Customer service is more than solving a customer’s problems and closing tickets. It is about how your company interacts with its customers both, on a daily basis, like supporting transactions or answering questions, and as a problem-solving solution when problems arise.
Depending on the customer experience, this may or may not lead to retention. Customer retention can be achieved through several strategies, like email marketing campaigns, customer loyalty programs, social media marketing strategies, investing in excellent customer care, nurturing the customer with industry trends and insights, personalizing marketing campaigns, etc.
In this article, I will cover how customer experience impacts company results, why customer service is important and how it can help you retain customers and increase B2B sales.
Why is customer service important?
Tell me, how many times has the customer support team made you feel like you were a special customer and not just another ticket? I believe very few. That’s because most companies, even the more well-known ones, tend to overlook customer service.
B2B sales typically represent a more complex process than B2C. Regardless of the industry, in B2B, the process includes more than one decision-maker, there is a lot of research, evaluation of different proposals, and negotiation. Nowadays, with the digitalization of companies, these processes are becoming less and less complex. However, personal contact and negotiation remain significant elements in these processes. That’s why for B2B companies that already operate in digital environments, the customer service team is so valuable. Let’s find out why this team is so important, and why it is an essential part of any successful business:
- Get Insights About Customer Experiences
As the customer service team has direct access to the customer, they can identify what the customers want and what they don’t, what improves the experience and what doesn’t. All customer feedbacks allow you to improve the overall experience in your company which leads to higher growth.
- Reinforces Company Brand, Mission and Values
The customer service team communicates directly with customers daily, representing your company’s brand, mission, and values. According to a survey performed by Harris Interactive, “73% of customers said that they are committed to a brand due to friendly customer service representatives”. The better the customer service, and the more it’s aligned with your brand statement, the more positive perception of your company will be consolidated in the customer’s mind.
- Satisfied Customers Help Build Reputation
Positive customer experiences generate positive word-of-mouth referrals, and a good reputation leads to higher growth. When your customers are happy, they’re more likely to spread the word to their friends, family, and very important for B2B, to their colleagues and partners. Your customers can be your best form of word-of-mouth advertising.
- Good Customer Service Helps Customers to Remain Loyal
Some statistics declare that the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-60%, while the probability of selling to a new customer is 5-20%. If customers have a good experience with a company, they’re more likely to return, and the more loyal customers you have, the more your company can grow to its full potential in a long term.
How to improve customer service in your company?
Customer support is evolving and has changed considerably from what it was in the past, due to changing consumer behavior. 80% of customers are now happy to explore the self-service options like knowledge bases, FAQ sections, or chatbots, before engaging with company representatives. Any support team operating today must handle requests from several different communication platforms. In addition to the flexibility of operating across different communication platforms, the customer service team should aim to communicate quickly, clearly, and concisely.
- Keep messages clear, straightforward and concise
Customers expect quick solutions to their problems, so it is important that messages from the support team are clear, easy to read, and straightforward. This way, misunderstandings and additional requests are avoided, and your support team is available to address new situations.
- Quick answers
The customer service team should always aim to respond to requests as quickly as possible. Even a quick personalized message letting your customer know that their request has been received can be helpful.
Customer service is a great indicator for measuring customer loyalty and helps increase revenue. It’s also a key point of differentiation which helps to attract new customers in a competitive business environment. Excellent customer service is a powerful competitive advantage, no matter what industry you’re in. That means if you provide excellent customer service, you’ll not only retain your customers, but you’ll acquire your competitors as well.
