No matter what industry you’re in, a great customer experience is critical to the success of your small business. There are enough challenges in growing a business without adding bad customer service to the mix.
It creates retention and builds trust
Customers who feel they can come to your company and have a great experience will be more likely to return. You can build trust with them by always offering a consistent experience.
The bottom line is that it takes time to build that trust, but it can only take one case to lose it. With enough great service, you can build goodwill in case something goes wrong. Apple has spent years building its reputation for fantastic service. One day they could make a mistake in one of their trades and you could write it off. Imagine a company that provides consistently poor customer service – it has an insurmountable task to restore trust.
Focus on getting started with great customer service; the rewards are worth the investment of time and resources.
Service is the differentiator
While customer service has always been a huge factor in the competitiveness of businesses, it has become even more important since the 2008 recession. Companies that didn’t adapt and deliver a great customer experience struggled, while those that went above and beyond (yet were smart about their profitability) managed to weather tough financial times and come out on top.
Great services will help you stand out from countless competitors. By being a company that offers exceptional service, customers will begin to seek you out. This can be very important if your market becomes oversaturated. Being a company that offers equally great products and services with the added benefit of customer service can help you when you end up against too many competitors.
Customer referrals are essential for small businesses
Small businesses and tight budgets go hand in hand. Referrals from customer evangelists help small companies continue to grow even when their sales force is stretched thin and their marketing budget is spent.
Referral is inexpensive for companies and can have a very successful closing rate. Referrals often enter your sales pipeline with higher confidence. Social media is spreading the word about favorable product recommendations faster than ever, and Facebook even has a special post style that asks for referrals.
Increases opportunities to upsell
Upselling customers is an important part of growing a small business, in part because the cost of acquiring new customers is much higher than keeping them. This means that if you have products and services that can be expanded, you should focus some of your sales on your existing customers.
Upselling to customers increases your profitability and allows you to focus more of your budget and resources on growing your business.
Small company, great service
Customer service in a small company has a more substantial impact than in a large company. Specialists who give your customers a great experience can share their triumphs and you can see and feel the successes.
