Did you know that the quality of your customer service can correlate directly with your business’ bottom line? Positive customer service can drastically improve your customer retention rate, business reputation and profit margin. Justin Melton explains.
A CUSTOMER SERVICE charter is one way a business can outline their customer service commitments. By implementing a customer service charter you can increase the quality of your support team and see ripple effects across the company, including increasing your bottom line.
Implementing positive customer service is easier said than done, which is why so many businesses fail. There are many complexities involved, including meeting legislation and standards, managing risks and ensuring the service you provide offers value to the client. Identifying what customers really value and ensuring you are ahead of your competitors are the keys to offering high-quality customer service.
A customer service experience can affect whether a prospect becomes a client. If a client has a negative experience with your company it is possible that they will terminate their relationship with you. Not only are they that, but they are also likely never to use your product or service again. It has been shown that it can take as many as 12 positive customer service experiences to make up for one negative experience. This statistic alone proves how important every customer interaction is and why it is vital that every interaction is positive.
Customer retention not only reflects the quality of customer service and the value of the product but is vital to the profit of the company. Through utilising a customer service charter your business can monitor the retention and customer satisfaction amongst your clients.
The service your business offers plays a huge part in people’s purchase decisions. This can often be seen with telecommunications companies, where people are willing to go through the process of swapping providers to receive improved customer service. Providing positive service offers huge potential for new customers through word-of-mouth advertising, which simultaneously increases your reputation. Word-of-mouth referrals are often based on a customer’s service experience. They are a hugely effective tool for increasing business, but the only control you have over this is ensuring all customer experiences are positive.
In saying all the above, positive customer service is not all about profits. Ultimately the goal is to service the customer. Great customer service allows businesses to stay connected with their customers and receive insightful feedback. Listening to a customer’s needs and understanding what they want builds a strong relationship, helping you serve your client base better. Building relationships is a proven way to growing your business into a trusted brand name.
Investing time into creating a customer service charter will provide a huge return on investment for your company. A customer service charter will not only increase your business’ reputation but it will ensure all people in the customer service team are equipped to provide consistent service.