Customer Service has escaped the call center and landed squarely on your desk. Actually, customer service is everyone’s job, really.
Let’s test out that theory…
Manufacturing a product? Yup, it’s meeting a customer’s need with a well-designed solution.
Training and developing your employees? Of course, especially if it raises their confidence and commitment to your mission
Marketing? In today’s hyper-segmented advertising environment, showing potential customers that you actually care about your relationship with them actually gives you a competitive edge.
If you provide something for someone in exchange for compensation, you are in the customer service business. How about a nonprofit that produces solutions for problems on behalf of your donors or other stakeholders? Mmm-hmmm. Customer service again.
Even when you spend resources on internal development of staff, the reason you do it is for your customers, right?
Warren Buffett wisely reminds us that “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Why Customer Service is Everyone’s Job
Need more? Here are five reasons the customer service is everyone’s job, and the sooner you see it that way, the more prosperous you’ll be.
- Customer retention is FAR less expensive than new customer acquisition. Referrals also cost you almost nothing in terms of marketing and advertising.
- Great customer service makes your brand less vulnerable to attack. Word travels fast these days and one bad review can cause problems for the business who hasn’t built up a strong public customer service reputation. On the other hand, a focus on great CS over time builds you a wall of support from customers who have your back.
- Companies that treat their customers well usually treat their employees well. Less turnover = higher efficiencies, healthier work environments, and better profitability.
- Integrity always wins out. Companies that stand by their promises, even at great expense, will ultimately last and prosper. Customers can usually buy from an array of different vendors and price isn’t always the deciding factor. Customer conscience is a thing!
- It’s the perfect focus around which to mobilize your company. Maybe you’d like to go home at night with more than just a paycheck for your labor. Maybe it’s your desire to work alongside fulfilled, happy people. A sharp focus on customer service can provide the proverbial “place to stand” that is much more satisfying in the end than money in the bank.
#1 Impact to Customer Retention
Sure there are some cranky customers out there whom you can’t EVER please, but for all those others who keep coming back, we bet that Customer Service is the reason why.
Ammie’s Assignment: I challenge you to ask every customer you come in contact today why they made the decision to buy from you. I’d bet a month of Sundays that at least one portion of their answer will relate to customer service and the experience they had during the buying process.
We’d love to hear about why your customers keep coming back. Comment below and tell us what makes your brand so special. We want to share in your success!
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