Is your business up against a bigger competitor? You may have the upper hand in one important area: customer service.
Even in this fast-moving society, customers still want to be served. (Case in point: How many customers are actually waiting in line so they can scan and bag their own groceries?) Small businesses are well equipped to deliver that one-on-one customer experience.
Improvements in customer service can pay off. When customers receive excellent service, they’re 81 percent more likely to give the company repeat business. And, just an 8 percent increase in customer satisfaction can yield an increase of up to 28 percent in profits. (Kissmetrics)
Here are six ways you can play up your advantage in the area of customer service.
1. Check your own attitude toward your customers.
Bill Gates said it best: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” (Forbes)
Okay, sure, you're glad you have customers -- otherwise you wouldn't be in business. But how do you really feel about them? When they bring problems to your attention, do you feel annoyed or put out, or do you view complaints as an opportunity to improve? Be glad when a customer shares a concern with you -- most customers won’t bother returning if they receive poor service, and you’ll never even know why they left.
2. Respond in a timely manner.
My company, Patriot Software, develops online payroll and accounting software for small businesses. Our customers are performing time-critical tasks with our software, and they need answers fast. If a customer has a question, they can chat with a support member online, call for free routine help, or send an email. We make sure to respond as soon as possible -- most often the same day or within one business day.
How long do your customers have to wait before their questions are satisfied? Can you improve your overall response time?
3. Keep the hold times short and the transferring to a minimum.
Ever called a business, only to be transferred time and again? By the time you reach the right person, you’re either ready to lash out at someone or ready to hang up. Customers don’t want to be on hold, and they want to talk to a human as soon as possible. In fact, in a nationwide survey, Consumer Reports found that 67% of respondents had hung up on customer service without their problem getting resolved. How can you keep that from happening?
- Make sure your phone system is easy to navigate, and keep the options to a minimum. People have the capacity to remember three or four choices, but beyond that, they start to become frustrated. Try it for yourself and see what customers experience when they call your business.
- Train your support team so well that they are comfortable answering the most frequently asked questions on their own. My support team knows the software in their sleep and can answer most questions without transferring to anyone else.
- Make sure your customer service staff meets regularly to share oddball questions they've received and document the answers.
4. Encourage your customer service staff to be pleasant and professional at all times.
Your employees should welcome customers when they enter your store and ask if they need help. Put a stop to rude behavior, such as employees rolling their eyes or sighing when a customer asks one too many questions. Make sure your employees aren’t ignoring customers by performing routine tasks such as stocking shelves while a customer is waiting for assistance.
5. Give your support team authority to take action.
Isn't it frustrating when a store associate has no authority to solve a customer’s problem? At Patriot Software, the user experience is paramount, and no one is closer to our customers and their concerns than our support team. If a customer reports a problem, our support members document the issue through our in-house project management software. They can share the details with the software developers and suggest improvements. This process lets us quickly tackle issues and improve the overall customer experience.
Giving your support staff the ability to tackle problems will demonstrate your trust and boost their confidence. Step back and give your support team more leeway to make decisions, and see what happens to your employee morale.
6. Support your support staff.
Contrary to popular belief, the customer is not always right. While you should bend over backwards to make your customers happy, occasionally you’ll need to come to an employee’s defense. In the past, when a customer has crossed the line and started shredding apart one of my employees, I’ve stepped in to stop the bullying and intimidation. (I‘ve gone so far as gently taking the phone from my employee’s hand and ending the call myself. A customer can say what they’d like to me, but I won’t stand for attacks on my employees.) Sometimes it has meant parting ways with a long-time customer, but so be it -- my employees are much more valuable to me.
Try stepping up your customer service and see what happens. You may gain more loyal customers and earn more in profits. Your employees may be happier and more confident. Plus, you will help build a good reputation for your business, which is priceless.
