{"id":3231,"date":"2017-07-17T06:58:58","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T13:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/?p=3231"},"modified":"2019-05-09T11:31:45","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T18:31:45","slug":"customer-loyalty-demands-great-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/learn\/customer-loyalty-demands-great-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Loyalty Demands Great Customer Service"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m going to go ahead and say the un-sayable\u2026 Customer Service is soul sucking work<\/em>. There, it\u2019s out there. I said it, I meant it, I\u2019m here to represent it! But, whether we like it or not, difficult as it may be, it is AS IMPORTANT, if not MORE IMPORTANT than Conversion, ROI, CCP, and all the other juicy buzz words we associate with marketing and business building.<\/p>\n

Now, don\u2019t get me wrong. \u00a0All those things are mega important. Conversion… HUGE one. From optimizing your sales funnel to nailing your pitch, if you\u2019re not selling, you have no business, right? Truly mature businesses understand, however, that rocking your conversion rate is only the first step to success. To reach the next level, you need to go beyond conversion and build customer loyalty<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Loyalty<\/b> is what keeps your customers from dropping off when it\u2019s time to renew their subscriptions.<\/p>\n

Loyalty<\/b> is how you build a receptive audience for your next product launch.<\/p>\n

Loyalty<\/b> is social proof and brand ambassadors, grassroots marketing and word of mouth.<\/p>\n

Loyalty<\/b> is buzz<\/i>, all grown up.<\/p>\n

That all said, can you guess what a mega factor in customer loyalty is? Yup. Great customer service. You knew there had to be a reason I even mentioned, right?<\/p>\n

What does that even mean, though? Answering phones? Changing passwords? Letting someone buy at a discount because they missed the launch promo? Unlike our furry, four-legged loved ones, who are loyal no matter what, the same cannot be said for customers. To maintain their loyalty, you must produce, put out, and put up. You can\u2019t just throw \u2018em a bone, scratch them behind the ears and expect unconditional love.<\/p>\n

\"ife<\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s vital you have an understanding of what great customer service is.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin by talking about what great customer service is NOT.<\/p>\n

Great customer service is NOT doing it all<\/i> just so you can say you do it all.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about doing the right<\/i> things \u2013 right for your customers and right for your business. It\u2019s tempting to look at some of the great service organizations out there like Zappos or Disney and try to mimic their models as a shortcut to good service. This generally fails because, unless you sell shoes online or imagineer theme park experiences, your business is fundamentally different than those service giants. I personally am madly in love with BarkBox customer service. However, I don\u2019t sell doggie treats, sooo\u2026.<\/p>\n

Your customers have different needs.<\/p>\n

You operate on a different budget.<\/p>\n

Your service staff needs to have different skills, resources, and tools at their disposal.<\/p>\n

Adopting a one-size-fits-all approach is the fastest way to failing your customers and, with it, damaging that critical concept of customer loyalty. Even the examples listed above don\u2019t all provide service the same way. Some products need service 24 hours a day and some don\u2019t. Some customers are best served online, while others need the familiarity of a phone call.<\/p>\n

Like optimizing your conversion rates, optimizing your Customer Service is all about understanding your<\/i> product and your<\/i> audience. There are certainly lessons to learn from the world\u2019s best service organizations, but finding the right service for your business is going to be about flexibility, not dogma.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably seen Andy\u2019s 5 Laws for Successful Webinars<\/a> (if you haven\u2019t, be sure to check it out)… We don\u2019t have hard and fast Laws for Customer Service. Instead, we have 3 Key Principles<\/b>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Great Service is Tailored<\/li>\n
  2. Great Service Meets Expectations by managing them<\/i>!<\/li>\n
  3. Great Service is Personal<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"The<\/p>\n

    Great Customer Service is Tailored<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Whether it\u2019s a cash budget, headcount limitation, or even your own time handling your own customers when you\u2019re just starting out, you\u2019ve got to work within a service budget. When we talk about tailoring your service, we\u2019re talking about how best to apply your service budget to meet the specific needs of your customers<\/i>. Consider two different service departments with the same budget:<\/p>\n