customer-service-target-market-support-assistance customer service

Customer service is crucial to any brand. The way you interact and assist your customers speaks volumes about your company. Stick to the golden rules of customer service to get ahead in growing your customer base and avoiding customer fallouts.

Your company is made up of your products and the values you hold and while these components are necessary, customers can make or break your company’s future. If people don’t buy your services, your company will fail. Many brands undervalue their customers and are more focused on churning out new products and services. Recently, a fast fashion brand went bankrupt when they lost half their customer base because they ignored customer complaints.

Maximize your efforts by following these seven golden rules and giving your customers a positive experience with your brand.

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  1. Every interaction is important: The phrase, ‘doesn’t care about its customers’ starts with one unhappy customer. Work through every complaint and query like your entire company depends on it. For example, a clothing company received questions about a customer’s delayed package. After working through the problem, the company reached out to the customer a week after to check in with them and ensure that they were satisfied.

 

  1. Resolve complaints as soon as possible: After a long day of responding to customer needs, it’s easy to send your customers a half-hearted reply that gets the job done. But with the influence of social media, your apathy can be displayed for the whole world to see. So every time you interact with a customer, treat them like royalty. Your users will talk about you online but you get to decide whether they praise you or berate you.

 

  1. Admit your mistakes: Every company has experienced at least one bad situation with their customer(s). Of course, it’s better to avoid customer service problems entirely but if they do happen, effectively work through them. Openly admit there was something wrong from your end. When it comes to your customers, you can’t apologize enough.

 

  1. Go where your customers are: How do you connect with your customers? Facebook, Twitter, email, phone…the options are endless. One of the best ways to know which platform to use is to ask your customers. Pop the question on a poll post-purchase or while they are browsing your website. Know where your customers are most comfortable reaching out to you and establish your network there. This shows how positive and responsive the company is. Customers want to know that you care and this is the best way to do so.

 

  1. Make it easier for your customers: Dealing with a problem is frustrating and customers prefer to lodge the complaint by themselves and in their own time. Create a form so your customers can submit their complaints via the form on your website. Your customers will be more at ease to freely express what’s wrong.

 

  1. Have a good rapport with your customers: Some of the top brands have prioritized creating a personal relationship with their customers. Studies have found that companies that succeed are ones that understand their users and interact with them regularly on social platforms. The success of brands like Wendy’s and Coca-Cola is attributed to the identity they have online as well as their personal relationships with consumers.

 

  1. Ask for feedback: The best way to maintain quality is to request feedback on your services. What do they like best? What needs improvement? How is the packaging? Their answers can reveal where your brand needs work and allow you to quickly make changes. This shows your commitment to your users and makes them stay with you. It also brings in new customers who hear positive reviews about your brand.

 

Studies show that customers prefer empathetic support rather than fast support. Transparency and customer care influence customer loyalty. If you play your cards right, you’ll find your profits doubling and your company’s future steady.