3 Big Customer Service Mistakes Most Companies Make

Any successful entrepreneur will tell you that customer service is the foundation of a thriving business. You might think that attracting new customers will make your business successful. But, studies show that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain one. So, what is the secret of customer retention? The answer is good customer service.

If you want your existing customers to keep coming back for more, blow them away with exceptional customer service. They will be obsessed with your business and give you superb reviews that will enhance your reputation. However, poor customer service can hurt your business chances of success. Not only will you lose out on the current customers, but also it will be difficult to attract new ones because they will leave negative reviews about your business.

In today’s digital world, most customers go online if they are looking for a product or service they want to buy. If they land on your website or social media page and find negative reviews about your business, they will look elsewhere for the same product or service. Hence, your business will lose out on potential leads and sales. As much as we agree that most businesses make customer service mistakes the best thing to do is to learn from them and don’t repeat the same mistake next time. In this article, we are going to look at 3 big customer service mistakes that you should avoid.

1. Promising more than you are giving

It is common today to find businesses promising to do more only to end up giving less. Building customer loyalty and trust is paramount to your business success. If you give promises which you cannot keep, customers will not trust you again. As we all know, customers don’t buy products from businesses they don’t trust. In today’s competitive world, it is not rare to find businesses over-promising so that they can compete with their competitors. However, if you make promises which you cannot keep, you will end up destroying your business’ credibility which took you years to build. If you promise free delivery to customers, breaking this promise will ruin your business’ relationship with customers. If you are not sure, the best thing to do is to under-promise and then you over-deliver.

2. Overwhelming customers with too much information

Even if your business means everything to you, it doesn’t mean that all your customers think the same. Hence, you should not think that they don’t mind if you bombard them with too much information about your business. No matter how much they are obsessed with your products, customers hate to be overwhelmed with information like newsletters or social media campaigns. Remember it is not just your business they have to worry about. They have other important stuff to handle. To avoid the risk of customers un-following your social media page or unsubscribing from your newsletters, you should learn how to send the right information at the right time.

3. Not listening to your customers

You might think that you know everything your customers need but you don’t. The best way to know what your customers want is by listening to them. They will give you important feedback and suggestions which can help improve your business. Automating your customer service may translate to reduced cost and increased efficiency. However, you don’t want your customers to become frustrated because they cannot find a real person to share their grievances. If possible, offer different channels of communications that customers can use to communicate with your business. For example, many organizations hire an answering service to manage calls, giving their clients a live voice whenever they need. This way, they will know that you are listening to them.

In conclusion, it is important to note that there is no business which is perfect. A small miscalculation or misunderstanding can lead to customer service mistake. When this happens, the most important thing to do is to learn from your mistakes and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Customers want to know that you care about their feelings. If you make mistakes, admit you are wrong and apologize. This way, you will enhance your relationship with your customers, which is good for your business success. A happy customer will spread the message about your business to others and keep coming to buy from you. That is what good customer service does.