Bargain pricing and free merchandise just won't cut it anymore. The sales culture has shifted, and people who once searched for the lowest price are now on the hunt for the best service. Quality customer service is the new norm. Customers who have a bad experience will jump ship and take their business elsewhere. With limitless options and alternatives, there isn't room for huge customer service errors. Poor customer service experiences not only lead to bad retention rates, but they can also lead to a decrease in sales. 89% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service, so if an organization frequently has customer services mishaps there can be a significant hit to their bottom line. Creating a customer service oriented culture is key in retaining customers and increasing sales. Here's how your organization can get on board with customer service culture:
Service culture affects the bottom line. A company’s internal culture must be aligned with external culture. A product or service may be innovative for a couple months or even years, but eventually it will be copied. What then distinguishes a brand? Service.
A brand’s service culture may be one of its only differentiators in a market of ever-consolidating, commoditized products and services. Brands that compete on price alone are racing to the bottom. They must stand out through culture.
Corporate culture, once defined by free food, weekly yoga and foosball tables, is something much greater now. It’s about how a company engages with its employees and its clients. The C-suite is starting to understand that corporate culture must be purposely created. No longer viewed as frivolous, it’s a key part of any brand’s authentic DNA, and if structured and nurtured correctly, it can become one of a brand’s most unique and powerful tools in its marketing toolbox.
Keep reading here, at ama.org.
As customer service is being recognized as a key component of business strategy more services have become available to make managing the process easier. HubSpot is one of such platforms that launched their Service Hub back in May. A major part of customer service is keeping existing customers happy, and a key benefit of the Service Hub is its ability to manage the customer journey and identify growth opportunities within the existing customer database. Customers can get fast help via the Service Hub knowledge base and create automated tickets while the system efficiently manages other features such as conversions, customer feedback, and reporting on the back end.
Even the best digital ad campaigns and marketing techniques can't make up for a lack of customer service. For organizations who are struggling to improve sales, take a closer look at customer feedback. Oftentimes this area has a huge potential for improvement. There is a reason companies with extraordinary customer service have such loyal followings. While Chick-fil-A's product is comparable to any other fast food chain out there, they're known and beloved for their exceptional customer service. However, even organizations with amazing customer service need to take additional steps to market themselves. Word of mouth alone is typically not sufficient for continued business growth, so here are some lead generation tips to consider.
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