How Bad Customer Service Affects Your Business
Mostly everyone knows that customer service is an important part of any business. You can’t run a business or expect it to be fine without any customer service. It’s just not possible. What does customer service entail exactly? Customer service refers to the interactions and the service or assistance you are providing customers from the moment they enter your store or ask about your product to the after-sale service!
Surely, you have in mind one brand or business with exceptional customer service that you love. The thing about customer service is that it is not restricted to industry and it applies everywhere. So, the brand you have in mind does not need to be a fashion brand only.
For example, in the tech industry, Xfinity customer service falls in the top 5 ISPs with a customer satisfaction score of 66, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index – head out to www.buytvinternetphone.com/xfinity/customer-service to check out the availability of Xfinity internet plans in your region.
Getting back to the topic, have you ever wondered, what good customer service looks like? While there is no specific formula for what to do, there is a list of things you absolutely shouldn’t do! And these are the things we will be looking at today! So, without any further delay, let’s get started!
Reputation Damage
As we said before, good customer service is something that is memorable and remains with us for a long time. It is also something that influences a customer’s decision to keep coming back or make more purchases. On the other hand, bad or unresponsive customer service means that the customer wouldn’t want to go back there. And because they have had such a bad experience, they will automatically tell their family and friends about it too.
Since it is the era of social media, you can count on them leaving bad ratings and reviews on their social media accounts as well. Most people rely on word of mouth and online reviews, so if they hear negative things about your business, you won’t be getting any customers! This is how bad customer service can ruin your business’ reputation completely.
Loss of the Best Employees
A business can’t run without customers and employees, can it? Not at all. So, when your employees are the ones on the front lines, taking the customers’ complaints and rude behavior constantly, what do you suppose will happen? Your employees will just quit and look elsewhere. Additionally, if your employees are the ones giving bad customer service, it could be that they are slacking off. This will put an extra burden on the employees that are dedicated to their jobs.
These sorts of problems create difficulty for everyone around them, even if it is not related to them. So, if you, as a manager, were to ignore even the minute problems within the team or anything, it could lead to something bigger. And of course, you should not let any shortcomings pass in terms of customer service.
Leads that don’t Convert
Imagine you have a great website and you have spent a lot on marketing and maintaining your website. Now, customers are rolling in and they see something they like and message you, but you do not respond. Maybe, you take too long to respond like 2 to 3 days or you don’t respond at all. How is the customer going to feel? Of course, they will feel irritated and angry at your lack of response. Would they want to come back? Most likely not!
This is just one example and technically, the customer in this scenario was not even a customer yet, rather they were just a potential customer that went away. This goes to show how terrible customer service will not only irritate your customers but also turn away potential and new customers and make you lose good leads.
Loss of Customers
This point is almost the same as the point we have just discussed above. If your business accidentally sent a faulty product to the customer and then your business is not even reaching out or responding to your customer’s queries and complaints, what do you think will happen? Naturally, your current customers will all switch to another brand and replace you. However, your business won’t be able to attract new customers as quickly.
Additionally, your business’ bad reputation is bound to catch up at some point and you won’t even get any new leads or anything for that matter.
How Do You Steer Clear Of This?
Bad customer service doesn’t have to be like a virus that can’t go away. If at any point, you feel like your team is slacking or that they do not have the right techniques or tactics, you can always sign up for training sessions. Bad customer service is mostly just the lack of proper motivation, training, and poor treatment of employees. So, as long as you can be a good and firm boss or manager, you can effectively manage the team and take your customer’s shopping experience to the next level!
Also Read: Why Should You Manage Your Reputation?
