Exceptional Customer Service in a Digital Age
It has been said many times that "relationships are everything in business". I happen to agree. There are few things as potent as a satisfied, loyal customer who shares their extraordinary experience through the social channels today's digital world provides. Providing exceptional service and support through these channels is an effective and powerful way to reshape corporate culture, grow customer relationships, and set yourself apart from the competition. Need proof? According to Nielsen, people spend three times as much time on blogs and social media than on email- across all age groups. Bottom line? It's vital and very necessary to leverage the social channels for a superior customer experience.
And just how do we go about doing this? I asked the experts at Assistly , for some wisdom on the matter. Here are just some of the many benefits exceptional customer service provides.
Exceptional Customer Service: 5 Truths
Transparent and public support leads to customer retention. Sincerity breeds trust. Trust leads to "customers for life"– the most desirable kind. Transparency also has the added benefit of humanizing you and your team. Forget perfection. Relax; you don't have to be perfect–just be genuine.
Rapid response is not just for heading off trouble in a crisis. It's about demonstrating respect. Respect is lacking when a company provides a response after 6 weeks. Respond within hours or a day to that Facebook comment or tweet, and you demonstrate respect..
Support and service through multiple channels builds advocacy and evangelism. On social channels in particular these VIPs become unpaid members of the marketing team—community turbo boosters. A peer opinion is the most trusted opinion.
Supple support satisfies customer expectations. Customers have idiosyncratic expectations of how, when and where they want to interact with your brand. Some customers are extroverted. Age can dictate a preference for Twitter over email, or chat instead of phone, and some don't want to talk to a human being at all—they want to find their own answers.
There are organizational benefits to Whole Company Support. As companies grow, even small companies, a shift can happen—one that moves part of the workforce away from the customer and isolates customer support to a siloed group. Getting everyone involved in support bridges these barriers and ensures that the entire team is focused on the customer.
Example: Bonobos
A great example of these truths put into practice is Bonobos. Bonobos, a stylish and sophisticated provider of men's apparel, connected a staff buyer with a customer inquiring about a new fabric. How many companies would do that? Not only did this give the buyer a great opportunity to conduct valuable research, but it also let the customer see their central role in the Bonobos culture. Bonobos just also happens to be a client of Assistly.
Moral of the story? Use the many tools available to provide exceptional service and make your customers very happy.
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