Customer service is non-negotiable.
Not only does customer service impact the size of your customer base, your community reputation, and standing amongst competitors, it’s worth billions of dollars. Research suggests that businesses lose $62 billion every single year from poor customer service. Here are five tips for delivering the best customer service possible, keeping clients happy, and protecting your bottom line.
- Keep Your Promises
If you give your customers a time, arrive on time. If you perform a service, guarantee that service. 66 percent of customers will switch companies after a bad experience, and what’s worse, they will tell others about their dissatisfaction or frustration.
- Reward Customers with a Loyalty Plan
Loyalty is one of the most important goals of great customer service, and one proven method of achieving this is with a rewards or loyalty program. Some research indicates that up to 83 percent of customers prefer to do business with brands that provide a loyalty program.
- Make it Easy for Customers to Resolve Issues
Problems happen. Customers understand this, but they also understand that it’s your responsibility to fix them. A frustrating resolution process, representatives who are uninformed or don’t have the information to answer their questions, or any other obstacle to problem-solving is not only a sign of poor customer service, but it’s a fast way to lose business.
- Keep the Lines of Communication Open with Customers
You can’t provide good customer service if you aren’t listening to your customers. Furthermore, customers typically don’t volunteer information unprovoked; only 1 in 26 customers complain if there’s a problem. Additionally, of the 25 quietly unhappy customers, over 90 percent will simply leave without notice.
- Make Yourself Available to Your Customers – Wherever they Are
Some customers prefer to engage with businesses on the phone. Others would rather use your website or walk in for a face-to-face discussion. Depending on the industry, many customers now expect to use a mobile app for business. In a study by American Express, 38 percent of customers preferred calling a company for a complex question or issue, followed by 24 percent seeking a face-to-face interaction, and 15 percent preferring email. Always meet your customers at their preferred level of engagement.
At Neighborly, formerly Dwyer Group, each franchise is built upon a proven model of success with a client-first design. Invaluable customer service coaching helps franchisees confidently attract and retain customers. To learn more, contact a franchise developer today!
