First question… What rating would you give your company’s customer service?

It is very important that you as a business or organisation deliver the best customer service, it could be the difference between losing or gaining a customer. It is a simple skill that can be easily learnt but not easily executed. If you give a client 10/10 customer service, then it will go a long way. Word of mouth is extremely powerful in allowing your business to grow but equally as damaging if the customer’s experiences are not positive.

Whether you are a B2B or B2C you will most definitely have to demonstrate good levels of customer service. There will more than likely be one department in your business or organisation that will rely on good customer service the most, such as the sales department. In sales, you achieve the output by delivering exceptional customer service and making sure the customers are satisfied.

Did you know that research has shown that 51% of customers will never do business with a company again after only one negative experience? This percentage is eye-opening, one phone call in the office that you don’t have full attention on could be the time that a customer is disappointed in your lack of attentiveness and customer service. It is important whether you are in contact via the phone or in person that you show the same level of customer service. A phone call is all down to the correct language and tone of voice, whereas in person your body language also plays a part in how you carry out your customer service.

So, let’s look at how customer service can affect a business positively and negatively if not applied…

Providing excellent customer service can help you:

• Increase how often a customer buys or uses your services
• Generate a good company reputation
• Enhance customer loyalty
• The amount of money each customer spends with your business/organisation
• Quality customer support can help attract new customers

The side effects that negative customer service can have:

• Leads not converting
• A damaged reputation
• No customer referrals from word of mouth recommendations
• Could lose your best customers
• Loss of profits

If you provide excellent customer service and support to your clients then you will gain these benefits, yet it is easy to fall into the category of not doing this. Bad customer service can have a serious impact on the overall success and reputation of your business. In the short term, it can affect sales, but in the long term, it can affect your business in numerous ways which could be a major risk to the success of your business. So, let’s look at how you could demonstrate good customer service…

1. Understand your customers’ needs by always listening to what your customer has to say
2. Deal with complaints gracefully – never argue back, even if you don’t agree with what they have to say
3. Go out of your way to go the extra mile
4. Be proactive in receiving customer feedback
5. Take time to understand your customer and not seem like you just want to make a sale

We have looked at how customer service can positively affect your business, the side effects that negative customer service can lead to and how you can deliver good customer service. Now let’s look at some statistics to see the actual importance.

• 78% of consumers have pulled out on a purchase that they intended to make because of poor customer service
• It takes as many as 12 good experiences for a company to make up for a poor experience
• Customer experience will become more important than price and product by 2020 for consumers
• Businesses that deliver better customer experiences gain revenues between 4% and 8% above their market
• 55% of customers are willing to spend more money with a business that promises them a satisfying experience

Are you surprised by this research?

After reading this information-based blog I hope that you have taken good advice and will apply the information to any changes needed at your business or organisation. If you know your customer service isn’t up to scratch, then try to change at least one aspect and you will undoubtedly make a difference to your customer relationships. Research has suggested that ‘customer service is the new marketing’, therefore budget resources to improve on this aspect just like you would for your marketing department.

In the end, a happy customer equals a happy business.