Customer service is an important part of every business. If you’re an entrepreneur, this is something you should never neglect, regardless of the size of your customer base. Many companies have learned the hard way the importance of customer service and the impact it has on the longevity of the business. You don’t want to follow in the footsteps of companies like Blockbuster, who, contrary to popular belief, didn’t sink fast because of on-demand competition from Netflix and Redbox, but because their terrible customer service and too-good-to-be-true policies finally caught up to them.
To avoid the same fate, you should invest your time, money, and energy into communicating with customers. Even if you choose a particular channel of communication to reach them, keep in mind that your customers need multiple ways to reach you. Not all customers have the same comfort zone when it comes to communicating with customer service representatives. Here are details on the several ways your customers should be able to reach you:
Of all the ways to inquire about a product or complain about a service, research has shown that email continues to be the preferred method of communication. This is because email communication allows customers to spend time figuring out what to say before they send a message, as well as continue on with their daily responsibilities while waiting between correspondence. And then there are those who simply don’t like getting on the phone.
Additionally, from a marketing perspective, it also allows customers to carefully study every email offer they receive. Freedom to communicate on their own time is what customers enjoy through email. For marketers, managing such emails can be much easier with the help of platforms like Zendesk or Freshdesk.
Phone
Have you ever wondered why multinational companies invest heavily in outsourcing offshore call centers? According to Kissmetrics’ customer service statistics, 45% of consumers worldwide make their purchases over the phone. This is because customers are more comfortable talking to a real person. This is especially true when dealing with high-end products, technology products, and services and products that offer various levels of customization.
Phone calls also make it much easier to be understood. Through voice calls, they can easily express and articulate what they need help with. This is also an effective way for them to confirm immediately whether or not a customer representative actually understands the message. For many customers, there’s nothing like a great customer service call with a friendly person who is attentive and eager to help.
Customized Forms
Using a customizable online form builder like Jotform is perfect for creating ultra-specific customer service experiences. For example, perhaps you need to know multiple things about a customer before you can help them? Form builders make it easy to collect and organize this information. You can also use it as a general “Contact” form on your website, as well as for surveys. There are endless options for things you can do with customized forms.
Some customers prefer to communicate with through customized forms because they consider them more professional and accurate. More importantly, they feel confident that there’s a reason the customer service team is requesting the information and using it solve a problem.
Social Media
There are many reasons to consider social media a portal for customer service. After all, social media has become a popular means for marketers and entrepreneurs to connect with customers. In fact, many customers consider businesses with a social customer service team more credible, caring, and responsible than those that don’t. For example, because airline AirAsia is so great at responding to social media inquiries, the company’s Facebook page has gathered 3 million likes.
The saying goes, “the customer is always right.” Whether it’s true or not, to successfully run a business, you have to operate as if it is. Having multiple channels of communication provides a platform for doing so. Understanding customer needs is key, and it will help you improve the quality of your products and services.