Think Your Customer is Happy with Your Service? Think Again.
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Customers now have the luxury of being able to browse through the prices of different competitors and have their pick of the litter; as a result, customer service has become an invaluable commodity. Of course, exceptional customer service can really set your business apart from your competitors while poor customer service causes you to lose your customers. But what are some of the hidden side effects of bad customer service?
#1: Bad News Travels Fast
Customers tend to remember and talk about their experiences with bad customer service more often than they do with good experiences with customer service.
Typically, customers approach a business with the expectation of having an overall good experience. When this expectation is met and their problem is resolved, the customer will then continue on with their day and think nothing of it.
On the other hand, bad customer service ruins the customer’s experience and as a result, is more memorable; but in a negative way. Thanks to the internet, these customers can now share their terrible experience with all of their friends, family, and followers on social media, or with the general public through a reviews. As a result, everybody who has been exposed to the negative feedback may hold bias against that particular company and refuse to be a customer.
#2: Bad Customer Support Affects Sensitivity to Price
As you know, it’s far easier and more cost effective to keep a customer than it is to acquire a new one. However, when someone continuously deals with problem after problem, they tend to become more sensitive to any price changes and additional fees. Without good customer service to keep the customer loyal, price becomes the determining factor.
#3: Bad Customer Support Doesn’t Give You a Second Chance
When a customer purchases your product or service, they are looking for a good experience with no unpleasant surprises. Unfortunately, mistakes inevitably happen and problems do occur. A majority of the time, the customer will remain silent about it and simply decide that they will not be buying from you again. The ones who do contact customer support tend to be the most forgiving and willing to be a repeat customer. That is, provided that they’re treated right by customer support of course.
If there’s one thing you need to keep in mind about customer service, it’s that you need to be able to step back and keep the customer’s perspective in mind. It’s important to think about the customer’s expectations first and deal with all problems in a polite and timely manner to best convince them to purchase from you again.
