<\/a><\/p>\n There are three sides to this answer: what<\/i> you offer, how much<\/i> you offer it for, and how<\/i> you offer it.<\/p>\n While the first two are governed by a business plan and economic trends, the third is something that you can continuously improve to get on your customers\u2019 radars.<\/p>\n For instance, say you run a business that sells solar panels. You offer three tiers of panels that are set at $200\u2013500 based on industry rates. These factors are unlikely to change in the short run, but one way you can differentiate yourself is in how <\/i>you offer it, which lies in the customer service you provide.<\/p>\n Good customer service is about providing the best possible experience in the moments leading up to, during, and following a customer\u2019s interaction with your business. There\u2019s the obvious stuff like being available for their questions. But it\u2019s also subtle things like knowing the whole history between the customer and your business within minutes or having every interaction with them feel consistently upbeat.<\/p>\n And for whatever reason, some industries are absolutely killing it when it comes to customer service (while others are doing abysmally):<\/p>\n In fact, customer service makes such a big difference that following a poor experience, 89% of consumers switched to doing business with a competitor1<\/sup>. Just think about it. Your business is likely just one of many hits in a simple online search when someone is considering their options. If they had to choose between two businesses with good products, but one has much better customer service than the other, which do you think they\u2019d choose? Customer expectations<\/a> are going to vary across businesses and industries.<\/p>\n For example, in retail, having a digital presence is the new norm. A shopper looking to buy a dress likely expects their favorite store to stock it online.<\/p>\n In the auto industry, speed is of the essence. A person looking to get their car fixed expects to be able to pick it up the next day.<\/p>\n Despite all these variances, that\u2019s not to say there aren\u2019t universal principles that still cut across all of them. Let\u2019s take a look at what some of these are.<\/p>\n Here are three examples of what good customer service looks like. Can you guess what universal principles they share that can be applied to any business looking to improve their customer service?<\/p>\n For a frequently returning customer<\/a>, this tea shop wrote a personalized handwritten note to accompany a purchase order that read \u201cOMG, Hi Francesca! So lovely to see your name come up! We miss you dearly up here but know you are always doing epic things!<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing this message<\/a>, Francesca decided that T-We Tea would always be one of her go-to places for loose leaf tea:<\/p>\n Takeaway:<\/strong> A little effort to personalize your customer experience can go a long way. Don\u2019t forget the human touch.<\/p>\n When a customer broke the pocket clip of his new knife from Kershaw Knives, the business immediately sent him a new clip free of charge, making sure it reached him within a week.<\/p>\n Kershaw\u2019s willingness to pocket the minor product and shipping costs made the business stand out so much to him that he later went on online to give them an outstanding review. Worth the relatively small cost? We think so, especially if it\u2019s a customer with a large social following:<\/p>\n Takeaway<\/b>: Relatively small costs can have outsized rewards. Invest in your customer relationships.<\/p>\n A customer had contacted a landscaping business a while back for some ideas for her fence design. Though it took her three years<\/i> before she got back to them with the decision to continue, the business was happy to work on her timeline and provided a friendly and positive experience nonetheless to win her over\u2014and earn this review:<\/p>\n Takeaway<\/b>: Play the long game. Sometimes, customers don\u2019t become customers right away.<\/p>\n In all three examples, the service staff saw their customers as more than just people with money to spend. They saw them as people who\u2019d have hopefully long-term relationships with their businesses. People who are worth investing time and effort into. Doing whatever they could to make life easier for them, they provided a type of personal support that\u2019s typical of friends but unexpected of businesses. That\u2019s what stood out to each customer.<\/p>\n Another commonality in these examples is that employees took a proactive approach to solving their customers\u2019 problems. Whether it\u2019s sensing their hesitation and providing confidence in their service or sending them replacements beyond what was paid for, this type of response garners a positive response because it shows that they care about their customer\u2019s relationship with them for the long haul.<\/p>\n Not every customer service action needs grand gestures to leave a lasting impression. Great customer service can mean being attentive and finding subtle ways to help.<\/p>\n Of course, providing stellar service requires effort, time, and sometimes might even come at a short-term cost.<\/p>\n But the long-term benefits of good customer service are well worth the extra thought. Before we get into ways you can boost your own customer service, let\u2019s take a look at what some of these benefits are. It\u2019s no secret that stellar customer service makes for positive long-term success. If you\u2019re wondering how exactly it translates, here are three reasons:<\/p>\n In one-on-one moments with your customers, as much as you might be doing the selling, don\u2019t forget that they\u2019re also doing the talking. Your job here is to listen. Chances are you\u2019ll pick up on key customer feedback<\/a> and insights to guide your future business decisions.<\/p>\n For instance, while helping a customer choose between which solar panel best meets their needs, they might mention specific product features they\u2019re looking for based on what competitors are producing. Or they might mention why they\u2019re particularly interested in buying solar panels (because everyone in their cottage neighborhood is getting on board).<\/p>\n With this sort of intel, you might get some ideas on how to target cottage owners in your future marketing or how to update your product to serve a growing consumer need.<\/p>\n Trust is a huge asset in any business, and as it turns out, trust also applies to strangers (even ones online we\u2019ve never met before). Seventy-three percent of consumers say that positive customer reviews<\/a> make them trust a business more than one without reviews2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n In psychology, the power of reciprocity means that we generally feel compelled to return a kind gesture with one of our own. When we deliver great customer service, chances are the people who were positively affected by it will return the gesture, likely in the easiest way they know how\u2014by leaving you a raving review, whether online or by telling others they know. Who doesn\u2019t love free marketing?<\/p>\n With new customers coming in, don\u2019t forget that keeping existing customers is just as valuable (especially for your bottom line).<\/p>\n Good customer service is a key driver of customer loyalty. Loyalty means they\u2019ll keep coming back while you continue to gain positive word-of-mouth. Plus, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n Keep that in mind, especially when you\u2019re closing out a sale, because customer service doesn\u2019t just end when the sale is done. Give them a reason to come back. As customers, good service is easy to recognize. As business owners, the benefits are clear yet the ways to get there can seem hard to reach.<\/p>\n Here are five ways to deliver amazing customer service that you can start doing today:<\/p>\n Customer service is a team sport<\/a> that\u2019s not played by just the single individual interacting with the customer. Success depends on getting knowledge quickly and effectively to the rep responding to the customer\u2014especially when they\u2019re not the specialist. Having the right virtual tools in place can facilitate this collaboration.<\/p>\n For instance, if an on-site technician needs help with an installation, the product expert can quickly send over troubleshooting files to help resolve the situation.<\/p>\n How to achieve this:<\/strong> With RingCentral\u2019s Collaborative Contact Center<\/a>, you can connect your teams together through messaging to quickly find resolutions to customer challenges. Using this tool, reps can connect with experts who can share files instantly so that the rep can stay focussed on working with the customer.<\/p>\n Empower your customers to find answers all on their own by providing them with the right tools to do so. While it\u2019s recommended to still make the option available to chat with a service rep if needed, sometimes customers just want to be able to solve their own problems quickly.<\/p>\n There are lots of forms this can take, such as providing a robust online help center<\/a>, allowing customers to log in to check delivery statuses, change reservations, book online, and more.<\/p>\n How to achieve this: <\/b>With Booker\u2019s<\/a> scheduling tool, you can add a booking option to your website where customers can view available time slots, select services, make appointments, and get notified of upcoming events with you.<\/p>\n Another powerful tool for enabling customer self-service is implementing an AI receptionist. SMBs can leverage AI receptionists<\/a> to provide immediate, 24\/7 assistance to customers without the need for human intervention. These AI-powered systems can handle a wide range of tasks, from answering frequently asked questions about products and services to guiding customers through simple troubleshooting steps. They can also provide status updates on orders or appointments, offer basic product recommendations based on customer inputs, and even schedule appointments or make reservations.<\/p>\n With a whole ecosystem of ways in which customers can connect with businesses (through voice, chat, text, email or video), it makes for an ever growing expectation on businesses.<\/p>\n One of these expectations is to make all these methods available to them. Another expectation is to make the experience feel seamless (as in the customer doesn\u2019t have to repeat information if they start an online chat that gets redirected to a phone call).<\/p>\n Remove the friction and allow customers to connect with you as easy as texting a friend.<\/p>\n How to achieve this:<\/strong> Use a unified platform that brings together all the different communication channels that your customers can use to get through to you. This way, instead of having to have your Twitter chats open in one window, your Facebook messages open in another, and your email inbox open in yet another, your team can see everything in one place. For example, RingCentral<\/a> is one of these tools that connects your social media accounts to make it easier for you to monitor conversations and deliver real-time support:<\/p>\nWhat exactly is \u201cgood customer service?\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"industry](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/industry-rankings-customer-service-1024x536.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\nWhat does good customer service look like?<\/h2>\n
Examples of good customer service<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n
1. T-We Tea<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"T-We](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image2-139.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image4-74.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n2. Kershaw Knives<\/h4>\n
![\"Kershaw](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image1-162.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Flores Landscaping<\/h4>\n
![\"Flores](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image3-118.png\")
<\/p>\nUniversal principles<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\nWhat are the benefits of good customer service?<\/h2>\n
1. It helps you pick up on trends<\/h3>\n
2. Earn positive reviews<\/h3>\n
3.\u00a0 Keep customers, save money<\/h3>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\n5 ways to provide good customer service<\/h2>\n
1. Put collaboration at the center of service<\/h3>\n
2. Let your customers self-serve<\/h3>\n
3. Let customers choose how to reach you<\/h3>\n