Investing in Customer Support is a Must in the Modern Day Business [GUEST POST]

Investing in Customer Support is a Must in the Modern Day Business

Customer service is an essential part of any well-established company. Business owners of the past used to think of it as a call center room filled with script-reading robots going through the inquiries. Today, we know that customer service presents an excellent opportunity to not only retaining and serving old customers but also to gain new ones and in turn, increase the overall sales and profit margins. It is a job that requires constant dedication and ongoing investment in order to keep the business afloat in the ruthless sea of competition.

Incorporating a customer service early in the startup stage is vital

Early startups are often chaotic, spending their time on building a product, wooing potential customers, and scrambling to find the best possible marketing strategy. Most business owners think that setting up a customer support service early in the startup is not that important and they delay it for a later time. This ends up turning into a massive trial and error attempt to find the most effective software solution to keep up with the rising needs of the business. Instead of focusing on running the company, you now have to waste time figuring out which support solution works best for your business. Invest in customer support early in order to avoid having to deal with it when your hands are already full.

It’s all about the first impression

Most businesses today have an irrational fear of getting a massive surge of new customers. Although this is exactly the kind of thing that drives success, companies fear that they won’t be able to withstand the pressure of dealing with plenty of potential customers. But what they don’t understand is that the brand is perceived through the eyes of the customer interacting with it. The company’s image relies heavily on the first impression people get, especially when having to deal with a problem or an issue they’ve encountered and the way in which that issue is resolved.

It only takes a single unsatisfied customer to cause a massive outpour of negative attention. This can be in a form of a readily available negative testimony or a review, but more importantly, this negativity can be transferred to potential customers via social interaction and word of mouth. Avoid making the first impression a negative one and set up a proper team of customer support representatives ready to help with any and all issues a customer might encounter. Remember, there isn’t a better marketing effort than a satisfied customer. While we’re on the subject of marketing…

Related: Making a Good Impression on the Initial Call with a Senior Executive

Customer support is becoming a form or marketing in its own right

You might not realize, but customer support service is actually becoming a staple of any well-thought-out marketing strategy. With good customer service comes a happy customer, and a happy customer is surely going to tell their friends and family and share on their social media profiles how well they were treated by your company. Besides, it’s free advertising, which means that you can invest some of the resources planned for marketing on other, more essential parts of the company. Once your marketing campaign has generated a lead, and the sales department has succeeded in converting that lead into a customer, it’s important to keep maintaining and nurturing that relationship if you wish your business to remain successful.

Related: Re-activate the Interest of Lapsed Customers to your Company

Underestimating customer’s demands is detrimental for business

There’s a term circulating the industry called “omni-support”, which is used to describe the idea that businesses need to be available and ready to respond to any demand a customer has, no matter where they are. This is easy for large businesses which have their supporting infrastructure already set in place, with enough manpower and resources to maintain it. Smaller businesses, on the other hand, aren’t as omnipresent as their larger counterparts. And this is exactly the reason why small businesses should never overlook or underestimate their customer’s demands.

Related: The Remedy for Unqualified Leads: Nurture Them Until They’re Ready

As resources aren’t as readily available, it is best to pick a good supporting software solution that can handle the different formats such as contact forms, emails, and social media. By doing this, you are allowing your company to be present and ready to assist its customers in dealing with their issues, without having to favor one form of communication over the other. This is particularly relevant, as more and more people are not only using social media on a daily basis but are expecting the same from their favorite brands and businesses.

When it comes to customer support, the best solution is the one implemented early. This allows the support team to be involved and up-to-date with the products and services your business is offering and be an active part of creating the best possible solution to combat any issues that might arise from trying to acquire said products and services. Instead of focusing on numbers and sales, it’s better to focus on the customer, and there’s no better way of doing this than with an effective customer support team.

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