We all know that a really positive customer service experience can solidify our loyalty to a business. This is why monitoring and improving customer service is such a major factor in owning a small business (or a business of any size).
If you’re looking for creative ways to give your customer service department a serious boost, improve your customer’s experience, earn loyalty and extend your reach, here are a few tips.
Reward Customer Loyalty
When customers feel like you appreciate them, they’ll keep coming back for more. Regular rewards programmes are great, but offer something extra like VIP experiences for customers that have supported you throughout.
This could look like exclusive sales or discounts, invitations to launches, free samples or goodie bags with every third (for example) purchase, etc.
Send Personalised Mails or Texts
Personalised email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing forms out there, but it also serves another important purpose – making your customers feel recognised.
Send out emails on your customer’s birthdays (perhaps with a voucher or discount for the occasion), over holidays, or when your business has something new and exciting brewing. Big organisations do this, but it will be even more personal and meaningful coming from a small business.
Be Conversational
Your tone of voice – the way you address your customers in messaging – is more important than you think. Being formal, professional, bland… It won’t get you anywhere with certain audiences.
Addressing your customers in a more conversational tone can do wonders for their overall experience and view of your brand. Talking to them on a more personal level can make your marketing and other communication feel more friendly.
Address the Sticking Points
A big one to think about is how you deal with recurring problems. If you take customer feedback or analyse your customer complaints (which you should), you’ll almost always be able to notice a pattern of sorts.
You’ll probably find one or two problem areas, and it’s important that you deal with them once and for all. To sweeten the deal, send out a mass apology email for any inconvenience you may have caused.
Offer Self-Service Solutions
Nowadays, customers want quick and easy solutions – so you better provide them. Self-service options are attractive to busier people who don’t want to spend hours engaging in back-and-forth emails or sit on hold for twenty minutes of their lunch break.
Of course, customer service helplines are crucial, but offering quick and easy solutions like a live chat on your website, an FAQ page or online forums can help customers figure out how to solve their problems on their own.
Engage on Social Media
The impact of social media on business is immense nowadays, and you can use it to your advantage.
Engaging with your customers on social media is a great way to boost personal interaction and make them feel valued by your business. Reshare posts of your customers sharing their experiences, use Instagram stories to post Q&As and polls to gather opinions or simply engage in conversation with your audience.
