Why you should focus on your customer service strategy

Customer service is more important now than it’s ever been. Back in the days before the internet, you could get away with upsetting a few customers. Word of mouth only travels so far, so a scorned customer could only do so much damage. Now though, every business is global and every customer has a (loud) voice. Upset one customer and they could spark an online discussion that brings your business to its knees. That’s why it’s time to focus on your customer service strategy. You can’t make every customer happy. But you can try! 

Good reviews matter

Online reviews are the lifeblood of (almost) all businesses. Get a bunch of bad reviews and it could slow down sales and ruin your customer retention rate. Get a series of good reviews and it could make your business boom. Think about it: have you ever ordered takeout food from a place with only bad reviews? Get your customer service strategy wrong and you could end up with a business that can’t be fixed. To get good reviews, you need to overdeliver. That means going the extra mile and really impressing customers. Think about this at every step of the customer journey, from first impressions to after-sale support. 

Customer loyalty is everything

Repeat custom is often the secret to a successful business. Once a customer has made the decision to spend their money on your product or service, you need to do everything to keep them there. It doesn’t matter if you run a bar in a seasonal holiday town or you sell software to IT companies, customer loyalty is key to long-term business success. 

Customers expect more than ever

With the advent of online reviews, customers are more demanding than ever before. They expect high-quality service from your business. Because nowadays, they have all the power. That means overdelivering is harder than ever. But it’s still possible. With customer research, you can find out what your customers expect. Then, you can go about delivering it (and more). 

Outsourced customer service is improving

One of the advantages of the internet (for businesses) is that outsourcing is easier than ever before. You can now outsource your whole customer service team from call centers in the Philippines and deliver great customer experiences without hiring in-house. This makes customer service more cost-effective for businesses. Even in the travel industry, where hospitality vs customer service is a big debate, more businesses are moving to an outsource guest experience. 

A loyal fan base can be monetized

There’s more to customer service than just keeping your existing customers happy. You can also create a fan base that can ultimately be monetized. For example, if you run a business that specializes in luxury travel, you could start a high-end blog or podcast with industry experts. 

Not only is this a free resource for your customers, but it can also be monetized by including relevant ads or directing listeners to your website. Remember though, customers are savvier than ever before, so treat them with respect and be upfront about the aims of your free content.