Great customer service is the cornerstone of a successful business. According to Business Zone, 81% of consumers are willing to pay more for superior customer service. It is vital that you find ways to constantly strengthen the service your business provides, to attract and retain customers. So, how can you improve your business’ customer service?
Engage on social media
SME Web notes that increasingly, consumers are using social media to research companies. It is key that your business builds an active presence on these portals to communicate with your consumers. Ensure all your social media pages accurately reflect your company’s key information e.g. opening times. With this approach, you can ensure that consumers have seamless experience when researching your company online.
Ensure that a member of staff monitors any mentions and questions for your business on social media. This way, they can respond in a timely manner, which is really important as figures show that when contacting a business via social media, 42% of consumers expect a response within 60 minutes. It may be worth utilising a social media tool such as Hootsuite, so that you can keep track of social media mentions of your company and respond quickly, to let customers know you value their business.
Update listings and directories
It is essential that your directories and local listings e.g. on Google, are updated regularly with the correct information. This will ensure that consumers can find you easily when searching for the products and services you provide online. Failing to take this approach can damage your reputation; for instance if you do not update your email information, you will not be able to respond to consumer correspondence, suggesting that you do not care about securing their custom.
Google is the world’s biggest search engine, so it is key that you set aside time to manage your business’ listings on this portal via ‘Google My Business.’ Sort by status to access any updates that need making easily. You can spot any inconsistencies in your directory listings conveniently by using ‘Moz Local.’ Type your business’ name and postcode into the programme and it will bring any directory listing inconsistencies to your attention, so you can make the necessary edits.
Keep track of reviews
People are increasingly using social media and sites such as TripAdvisor to review businesses online. Search Engine Land writes that 88% of consumers now trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, so it is key that you keep track of any reviews of your business. This will allow you to identify genuine negative reviews, so that you can handle them carefully and reduce the damage they inflict on your business. By addressing these issues, you can show consumers that you are committed to constantly improving the level of service you provide.
Improve phone services
Do not overlook your phone services when improving customer services, as consumers will expect an efficient service when calling your company. Use specialist business telephone systems so that you can utilise features such as call recording, to find ways to improve how your staff communicate with consumers via phone. Research commissioned by LogMeIn, a software provider, shows that ‘mobile experience’ can also make or break customer loyalty, in a world where consumers are increasingly engaging with businesses via smartphones. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, providing the convenience consumers need to bring their business your way via smartphone.
Invest in infrastructure
Increasingly, consumers are engaging with businesses online. Therefore if you want to improve your company’s ability to provide great customer service, it is vital that you invest in the infrastructure required to make communicating with your business via digital channels as easy as possible.
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