One big thing I have noticed over the last 9 months or so is customer service provided by companies.
I know that it was a struggle to move online, or to change how you do things, but did you let your customer service suffer while you pivoted?
We have learned so much as business owners during this global pandemic. We have learned the value of online networking, the importance of changing how we do things so we can still support our customers, and even what expenses we were investing in that we really didn’t need and can cut out of our budget moving forward.
One big thing that can’t change though, and needs to be even better than before is your customer service.
Everyone is going through their own struggle at this time and when they call in, even if they are frustrated, you need to provide excellent customer support and help in any way you can.
If you can’t deliver a product or service you need to communicate that but take it a step further. Do you have a trusted resource you can refer to for now? I know that sounds like sending work to the competition but hear me out.
We all get busy and overwhelmed. If you have a company that does the same work as you and you have a great relationship, you can refer work to them and they can do the same when needed and you provide a percentage of the sale to the referring partner. This helps you both be able to deliver on time and still make a profit when you have to refer out.
When someone calls your business, are they getting rerouted to someone reading from a script that can’t really help? That is not the way to go. If that is the case, you should have a follow up plan. Get a list of anyone that called in and follow up by email or a phone call the next day or later the same day to see if they were satisfied. Take it a step further and provide a direct line to someone that has the authority to help in their situation.
Stepping up your customer support will provide big returns in client and customer retention and referrals and will make you stand out from the competition that doesn’t go the extra step.