Many of us wonder how some businesses outperform their competitors and what makes their customers remain loyal to them. These businesses have the ability to retain their customers through the years, despite the presence of similar businesses that offer the same products and services that they do. So, what sets them apart from their competitors? It’s their ability to understand the modern customer and their need for tailor-made solutions.
Who is the Modern Customer & What Can Your Business Do for Them?
The modern customer is someone who expects service on demand. They’re always on the go and always on the lookout for products and services that improve the quality of their life. These customers aren’t just after the quality of a product, they’re also particular about the quality of service and support that an entity they’re transacting with provides. Is your business ready to meet the needs and expectations of the modern customer? Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Does My Business Use the Available Technology to Create More Ways for Customers to Reach Us?
The modern customer is someone who conducts most of their business online, from shopping for groceries to paying the bills. They’re also very likely to send you feedback or complaints beyond your store hours and prefer to engage with you via direct messaging. They expect real-time service and a 24-hour turnaround time at the very least. If the only way for customers to reach you is still through your hotline, it’s high time you made a change. The use of various relevant social media platforms to communicate with your customers faster and more conveniently will pay off.
Does My Staff Have the Necessary Tools & Training to Enhance Their Customer Management Skills, & Are They Compensated Fairly for Their Work?
Your staff is at the heart of your business; They can make or break your business relationship with your customers. But having a great team of people requires that you train and give them the right tools for the job. Arm your staff with product knowledge and interpersonal skills training. The best customer care team out there is made up of people who aren’t just knowledgeable about the products that they offer, after all. They also need to understand what the customers want and be able to provide it in a timely manner.
Aside from training your staff well, they should also be compensated well. This part is often overlooked but has a huge impact on employee performance. A well-trained staff is key to business success. Giving them proper compensation is an investment that will generate more returns than you can ever expect. Like Sir Richard Branson said, “Train your employees well enough, so they can leave. Treat them well enough, so they don’t want to.”
Your employees, after all, are also your internal customers. And they are the people who make your external customers happy.
Does My Business Use Customer Feedback to Improve Our Support & Service?
Listen to what your customers are saying, good or bad. It may sound counter-intuitive, but even negative feedback plays an important part in developing excellent customer care policies. Understanding customer behavior helps you predict what your customers need. Further analysis will also help you identify the message behind customer dissatisfaction and uncover weak points in your customer care system. It gives you the opportunity to improve your system and turn a dissatisfied customer into a happy one.
Does My Business Provide Exceptional Customer Care at All Times?
Customer care involves customer focus, customer support, and customer service. Customer focus is putting your customers’ needs first and how they feel about your business as a whole. It’s the act of listening to them, observing their buying habits, and creating solutions that fit their needs.
Customer support, meanwhile, is providing customers with assistance, like troubleshooting and answering queries, problem-solving, and providing basic service. It’s so that when a customer orders a salad, they get a salad. If they ask for delivery, they get a delivery schedule and a tracking number.
Lastly, customer service is a long-term process that spans the entire customer life cycle. It is the act of nurturing customer relationships with the help of your customer care team. It’s the experience that they get whenever they interact with you. So when the same customer orders their usual salad, you remember any modifications on their order and their preferred time for delivery. You’re giving them service they can’t find anywhere else.
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Just as the trends change, so do your customers’ needs. Customer needs are constantly changing and evolving based on their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the type of service that they receive. Keep in mind that the modern customer’s buying decisions do not just revolve around the quality of a product but also the experience that they have throughout their buying journey and beyond the point of sale.
Successful businesses know that keeping customers is more than just providing high-quality products. It’s how your customers feel whenever they do business with you that keeps them coming back and makes them stay with you.
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