A recent survey conducted by American Express revealed “In the past year, six-in- ten (60 percent) consumers intended to conduct a business transaction or make a purchase but decided not to due to a poor service experience.” So how can your company become the next Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Apple or UPS – top-ranking companies known for customer service excellence? Here are three ways to promote your business, upgrade your technology and get professional training to keep customers coming back.
What is Customer Service Vs Customer Experience?
Although people use “customer service” and “customer experience” interchangeably, they are different.
Customer service is the assistance you give to your customers before and after the sale. It should make your business competitive and act as an integral part of your company's brand.
According to Search Sales Force, “Increasingly customer experiences includes not only interactions through traditional channels, such as website purchase, phone calls and live chat, but also social media, text…which customers can engage with companies.” It is a composite of all of the customer’s interactions with the enterprise.
1. Promote Your Business w/ Discounts, Freebies & Bonuses
It may seem obvious, but people love to receive gifts. So why doesn't your company offer any? Experts say that consumers are willing to pay more (60 percent) for a better customer experience. So imagine what they will do if they do not have to pay at all. The free items can be a downloadable PDF, audio tapes, coupons, memberships, checklists, tools, eBooks, etc. All of these items cost little to nothing to create but could mean great savings of time and money to your customers. When you offer free stuff, people remember you and become loyal. They tell their family and friends about your wonderful product and excellent service via email, online reviews, social media and word-of-mouth.
2. Monitoring Feedback
Help Scout reports that the overwhelming majority of customers – 96 percent – do not notify the company about their bad experiences.
Voice of the Customer (VoC), a method of marketing research that includes collective insights about your customer’s needs, preferences and expectations, would alert staff about subpar service. It is an internal or external procedure that includes direct discussions, surveys, observation, logs of complaints and more.
VoC is agile and works in real-time. It creates a profile to assess and maximize digital campaigns including demographics, intent and buying consideration. This proactive method provides the customers with the highest level of service or product quality.
3. Require Training & Certification
Providing excellent customer service is something that everyone thinks they already know how to do. But as discussed previously, customers do not report an unpleasant experience. You may feel like you answered a question succinctly. But the customer believes you were rude.
So how do you minimize miscommunication and incorrect action and deliver the Wow! Factor every time? Get customer experience training.
Since 2007, the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) has been dedicated to helping companies achieve their missions through the use of excellent customer service. CSIA states, “Today, customer service is a profession that can make an immediate and tangible difference.”
The CSIA has partnered with the International Council of Customer Service Organizations to create course content that will measurably add a level of excellence within their client’s company. Their courses – Certified Customer Professional, Certified Customer Service Manager and Certified Experience Professional – are the industry standard.
When deciding if a customer will do business with your company, customer service is a definite benchmark. Continually expand your knowledge and skills. Then watch your business soar to unprecedented levels of success.
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I hope you enjoyed this article on maximizing the customer experience and ways to keep them coming back for more business.
Interested in more articles on customer experience?
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Best Of Luck In Business To You All!
Michael J. Schiemer of Schiemer Consulting
Digital Marketing Manager & Social Media Professional
HootSuite, HubSpot, Adwords, & Google Analytics Certified
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