Hi Retailers, it’s Kira here, RetailBound’s Social Media Director.
You know those days where you’d rather just stay in bed? Especially as the weather starts to cool down and that big, cozy blanket looks so inviting. But, we have to go to work so we take our sullen attitude and head out the door. So what if you’re a little short with customers today, and maybe you’ll just let the phone ring – just this once. It can’t make that much of a difference, right?
Wrong!
Customer service is the most important element of brand loyalty. In fact, a 2011 study found that 89% of consumers started doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience. When we aren’t doing our jobs, making sure that the consumer has everything they need, our business can seriously lose out.
This couldn’t be more true for me. Two weeks ago my laptop crashed unexpectedly. It has taken me several phone calls, to multiple departments who clearly do not communicate with each other, as well as purchasing a new type of warranty and jumping through every hoop in the book, just to get them to look at my laptop. I haven’t even gotten it back yet!
After this experience, I’ve already begun shopping around their competitors’ products to find a potential replacement because I know I won’t be going back to them again.
But the reverse is also true – according to a CEI survey, 86% of buyers will pay more for a better customer experience.
While this whole ordeal was happening with my laptop, they needed to send me a box for me to ship them my laptop and they used FedEx. FedEx called me the morning they received the request to tell me the address they had for me did not exist (another mistake made by my laptop company). She quickly fixed the problem, made sure the package still went out that same day, and called me later to confirm it had been sent. When I shipped the package back to the laptop company, I scheduled the pickup over the phone in less than five minutes and when I came back from grocery shopping, FedEx had already picked up the package.
Now THAT is customer service that inspires brand loyalty.
Word of mouth can help or hurt sales. When customers have a good or bad experience, they’re likely to share it with others. Leaving one customer dissatisfied can lead to them discouraging their friends, family, coworkers, or whoever else they interact with from using your services. This impact could be amplified if customers write online reviews on sites where your product is sold.
If we can all recognize that customer service is highly important, what are some ways to ensure that every customer leaves satisfied? Just remember the Golden Rule (for customer service) Treat customers as you want to be treated, when you are the customer.
We want people to listen to our problems and know if their product will genuinely provide a solution. We don’t want to sit on the phone for an hour and a half while we re-explain the problem to five different people. And when we hang up, log out, or walk out of the store, we want to leave feeling like all our questions were answered and that we now have a solution to whatever problem we were having.
So, when you’re getting ready on one of those mornings when you just want to stay in bed, try to shake it off. Remember what little Annie said, “Though you may wear your best, you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”
For more information about RetailBound visit our website at www.retailbound.com or email us at info@retailbound.com.
You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile
