Customer relations is one of the most important facets of a business, whether you’re targeting businesses or consumers. In fact, some companies differentiate themselves from major competitors with great success, just by offering exceptional customer service. If you own or run a business, here are some key benefits of responding promptly to customers’ questions or problems.
Leaves Good Vibe with Potential Customers
If you’re just starting out in business or trying to acquire new customers, quick responses to inquiries can make positive impressions on people. These people will likely infer that if you respond that fast to mere questions, you’d likely handle technical issues or problems with the same promptness. And a quick response to a non-customers can better help you make the sale.
Leads to Repeat Business
No business owner wants to sell a product or service one time and that’s it. They want their customers to keep coming back. If you handle problems or questions from your existing customers forthwith, you’re more likely to get them to buy from you again. And repeat business can make or break your company. It actually costs five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, according to Entrepreneur.
Increases Positive Publicity
Today, if you sell any type of product or service online or through more traditional media, you’re going to get comments from people on social media sites. In reality, people are more likely to write negative things about you than positive. It’s just the way people are. But whatever the case, you should respond to both positive and negative comments on social media sites, Google and other review sites, trade-related forums and any venue where someone can rate your wares or service.
More Referrals
Whether a consumer writes a positive review or not, she’ll probably share a positive customer relations experience with friends or family. This only can lead to more sales — and it’s also free advertising for your business. The best thing you can do is word of mouth referrals. This is why hiring professional employees and making sure the workplace is enjoyable comes into revenue and production. People want to feel they were taken care of when they’re at your business, and it’s hard to do that when something is off at the office. There is nothing more awkward than being a customer and seeing the people you hired have weird tensions between them and their co-workers. Making sure you take care of your customers will ensure they come back or they enthusiastically bring you up when friends ask for someone who does your service.
Enhances Your Overall Service Skills
The longer you’re in business, the more customer service related questions and problems you’ll encounter. And if you respond quickly, you’ll gain expertise in handling these inquiries that much sooner. This will make your customer relations team that much more proficient over time. They’ll know how to recognize and answer questions more thoroughly and quickly.
Customer relations can come in several different forms — by phone, via email and even by mail. Always make sure you give equal attention to each communication. Your customer will appreciate it and so will your bank account. Make sure you have enough lines so people don’t reach a busy signal. That will lead to people hanging up and trying another business. That’s why it’s important to have an updated NEC cloud phone system that fits your needs. You should also have the front desk sufficiently staffed for the volume of calls you expect. If you can answer adequately, quickly, that first impression will lead the customer experience and lead to a sale.