Customer Service is Your Brand

Building a brand and differentiating yourself from competition are one of the key challenges facing startup businesses.   Committing to quality customer service can be a key and achievable tool in the success of your business.  While this may seem obvious, it frequently loses prioritization when other issues strain the business.  For example, the following is obvious:

• Satisfied customers, repeat customers, positive social media, and referrals are the best and least expensive marketing a business can have.   There is no substitute for a satisfied customer.
• In contrast, dissatisfied customers, poor service, and negative referrals can offset the best marketing efforts.
• Avoiding problems with great products and service is the most productive strategy to execute great customer service.
• “You only have one chance to make a first impression.”
• Response time is becoming a key measure affecting sales, profitability, and excellence.  It is wasteful to not promptly answer customer requests, have long lines, run out of inventory, etc.

Great customer service is more a function of company commitment than specific corporate practices.   The following are a number of strategic tools startups and existing businesses can use to improve customer service:

Go above and beyond your customers’ expectations.   Listen to your customers and go that extra mile.

Care about your customer?   Are you excited when a customer has a great experience and are you frustrated when something goes wrong regardless of the cause?

Empower your staff and management.   Empowerment requires trust in your employees and staff.   This requires hiring and training good people, giving them the authority they need to do their jobs well, and understanding they will at times make mistakes.

Technical issues and business processes need to be developed to facilitate customer service and avoid problems.   On the one hand, this includes procedures, manuals, standards, presentations, etc.   On the other hand, it requires flexibility and a continuous effort to listen and adapt to changing situations.

Saying please, thank you, how are you, and I am sorry are frequently the least expensive and most productive customer service efforts.

Conclusion

Customer service is an essential branding and marketing opportunity. For it to properly flourish, a business requires finding a balance between establishing a philosophy around customer service and ongoing development of processes to create excellence.   It also requires flexibility and empowerment to react to customer needs and business changes.

Bert Shlensky is president of www.startupconnection.net and is an expert at helping to integrate customer service into a total startup program.