Sounds counterproductive? After all, in business, what can be more important than a sale, right? Well, experience has taught us that securing a sale is a short term benefit while customer support can result in multiple advantages.
As a business, if you are placed in a situation where you need to choose between making a sale or satisfying a customer, it can be tricky. This is especially relevant when you have various partners who will lose out if a sale is lost. Which is why most successful ecommerce companies keep a buffer amount or clause that protects its sellers or vendors while ensuring that the customers are happy in cases such as a food order being cancelled once the restaurant has already begun preparing it. It is used under special circumstances, especially when the customer is new or regular.
Always remember, it’s 10 times more expensive to get a new customer, than to maintain an existing one.
Traditionally, sale was paramount. Nothing was more important. Customers’ situations, change of hearts etc were rarely considered. Refunds were possible on select items, provided you kept the receipt and produced it within a stipulated time period. In online shopping, all order and customer related data is available at our fingertips. We can not only know exactly when an order was placed but also when and where it was delivered and how many times a particular customer has returned an item or cancelled an order.
Hence, it’s become easier to help a customer, so why not?
Here are 5 distinct advantages of investing in customer support outsource over focusing merely on sales:
1) Brand image and goodwill
Consistently delivering a good level of CX is a highly effective way to build a positive brand image. In fact, brand building via direct customer support tools has proven to work better than any form of advertising or marketing.
Happy customers will act as your brand ambassadors and spread the good word about your brand through personal and social interactions. This is the most organic way to boost your brand image.
2) Customer feedback
Shying away from customer feedback is unhealthy. A customer support team can help you to get some genuine comments about your product, marketing, delivery and other aspects of your business, to help you improve.
Companies that tailor their improvement and growth plans based on real customer feedback and ideas, find that customer inputs are highly valuable and help them much more than brainstorming sessions with top management and outsourced agencies!
Related: Why Listening To Customers Is The Key To Your Organisation’s Success
3) Organic positive reviews
Another effective organic promotional technique is acquiring positive customer reviews. With a solid customer support team in place, you’ll have the confidence to introduce a star rating system and product review section, without any worries.
If you’re a company with multiple competitors, customer reviews are the only way for new buyers to choose your product or brand. When your launch a reliable customer support campaign, you will find many more positive reviews than without one.
4) Return and add on purchases
A customer who returns to buy more or purchases add-on products usually does so owing to a smooth purchase, payment, delivery and support process.
Customer support works hand in hand with your entire shopping experience from onboarding a new customer to creating long term buyers. Customer support agents can trigger repeat sales and suggest product add-ons, to increase your sales.
5) Long term loyalty
Finally, when you constantly keep customers happy over a period of time, they will reward you with their loyalty, through thick and thin. During the pandemic, many companies were able to keep their businesses going due to loyal customers that supported them through it.
Also read: What Does Customer Loyalty Mean For Your Business?
So, if not for immediate results, customer support should be considered as a long term investment that manifests in multiple wonderful ways, over the years.
If you would like to know more about improving your customer support services, call us today for a consultation.