potential new clients. All this by being honest and delivering what you promise.
Be clear, deliver on time or before, be fair about your prices, and very clear about additional costs; respond when you say you will respond, establish transparent return policies, and again, think very well before promising.
Remember that trust takes time to build but is very easy to destroy.
Building Effective Customer Service Systems
As we mentioned at the beginning, it is very important that you know who your customers are and their needs; also, what is their relationship with your offer and what are the most frequent inconveniences, so that you can build effective systems for problem-solving.
Once you have been able to understand the needs of your customers, you must know what communication channels and the type of representative will serve your customer, the platforms you need to deliver excellent customer service, the approach of each representative, and of course, the training that each one must have to reflect the image of the company as a whole through an impeccable execution of the systems you have created.
Listen to Your Customer
What your customer has to tell you is extremely important. Whether it’s about your offer, your processes, your representatives, everything that is part of your customer’s experience should be taken into account so that you deliver a better experience every time.
Surveys are the most basic way to listen to your customers. You can design short forms, email surveys, or traditional surveys at the end of a call. You can also have social media channels for your customers to tell you how their experience with your brand has been.
All the information you collect is extremely important to be able to measure if you are achieving the desired results or if you should start modifying some details. Do not be afraid of your customer’s feedback, on the contrary, you should seek to approach the customer through the various channels you can handle and let them know that their opinion is very important to you and your company.
In short, customer service can be your best strategy to stand out from your competition if you know how to use it to your advantage. Always remember that businesses are based on relationships, not transactions. Being a customer-focused company means that you care about what happens to your customer. With this in mind, everyone you work with must have a similar perspective in order for your strategies to work.
At There is Talent we have experienced customer service agents who are focused on delivering quality experiences. If you have a small or medium-sized business, we can support you with quality, fully bilingual staff that will help you stand out with unique customer service.
Book a strategic call with our director Claudia and see what our team can do for you!
