Monday 25 March 2013

Benefits of Good Customer Service


In this ONLINE world where competition is at its peak, good customer service can help the merchant to lead the market. Customer service is important to the merchant because it is often the only contact a customer has with the company. Some customers spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars per year with a merchant. Consequently, when they have a question or product issue, they expect a company's customer service department to resolve their issues. Customer service is the overall activity of identifying and satisfying customer needs. It differentiates a company from its competitors.

A company with excellent customer service is more likely to get repeat business from customers. Consequently, the company will benefit with greater sales and profits. Contrarily, companies with poor customer service may lose customers, which will have a negative impact on business. It costs a lot more money for a company to acquire a customer than to retain them, due to advertising costs and the expense of sales calls. Therefore, the efforts that go into maintaining quality customer service can really pay dividends over time. Understanding the importance of good customer service is essential for a healthy business in creating new customers, keeping loyal customers, and developing referrals for future customers.

In a recent study conducted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), small enterprises, which heavily emphasize their customer service support, were more likely to endure and succeed when compared to their leading competitors who only focused on offering lower prices for their products and services. Customers will simply pay more money and take their business elsewhere if they are not completely satisfied with the way a company treats them. Businesses, on the other hand, cannot afford to lose customers since their credibility and reputation is highly dependent upon a customer’s experience and feedback.

Good customer service leads to many benefits. Not only will you gain trust with your current clients, they'll also become a wonderful referral system as they spread the word about your business to other prospects. Especially with any internet business transactions, product reviews are quite common. Whether it's positive or negative feedback about a product or service, people are writing freely about their shopping experiences. In the long run, treating people fairly and with respect will bring business to your company today and in the future. Customer service also helps merchant to improve their products. If a merchant gets repetitive complaints from customers on a particular product, he may proactively fix the problem. If the quality of your product is good then you do not have to worry about sales.

Overall, a good Customer service support is extremely important for any new business. Always keep in mind that your business will be successful only if you have satisfied customers.