Customer service is the cornerstone of any successful enterprise, but many business owners, senior staff, and employees still fail to recognize its importance. Vision, initiative, and staff training all contribute to the all-important customer experience, but now and then even the most successful businesses need a refresh when it comes to meeting the needs of their clients.
Customer service might be the only contact a buyer will have with your company, so it’s essential that you make the right impression. There is so much competition from online startups and new businesses opening up on every corner, that people will only stay loyal to your brand if you give them a reason to. With this in mind, here are five customer service tips that can increase cash flow and make your life simpler.
Use Automated Surveys
One of the tricky things about running a business is that you want to know what’s going on in all areas, but you don’t have time to be everywhere at once. However, you can’t breathe down the necks of your employees all day long, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to speak to every single customer. Make life easier for yourself by implementing customer feedback surveys. Using automated surveys may not be a new or revolutionary idea, but this remains one of the best ways to collect data on employee performance and customer satisfaction.
Schedule Social Media Posts
If you want to engage with your customers and market your brand, you cannot ignore social media. All business owners understand the importance of an online presence, but who has the time to spend tweeting and taking photos all day? Streamline your social media processes with a full-service tool that offers automation.
Introduce Self-Service Support
The traditional phone call is dying out, paving the way for online interaction and chat messaging. When a customer has a problem, they want a solution – and fast. Give them the means to help themselves using FAQs, online chat or an automated customer service portal. Bear in mind that phones still account for around 70% of contact center communications, so you don’t want to eliminate telephone support entirely.
Use a Subscription Payments Service
By using a subscription payments service to collect your Direct Debit payments, you could increase automation, eliminate card expiry and cancellations, and reduce payment errors. This will save you an enormous amount of time trying to figure out why a payment has been rejected and will reduce customer churn rates. Just make sure you choose a provider that integrates with your existing subscription platform.
Hire the Right People
One of the most important decisions you can make to improve your customer service and simplify your life as a business owner is also one of the simplest. Hire customer service representatives who genuinely care about making people happy and solving problems. That’s it. It sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how many people end up in this job that doesn’t possess these necessary traits. Hire people who you’re proud to have fronting your business, and both you and your customers will reap the rewards for years to come.
