Companies who offer a Service. Do they Actually Do what it says on the Tin?
So many service companies, BUT do they actually provide a good service…mmm!
We are living in a “service” based world, with a big shift on the internet, if you are not online then where are you today.
But NOT all people are online and many companies just brush you off with customer service centers, holding you online to then speak with a person who really doesn't care that much and thinking of what they are going to have for tea that night, or if they are going to the pub for a beer… they then start by saying;
“How can I help you today”…
Over the years we have also become a society that says NO, due to the fact of losing your job and just have NO responsibility to say YES!
So it's easier to say NO or pass the buck to a colleague or someone in your team, but when you pass it on does this ever get dealt with? People just want the easy life to eat lunch travel home, and just watch TV with the companies message saying;
“We put the customer first!” Really?
You’ve definitely heard this phrase before — and probably from many companies and people over the years and you will continue to hear this message even more over the next few years!
Now that's something to look forward to!
This statement is a foundational promise in countless mission statements, website headlines, and choruses of customer service teams everywhere in the land.
Today, it’s hard to find a company that doesn’t say, “We put the customer first” in some part of their marketing messaging.
But here’s a really tough question: how many of these companies go beyond a marketing message and actually take the necessary steps to put their customers first?
According to new HubSpot research — not nearly enough of them. They found that an astonishing 42% of companies don’t survey their customers or collect feedback.
How can your company claim to put the customer first if you aren’t making the effort to listen to what your customers have to say?
The truth is this: even though most businesses claim to be “customer first”, they aren’t taking steps to actually be there for their customers.
That’s probably why only 12% of people actually believe a business when they say “we put the customer first”.
Most businesses are well-intentioned when they say they are “customer first,” but it’s time to do more than just say it.
If you want to truly build your business around your customers, there are some simple steps you can take to start.
Try surveying your customers, creating a customer code, or researching how other companies have successfully grown with a customer-first mindset.
Tightening your focus on customers and how they feel about your company/product/service which is critical to growth.
The survey found that 69.5% of companies say that review sites, social media, or word-of-mouth directly drive leads for their business.
The only way to consistently generate that organic growth is through a great customer experience, and truly understanding your customers.
Power Has Shifted to Customers
A tight customer focus is critical to growth — in part because customers today have unprecedented power in the buying process.
Today, your customers are much better informed than ever before. 76.2% of customer service professionals agree that customers today are more informed than they used to be.
A smarter consumer expects more from your company — and the data which was uncovered backed up this trend in consumer behavior. 87.8% agreed that customers have higher expectations than ever.
A big factor in these heightened expectations is the rise of social media.
Social platforms like Twitter and Facebook have given customers a louder voice and empowered them to share their experiences with a larger audience.
This phenomenon is something that our survey respondents pointed out: they overwhelmingly agreed (89.17%) that customers today are more likely than ever to share positive or negative experiences via social media channels.
Let’s add this all up.
Customers today are: smarter, have higher expectations, and — good or bad — are very likely to share their experiences on social media.
It’s simple to see how much more power they have than in the past. This is scary if you’re aren’t obsessed with your customer's experience.
However, if you have a great product and offer a great customer experience, this is good news. It should translate directly to growth with your customer.
What Does the Modern Buyer Want?
People today are clearly changing, but what do these empowered consumers want?
We asked a series of questions to understand what they look for when evaluating products.
This one may be obvious, but 95% of respondents do research online when they have a need for a new product or service.
We’ve all known this for a while, but what exactly are consumers looking for when they conduct this research?
Top 5 Needs During Online Research in 2019
- Product information (demos / explainers) (52%)
- Reviews and social proof from users like them (44%)
- Discounts and deals (42%)
- Customer examples / Case studies (33%)
- Educational content / strategy / best practices (32%)
People are clearly on the hunt for specific information about products (52%).
They want to understand what something does when they buy it. They also are price conscious and (42%) on the hunt for discounts and deals.
For these reasons, it’s more important than ever before to provide information on your website about what your product or service will deliver and how much it’ll cost.
But most business websites do a good job of that. What they don’t do a good job of is delivering social proof.
Reviews and social proof (44%) and customer examples/case studies (33%) are two similar buckets of information that heavily impact how customers view your business.
Today, customers are smarter, which means that they are less influenced by what you have to say and instead want to hear from people like them.
Looking at this information, it is very clear people are looking for a better experience from companies, so it's time for companies to step up their game and deliver what they say on the tin.
I'm not sure this really will ever happen, as we living in a world that requires instant gratification and patience is most certainly not on the menu if truth be told people are lazy and just want an easy life to turn to the next easy thing around the corner, maybe I'm being just too judgemental, but then again maybe I'm not!
By Pete Moore
