The importance of customer support in marketing cannot be overstated. As a matter of fact, a 5% increase in customer retention can increase revenue by 95%! And repeat customers spend 67% more than one-time buyers. But what’s more, customer service helps build a long-lasting relationship between a brand and a consumer. In addition to making customers happy, good customer service also fosters positive reviews. And since consumers overwhelmingly view positive customer experiences as a signal of business excellence, positive reviews from satisfied customers can be crucial in building brand reputation.
To avoid being frozen out of the market, companies need to adjust and keep up with the latest trends. Customer support is no longer confined to answering simple questions and solving problems. Customers expect more, and companies that are slow to respond could find themselves on the outer edge of the competition. Therefore, it’s imperative for managers to plan ahead to stay ahead of the competition. Here are some tips on how to improve customer support. This article focuses on three key areas:
First, customer support metrics must be related to the overall business strategy. While the traditional metric for customer support used to be tied to cost cutting, it has evolved to meet company goals. Today, customer support encompasses the entire process of helping customers, from onboarding to troubleshooting. It can be delivered through email, live chat, ticket-based helpdesks, and self-service knowledge bases. In addition, it must be linked to customer satisfaction, brand loyalty, and employee productivity.
A well-managed customer support team can provide great customer service. Its representatives should be mentally tough and highly empathetic. They should also have extensive product knowledge. Finally, customer support representatives should undergo a rigorous training program that teaches them about the company’s vision, problem solving skills, and time management. Furthermore, companies should empower their customer support teams and include them in decision-making. So, aligning marketing and customer support is an essential step in customer-centric business success.
As a result, customer support is the backbone of marketing. Without it, a business will be ineffective at identifying optimum prospects or tracking brand advocates. If it fails to do so, it will be left with no prospects or brand advocates, which will cost it many sales in the future. Customer service will become the key differentiator in a company. It’s not just customer-centric anymore. Consumers are becoming more demanding than ever before.
In addition to being an essential component of marketing, customer support should be integrated into the development process. This way, prospective customers can experience excellent service and a pleasant experience. It’s not uncommon for a prospective customer to recommend a product simply because it provided exceptional service. Having excellent customer service should be a key component of every marketing strategy. You can even use it to segment markets or identify new ones. But how do you make sure that your support strategy is achieving these goals?