5 Reasons Why Customer Service Is More Important Than Ever

Why customer service should be at the heart of every business strategy

1. Brand reputation and word-of-mouth

Think about the last time a friend recommended a brand or site to you – their recommendation is often the nudge we need to encourage us to take the plunge and purchase a product or try a service. Nowadays, in the era of all things digital, word-of-mouth is vital for any business that wants to make it – and this means optimising not only the customer experience but also focusing on your marketing, as influencers hold a lot of sway within their target communities and can draw new customers in if they promote your product.

This trust with the customer is hard-won but vital, as a single negative review can be enough to discourage customers for good. Comments on the internet can spread quickly, easily eroding trust and having a detrimental effect on a brand’s reputation; further demonstrating how important it is to proactively anticipate a customer’s needs and concerns to ensure each interaction is a positive one.

2. Customer (and by extension, employee) retention

We’ve all been there – picture your first student job where you frequently had to deal with difficult people. When customers feel valued and understood they are more likely to hang around, and consequently, employees regularly dealing with contented customers don’t want to quit! This just goes to show external customers aren’t the only ones who gain from this focus on the customer experience. When a company gets its customer service right, this in turn makes for happy employees.

No one wants to deal with a moaning customer on the phone – talking to happy customers is much more satisfying and less demoralising – as a result, your employees will enjoy their work more and be more driven, feeding back into the overall quality of service and creating a healthy business ecosystem where everyone feels respected and valued.

3. Increased sales

Good customer service makes you more sales! Here at Sherbs HQ we know for a fact that satisfied customers don’t just return, they become regular customers, which contributes to a steady and consistent revenue stream over time.

They’re also more likely to recommend your services or products to friends and family, converting them into repeat buyers as well. We’ve seen firsthand that when your good reputation and client base start to increase, so will your revenue, which opens up innovative possibilities and keeps you competitive in your industry.

4. Competitive advantage in a crowded market

In industries where products and services are quite similar, an excellent customer experience could be the difference between winning customers and them moving on to a competitor who offers better care. As we’ve already talked about above, customer retention is key to building a good reputation but also a solid customer base and increasing sales.

If your customer experience team can build an emotional bond with your customers, you will stand out in an already very saturated market. We’ve had plenty of customers tell us about their bad experiences elsewhere, and we pride ourselves on our excellent customer care making us stand out in a competitive industry. We know that SEO is a competitive field, but we believe that having the best strategies isn’t enough – we aim to provide the best customer service while we do it.

 

5. Continuous improvement

Customer interactions are a goldmine of feedback. Good customer service involves listening to the client, understanding their needs and acting on their feedback. At Sherbet Donkey we use this loop of feedback and improvement to drive our business to stay relevant and competitive by adjusting to our target markets’ changing wants and needs. Every contact with a customer tells a business something new about what it does well and what it could do better, helping inform strategic changes.

This process also helps a business be innovative and come up with new ideas, which could lead to new product features or even completely new products. By simply listening to what your customers have to say, you can identify any gaps in your product range that a competitor may not have spotted, which will give you an edge over other companies and increase your profit margin. It all starts with good customer care.

The takeaway

Hopefully, we’ve convinced you that good customer service is a crucial part of your business and essential for its long-term success. In today’s customer-centric world, providing good customer care is imperative and no longer optional. Companies that work hard to make their customers happy are the ones that will thrive in the business landscape going forward.