You’ve likely heard the term “customer service” get thrown around before. But what is customer service and why is it so important?
Taking that a step further, how can customer service make or break your business? How can it lead to sales increasing or the loss of customers?
The basics
You need quality business leads to turn potential customers into current customers and future sales. But without a good customer experience, you won’t be able to convert your leads.
Customer experience is how your customers view your brand/company, and it can involve anything from the first time a customer sees your ad to the first time they speak with a company representative to how they view your product once they purchase it.
Customer experience and customer service go hand in hand, since customer service takes place during the customer experience. It’s every interaction you have with your customers and how you solve their problems.
The importance of quality customer service
So what’s the importance of quality customer service? Shouldn’t a quality product/service be good enough to satisfy your customers?
In many cases, not even a quality product can make up for poor customer service. After all, a customer can find a similar product elsewhere from a company that does incorporate quality customer service across the board. Thanks to the internet, customers have more options today than they’ve ever had before.
Breaking down the customer experience
Word of mouth: Customers will tell their friends and family about their experiences and your products/services, whether good or bad. One bad experience can be looked at as an outlier, but many complaints can hurt the outlook of your business and lead to the potential loss of customers.
Customer loyalty: Loyal customers will stick with your company through thick and thin, even when prices rise or competitors pop up. Not to mention, customers are willing to pay more money for a better experience, and satisfied customers are more likely to buy from you again. A good customer experience and customer service can, quite literally, make the sale for you as customers will continue to buy from you if their wants and needs are being met.
Save your company money: Retaining customers actually saves you money as finding new customers costs time, money, and effort. Not to mention, quality customer service can also boost your reputation and put your brand in a good light, which can lead to you gaining new customers without having to spend a single dollar on marketing toward these new customers — they find your business online because of good reviews.
Think outside the box: Customers want to know their needs are being met and they’re purchasing from a reputable and reliable company, which is why purchasing top-of-the-line office furniture from an office interior showroom in Michigan or wherever you do business can help. Providing a quality and consistent product is necessary to stay in business, but making your customers and employees feel comfortable in your office also goes a long way.
You should also value and make customer satisfaction a top priority. Pleasing your customers is what it’s all about. The importance of customer service can’t go unnoticed and the benefits are endless.
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, as well as getting feedback from your customers, can make your team and customer service department better. Because of the benefits above (and many others), providing quality customer service should be an ongoing process that you’re always updating.
