Here’s Why Small Businesses Need Good Customer Service

Small businesses have a lot going on at any given moment, including taking care of their employees and customers, managing several projects, and completing administrative tasks, to mention a few. Customer service is one of those activities that gets lost in the flow of everyday tasks that wears out business owners and employees.

What Makes Customer Service So Important for the Success of Small Businesses?

Small firms confront the same kind of issues as startups, such as a lack of resources and time. The most difficult aspect is not establishing a customer base, it is sustaining that connection in the long term by keeping your clients satisfied.

Most small businesses aim to reduce the amount of time and resources they spend on customer service because they are juggling many activities. However, one must pay great attention to the problems of each customer. Here are some reasons why providing excellent customer service is so important for small businesses:

It establishes the groundwork for future partnerships

Small business owners are familiar with the 80/20 rule, which states that 20% of your clients will provide 80% of your future income. However, the importance of customer experience in client retention is not highlighted nearly as much as it should be.

A survey found that 65% of respondents would become long-term clients of a brand if they had great experiences during the customer journey.

Provides positive feedback and testimonies.

Social proof for new customers comes in the form of testimonials from existing customers in the initial stages of your business. Customer service, fortunately for you, generates shareable reviews.

According to one survey, nearly half of customers who have had a favourable customer experience will post it on social media platforms or write a favourable review online, as opposed to only 30% who have had a negative one. This demonstrates that buyers are more willing to share their positive customer service experiences online. A negative online reputation nowadays can have a negative impact on your business, causing mistrust among current and potential consumers and resulting in revenue loss. Online reputation management services can be useful in this situation.

It sheds light on potential areas for improvement.

While positive user experience is good because you understand what you do well, negative customer feedback teaches you a lot about what you can work on. Furthermore, your customer relations team is informed about changing client wants and expectations and can influence the product/business strategy.

Let’s look at how you can provide best-in-class customer service now that you know why it’s crucial for a small business.

1. Make sure you don’t overpromise or underdeliver.

Only make promises that your service employees can keep. Make sure any promises you make are within your customer care department’s capabilities, and then make them twice as good.

This way your customers will have a better experience and your company will be more trustworthy. Meanwhile, this also gives your customer service team some leeway if any complications arise when addressing a case.

Remember that customers prefer to be surprised rather than disappointed.

2. Honor your long-term consumers.

Getting new clients costs seven times as much as keeping your present customers. Thus even after completing the sale, you must continue to nurture long-term customers.

Alternatively, you might send unique discounts to your customers on their birthday to commemorate milestones. It’s a tiny gesture, but it’s worthwhile to go out of your way for a customer who has been loyal to you.

3. Make consistency a priority.

Consistency is the key to great customer service. Customer service consistency refers to providing individualised help throughout all touchpoints with no gaps in the experience. You should establish a benchmark for customer service and ensure that you meet it.

Without the correct technology to support your staff, providing excellent customer service is impossible. This is made easier with the support of ORM providers like Germin8.