Customer service is how your company interacts with its customers—how they’re treated, how problems are solved for them, and how they’re considered in processes and systems. It’s the front line response to customer needs and is the key factor in customer retention.
It’s super important.
In this month of February and Valentine’s Day, we have the ideal moment to think about showing our customers some love.
Here are 4 reasons this is important:
- Customers who’ve had a good experience with your company will want to do business with you again, and they’ll refer you to others. Loyal customers provide a real boost to the bottom line and can help your company grow.
- Great customer service can result in positive reviews on Google, Yelp, or other media, as well as word of mouth recommendations that speak volumes about your company and brand. This can be a real boost to business and how people see your services.
- Here’s one that’s not often talked about… Providing great customer service can help to increase Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). This is the total amount of revenue your company can expect to receive from a single customer over time. Customers can increase their CLV by spending more or buying more often. So every time your technicians sign up a customer for maintenance plans, or make proactive recommendations to help your customers avoid breakdowns, they’re adding to the CLV.
- And here’s another good one… Great customer service sets you apart from the competition. In a competitive business environment having an edge can make a huge difference. To get that edge, show you care about the people who purchase your products and services. In so doing, you’ll strengthen your reputation and build your brand.
Customer service isn’t just a person who deals with customer complaints. Rather, it’s a culture—a value—that flows throughout the organization. Everyone in the entire company is involved in creating a great customer experience. However, in the skilled trades industry, it’s often the field service technicians who are most connected to customers.
Technicians do a great deal more than fixing what’s broken. They interact with customers, answering questions and putting their minds at ease. They explain what’s happened and how things work. They get to know customers and their needs, and make recommendations to ensure breakdowns are minimized. They represent our companies and provide that positive experience that has customers happy with their work and willing to recommend the company.
Customer service training is a key component of technicians’ professional development. Smart companies will invest in their technicians, allowing them time to be out of the field and learning the soft skills they need to take the best care of their customers and their companies.
Opportunities like our Proactive Service® program, for Field Service Technicians, deliver the soft skills training they need to achieve outstanding levels of customer satisfaction and increase sales and profitability through their actions.
Showing some love to your customers can also mean good things for the business. For the customer, it means peace of mind. For the company, it means higher margins through:
- Improved capitalization of additional work opportunities
- Expanded services within existing accounts
- Increased customer satisfaction and retention
- Added project opportunities
- Improved employee attraction/satisfaction/retention
- A differentiated business strategy
It’s time to show your customers some love. Invest in training for your field service technicians which will have them providing a higher level of service that can lead to benefits for the technician, the company and, of course, the customer.