When a firm is looking to save money, the customer service department is among the first to be affected. Because most customer service teams are outsourced, it’s easier to absorb the loss of departing employees because the sorrow doesn’t feel as real. Additionally, there’s always the possibility of finding a lower-cost call centre down the road, which will make your financial statements look better.
Let customer service suffer to grow revenues is like trying to accelerate your car by applying the brakes and thinking it will go faster.
When done correctly, customer service has the potential to generate money rather than a drain on your resources. Here are a few ways to help your customer service team transform.
Make Customer Care Mind-Blowing
Does it matter where you stay when you’re on vacation if you’ve had an excellent experience? No, I doubt it. Customers, it turns out, follow the golden rule of giving back. When you treat them properly, they return the favour by referring their friends and family to you.
5 percent improvement in client retention can raise profitability by 25 percent to 95 percent. To substantiate its claims, the researchers mention Chick-Fil-A as an example of a fast-food business. Despite paying its employees more than the industry average, Chick-Fil-A can donate 10% of its income to charity because of its devoted client base.
Use Coupons to Drive Repeat Business
The days when customer service was restricted to phone and email are long gone. Everywhere you look, you’ll find customer service representatives. A Live Chat option on your website allows customers to communicate with a customer service agent while they are still on your site and even making a purchase. Customers use social media to communicate and expect a response immediately.
Customers are more likely to return to your store if they receive coupons as a result of this increased exposure to customer service. Every time you interact with a customer service representative, offer a promotional discount to entice them to come and make another purchase. Customer service teams are ideal for this position because of the variety of ways customers can interact with them. It’s also a terrific idea to end the conversation with a free surprise gift and the ideal answer to their initial dilemma.
Notify customers for subscriptions or refills
Like food, many businesses deal with things that don’t have a long shelf-life. Others, like cellphones, sell products that need to be updated regularly. Then some offer things that run out regularly, such as dog food, for example. Refills and upgrades are a great way to keep your consumers happy, no matter what type of business you run.
Contact your customers and inform them about the product that is about to expire. You’ll just get screamed at if you try this over the phone. Instead, use an email to say what you mean to say. Reminder emails should include a “Buy” button that allows customers to reorder right away if they so choose. Another simple, non-intrusive, and effective method is to send them a social media direct message with a link to the product page.
Latch onto Upselling and Cross-Selling Chances
Fast food restaurants have perfected the art of upselling and cross-selling. “Would you like your burger with extra cheese?” is the clerk’s question at the register. alternatively, “Would you like fries with that?” It’s impossible to say no.
Use this information to help your customer service staff as well. One of the keys to a successful phone upsell or cross-sell is to avoid appearing robotic. It’s best to approach the request with a pleasant, “Oh, I’m here to help.” Customers flee when they detect a pushy sales pitch.
Reduce Your Risks While Increasing Your Profits
Poor customer service costs businesses around the world $338 billion a year. More than $83 billion of this is lost in the United States alone. What if your poor customer service is costing you thousands of dollars a year in lost revenue?
Having a proactive customer service team ensures that your customers’ issues are addressed promptly and that any possible issues with your product are dealt with. We all know that a buck saved is a dollar earned, and happy consumers lead to fewer lost bucks.
Conclusion
Sixty-eight percent of American customers are willing to pay a 14 percent premium to businesses who provide excellent customer service simply to receive good service!
It’s not always easy to keep a ship afloat when it comes to customer service. However, it’s a no-risk, no-reward strategy that, if mastered, may lead to long-term client pleasure and sustainable success for your company.
