Your existing customers are potentially more valuable to you than new ones. These customers have already made a connection with you – they’ve chosen to buy from you, and now it’s up to you to make their buying experience a good one, so that they will come back again, and refer you to others. All this is part of your customer experience strategy, which you can deliver for a fraction of the cost by choosing outsourced customer care.
Delivering great customer service
You know what great customer service looks like – you’re probably a frequent shopper at places that deliver it. You want your customers to feel motivated to buy from you; to keep coming back to you, and to tell others how great you are. And to do that, you need a strategy in place, along with people who can deliver the standards of customer service you need. That may mean getting in specialist support for things like telemarketing customer service feedback, or specific types of customer support. Outsourcing these elements means you don’t have to spend your money on permanent staff – you know the job is being done.
So, what does a great customer experience strategy look like?
It understands your customers – knowing who your customers are, why they are buying from you, what they’re looking for and when they buy helps you to target the right people for your business. The better you understand your customer, the better you can look after them. When your customers feel valued and understood, they feel more loyalty to your business.
It has a clear vision – you should treat all your customers the same, so your customer experience strategy should clearly state how your people should deal with customers. This should apply whether they are buying online, in a retail store, or direct with your services business. You might set target timescales for answering phones, returning emails, dealing with issues and handling complaints. You might always want to give your customer a reward after the third sale, or for referring someone else to you. Get your vision clear and set out in writing – so that if you choose to outsource your customer service, for example, it’s easy to see what you’re trying to achieve.
It creates a connection – most of our buying decisions are based on emotion. This is true whether we are buying food, hiring an architect, or choosing a contractor for a long-term project. The buyer needs to feel good about the decision they are making, and that it is going to have a positive effect on their life. So everyone who speaks to, emails or deals with your customer needs to maintain that personal connection – and that includes any virtual customer support solution, online chat system or anyone who answers the phone in your business.
It is continually improving – no business is perfect. So you need to measure your customer satisfaction on a regular basis and make sure you improve where you need to. There are lots of different ways to gather this information, depending on what type of business you are. For example, you could send out an online survey, or you could put a short feedback box at the end of an online transaction. You can also record customer service calls, and collect ad hoc feedback received at the point of sale or after your service has been delivered. Some businesses collect Google reviews, or ask for LinkedIn testimonials, and some have reviews or comments on their social media pages. Never assume that your customers are happy – make sure you know they are.
It reflects your staff’s experience – there are two sides to every customer conversation and, as a business, you should have control over your side of things. That means making sure that, for all your staff – whether in-house or an outsourced virtual assistant – customer service is a top priority. They need to understand your strategy and be able to speak to and deal with customers in line with it. You might need to invest in training, and you should certainly listen to any feedback you get. You may find that your staff have great ideas about how to do things better, and that in turn will help you to keep your customers coming back.
Thinking about outsourced customer care?
It’s easy to underestimate the importance of looking after your customers – especially if budgets are tight. That’s why it’s worth looking into outsourcing at least part of your customer care strategy. Using experienced customer service assistants who work to your vision will help you to maintain contact with customers, answer queries quickly and efficiently and ensure your customers feel valued.
If you’re short on time and think you could benefit from either our outsourced customer support services or any of our other virtual assistance services, feel free to call us on 0800 994 9016 or use our contact form in the menu above.