A great product or service alone isn’t enough to earn and retain customers. However, companies that prioritize next-level customer care have an opportunity to stand out in an increasingly service-hostile marketplace. Self-service has its place, but without a strategic, full-scale customer care culture, you’re limiting your business’s success. Learn how to gain an advantage, earn loyal customers, and reap the rewards through an elevated, intentional customer care strategy.
1. Offer Multichannel Support Options
You’ve made the sale, but what happens afterward matters just as much as the marketing mix that got buyers there. Traditional customer support harkens back to live agents on the other side of an 800 number. However, staffing a call center can be especially challenging and expensive these days.
Take a modern approach to customer care with a layered, multichannel system, made possible through technology and highly trained associates. Consider the questions your customers have most frequently and what support options make the most sense. Use a web-based portal to field customers’ questions and route them to the right place.
For example, if you’re selling bikes for kids, callers may need tips for assembling them. If a customer gets stuck installing training wheels, develop resources that help them in the minute. Chances are this task is happening after the child’s bedtime and your regular operating hours. Provide an interactive manual that bridges the gap between video and hard copy manuals. Both tools have their place, but an interactive manual may save a kiddo’s birthday — and a parent’s sanity.
Look at your current support tools like the aforementioned manuals and videos and consider how they can join forces. Experts who offer technical writing services can help you translate the technical jargon and necessary details into a user-friendly resource. With an interactive manual, parents can finish the job before dawn, and your customer-first thinking will help them be the heroes.
2. Anticipate Their Needs
People feel cared for when someone thinks of what they might need before they even realize it themselves. In your business, it’s important to look at the long-term customer journey of your clients. Think beyond the order confirmation and put yourself in their position. Then create a journey that marks them as your No. 1 VIP.
Follow up a purchase with both transactional order confirmations and those that build excitement. Honor your customers’ notification preferences for delivery notifications across channels, like text and email. Ensure your customer relationship management system registers these preferences and prevents messages from being sent out en masse. Too much of a good thing could result in unsubscribes or outright annoyance, which will directly impact satisfaction and long-term loyalty.
If your product or service is novel, send your customers educational emails on how to benefit from it and what to expect. Offer usage tips, share insider secrets, and generate excitement for when their package finally arrives. This strategy can be especially helpful if fulfillment time frames are lengthy. By staying in touch and keeping the tone positive, you can reduce the frustration that delayed deliveries can produce.
Use past purchase histories from similar customers and those buying the same products to make relevant suggestions. If you’re selling haircare products for curly hair, send product repurchase suggestions on a strategic timeline. Back up the date you expect products to run out, add the typical fulfillment timeline, and allow a period for consideration. Your messages will be relevant, timely, and actionable, and your customer will be delighted.
3. Create a Customer-First Culture
Today, customers have thousands of options at their fingertips, many of which are available in two days or less. However, speed of delivery isn’t the only factor driving them to buy. Customers also buy with their heart. Ingrain a customer-first culture into every facet of your business, in good times and bad, and you’ll win those hearts.
Speak about customers in every meeting, including their perspectives in idea sessions and decision-making. Bring your voice of the customer team into the fold and empower them to share feedback and satisfaction survey scores. Report this data at all levels and develop a shared goal of continuous improvement, both in action and spirit.
Instill a sense of curiosity around customer feedback, especially the gold mine of information available in qualitative data. What one sentence can convey may reveal larger issues or opportunities a less customer-centric team could miss. Empower customer service agents to bring curiosity to their conversations and give them the agency to act on their findings. Shoe and apparel retailer Zappos is famous for this, and you can do it, too.
Establish generous ceilings on refunds, approvals, and solutions, removing unnecessary steps and approvals. When you do, your team can fix issues quickly and efficiently for your customers, who will appreciate your efforts. By respecting your customers’ time and resolving their issues on the first go, you have a better chance of retaining them long-term. Infuse gratitude into your interactions, too, which can further convey your appreciation. A friendly signoff, a handwritten note on a packing slip, and thoughtful emails can all let customers know you care.
A Winning Customer Experience Is the Key to Earning Loyalty
The speed of information exchange may rival the speed of light, and if you need any proof, check out product reviews. Customers will dish about the good, bad, and the ugly of customer care online, where other consumers will see it, too.
With your next-level customer care strategy and culture, you’ll be standing on the right side of history. When you provide winning support, adopt a service culture, and show gratitude, your customers will reward you with their loyalty.
