Customer service isn’t given the attention it’s due.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that nothing is more important in your business.
You might consider this hyperbole; you might think accounts, products or marketing more significant. But ask yourself this: where would any of your accounts, adverts, marketing strategies, prices, products or service be if it wasn't for the very blood of your business – customers?
The answer is, of course, precisely nowhere. Pleasing customers is fundamental and they should be at the forefront of our minds when we work and gaining new ones the ultimate incentive for improving service.
Too many businesses set targets and performance standards that focus on the business itself, rather than on the customers. Statistics which focus on the sheer volume of sales, profit margins, types of product or service selling well, advertising costs and promotions are only part of the story.
Any business which fails to take into account the customer's needs, wishes, thoughts or concerns will soon be talked about in the past tense
News travels fast
Any business which fails to take into account the customer's needs, wishes, thoughts or concerns will soon be talked about in the past tense. Customers can make, or break, a business.
And this is a fact becoming ever more apparent in today's global market, with communication now easier and quicker than ever. Good news can travel very quickly – and so too can bad news.
So if your customer service is of an excellent quality, if you quickly resolve issues, put the customer at ease and keeps promises, rather than using words without any action to follow, then soon enough people will know about it.
With forums, review sites and discussion boards increasingly popular as a way for customers to share their experiences, treating your customers well, giving them the attention they deserve, the time they need and the answers they want will almost certainly find you listed in these sites with positive comments and reviews.
Do not underestimate how helpful a good rating on such sites can be.
Increasingly, customers are turning to review sites and discussion boards before making a purchase or committing to a company. Sometimes one or two bad experiences shared on such sites can be the difference between winning a new customer and losing them to your competitor.
There’s rarely a shortage of negative comment on forums and review sites as a satisfied customer is unfortunately less likely to record their experience than a dissatisfied customer. If we have a good experience, it’s often the least we expect having parted money for the privilege, but we’re naturally appalled and more likely to complain if we get a poor return for our cash.
If an employee demonstrates poor communication skills, little understanding of the product or service, scant effort to resolve a problem, or a failure to fulfil promises to return calls or escalate issues, then we immediately feel the need to rant, let off steam, and get back at the company in at least some way. It's only a natural human reaction.
For this reason, the vast number of bad reviews on the internet are written in the heat of the moment, and so are possibly exaggerated, and certainly causing harm to company in question. These reviews are likely to be an albatross around the neck of a business for many years.
So if you start a venture, you need to think about your customer service, and ensure it works for the customer as much as for the business. Then you will stand a better chance of avoiding becoming the target for vindictive reviews.
Getting customer service right from the start is a sound business move, and one that can easily work in your favour, just as it could work against you if you cut too many corners. This is equally true for online and offline businesses, for corporate or for home businesses.
