Improve Customer Service to Improve Your Online Reputation
Though making sure you provide a quality product or service is a key way to keep your customers happy, one often overlooked part of maintaining a good online reputation is customer service. When you set out to serve your customers, even though it’s a negative experience, you will see a positive change in your online reputation. Here are some ways you can improve your customer service efforts.
Be Available for Your Customers
If your customers cannot get a hold of you when they need you, you risk losing them forever. Build a customer service team that is available whenever someone needs them. Even if your store is closed, make sure customers know how to reach you at 24/7 via email, phone, or social media channels. You could outsource your customer service to a reputed company (like https://peaksupport.io/services/back-office/) who can take care of your clients’ needs and solve their problems, even if your in-house team is not available at a certain time.
Remember that in this rapidly changing world, being able to connect with your customers instantly, irrespective of where your employees are, is a priority. Therefore, in order to never miss a chance to communicate with your clients, it is prudent for you to use Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS), which is a cloud-based customer experience solution offered by the likes of Fusion Connect (https://www.fusionconnect.com/services/business-voice/contact-center). This can be deployed from anywhere, provide unrivalled functionality, and lower operational costs.
Reach Out to Your Customers
No one knows better what they want from your products or services than the customers themselves. Ask customers questions such as:
- What do you love about this business?
- What is one thing you wish we would change?
- What additional products or services could we offer to make your life easier?
Make it about your customer. Identify the psychologically acceptable price range for a service (using something like Conjointly’s Van Westendorp PSM) or figure out what all features need to be incorporated into the existing product or service to maximize customer satisfaction. Though you won’t be able to cater to every single whim of all your customers, watch for trends. For example, if you find a large percentage of your customers would like you to implement a loyalty or rewards program, then do it!
Reward / Loyalty / Specials / VIP Program
Customers like to be rewarded for their loyalty. When they feel like they are going to get something extra for doing business with you, they are more likely to continue doing business with you.
The way you work your program is up to you and your budget.
- You could offer discounts to everyone for using a store card.
- You can offer special discounts to those who have spent $X over a certain period of time.
- Offer additional services/products on certain days of the week or month.
- Offer discounts for customer referrals.
While many promotions and special offers exist for “new customers only”, which work to get new people through the door, it is important not to forget the ones who stick with you for the long term – learn more information here about how to create an effective customer loyalty program.
How to Greatly Improve Customer Service
Make it Easy for Customers to Leave
While the object of business is to keep your customers, the simple fact is that your product or service just isn’t right for them. When you make it easier for your customers to cancel or leave your service, then you will have a much happier customer.
When you make it difficult for the customer to cancel the plan or leave your business, you’re not going to keep them anyway. They are just going to get increasingly frustrated. When this happens, they are that much more likely to speak negatively of your company online and to their friends and family.
Stay in Touch
After you’ve conducted the transaction or solved the customer’s issue-the relationship is not over. Staying in touch through exit surveys and other means will keep you at the forefront of the customer’s mind.
Be Nice!
No matter how frustrating the customer may make you-be nice to them. Stay as cool, calm, and collected as possible throughout the entire thing. Offer whatever you can to pacify the customer and make the situation better. Whatever you do, do not adopt an accusatory tone.
- If the customer returns a broken product, offer a replacement or a refund.
- If the customer doesn’t like your service and wants to cancel, ask why and then allow the cancellation.
- If the customer is unhappy because your company made a mistake, fix it. Either refund the money, replace the product, etc. Then, go a step further and tell them what you’re doing to prevent the mistake from happening again and offer a discount on future purchases.
