Businesses that prioritize the customer service experience reap the rewards of 60% higher profits compared to their competitors. Strong customer service models retain customers — about 81% of customers purchase again from a business after a positive customer service experience. Businesses strong in the area of customer service also have customers who are willing to pay more for their services — over half of surveyed customers indicated their willingness to pay more for improvements in the customer service they received. Here are three strategies to help your business improve overall customer satisfaction.
Live Receptionist Answering Service
For businesses that receive a high volume of calls, it is not always possible for an employee to answer the phone. However, customers looking to speak with an actual person may not be satisfied with just leaving a message on an answering machine. For the 61% of people who prefer to speak to customer service representatives over the phone, one option is to set up a quality answering service such as a live receptionist answering service. A call handling service that provides after hours answering to customers allows customers to receive quality service at all times. Enlisting the support of a virtual telephone answering service shows customers that you are going the extra mile to help support their concerns.
Customer Feedback
Another way to get better customer service results is by designing ways of collecting customer feedback and using this feedback to make changes to improve their experience. Providing a means of contact on a company website or asking customers to fill out a survey asking about their customer service satisfaction shows customers that they are valued. To elicit customer feedback, consider offering a reward for completion of a survey such as entering the customers who leave feedback into a drawing for a prize. Knowing how satisfied your customers are with the different aspects of your business allows you to see places that are in need of improvement.
Customer Service Training
It is vital to have a standard training system in place for employees who will be on the front lines as your business serves customers. For large businesses that have many employees with different skills and backgrounds, designing online workshops or modules to train or refresh employees’ customer service skills can really pay off. Periodic in person training using a cross section of employees also allows businesses to focus on specific areas of customer service or make employees aware of new customer service protocol or strategies.
The entire industry of customer service is expected to grow 13% between 2012 and 2022. If the success of your business is dependent on strong customer service whether through call centers, online or in person, considering a live receptionist answering service, a system for receiving customer feedback, and a quality customer service training program for employees can help your business better serve its customers. If you have any questions or comments about customer service opportunities like live receptionist answering service options, please share your thoughts!
