The Four Primary Reasons Why Customer Service Matters
Following our recent focus on the provision of high quality online customer service, we thought we’d take things back to basics with this post. Specifically, addressing the matter of why exactly quality customer service matters so much. You know it matters…but you might not fully understand why.Product quality and value for money will always count for a lot, but effectively count for nothing unless backed by premier service. So with this in mind, what follows is a brief overview of the four main reasons why it is that customer service is of such critical importance:
- It’s What Your Customers RememberFirst of all, when customers buy just about anything whatsoever, it rarely tends to be the product itself that sticks in their mind. Instead, what they remember is the purchase process and the service they receive. How well the seller understood and satisfy their needs, the simplicity of the purchase process and anything that made this particular business stand out. Suffice to say, being remembered for all the wrong reasons in terms of customer service can be so much worse than a customer being dissatisfied with whatever it is you sell them.
- It Reflects On Your Business As A WholeWhat’s also important to remember is that the level of customer service you provide has a direct reflection on absolutely everything else you do and are as a business. For example, if you provide the most incredible customer service, consumers will instinctively believe that you also sell incredible products. By contrast, if the customer service you provide is substandard, you will be seen as a lacklustre business selling poor quality products. Plus there’s the way in which providing excellent customer service means that in any instance where problems, complaints or criticisms do emerge, they will always be so much easier to deal with.
- It Shows Customers You CareContrary to popular belief, it’s extremely difficult (or perhaps even impossible) to show customers you care, simply by providing them with the products they are looking for. The reason being that simple cash-for-product transactions can be carried out by automated vending machines, requiring absolutely no human element or interaction whatsoever. This is precisely why even if the products you sell are high quality and affordable, your customers will not necessarily feel as if you care about them even slightly. Demonstrating your commitment and appreciation by way of quality customer care can therefore make all the difference.
- It’s A Great Marketing StrategyLast but not least, the most powerful type of marketing in existence today is influencer or social marketing. Or to put it another way, the marketing your satisfied customers do on your behalf, without you having to tell them to. One of the biggest benefits of a strong customer service strategy is the way in which it doubles up as one of the most effective and influential marketing strategies you could ever devise. Far above and beyond the quality and affordability of whatever it is you sell, allowing your business to sell itself based on outstanding customer service could make the most incredible difference.