Delivering customers the service and the experience that they need ensures that a business achieves and maintains a competitive edge in a saturated marketplace. Research suggests that 95% of business owners list providing excellent customer experience and service as one of their top priorities. Prioritising what a customer wants ensures repeat business and positive reviews and is a marketing focus in itself.
According to Forbes, customer service can make or break a business. Businesses are no longer only being compared to their direct competitors, but they are being compared directly to the best experience a customer has ever had.
How can a business meet these expectations?
. Research suggests that there are only three levels of customer satisfaction. Desired, sufficient, and insufficient. Ensuring that there is a clear understanding of what the customer wants and hopes to gain is essential.
. Customers expect to have several options as to the methods by which they can contact you, whether that is face-to-face, online, email or by telephone. They also expect that their queries will be answered quickly. There is an increasing demand for personalised communications and responses, rather than the one-size fits all, and a self-service culture that is becoming more popular.
. Customers want you to listen to them carefully and then be proactive in problem solving. They expect you to reach out to them and foresee any queries, questions, or issues.
. Customers value their own time more than they value money. A service that will save them time or enhance their usage of time is always preferred over perceived monetary value.
Where can I find further resources?
To truly offer the very best service to a customer, the business must have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of customer expectations. Businesses can enlist the help of a brand strategy agency, which will work with the business to ensure that they connect with their customers in an optimum manner, giving them a competitive edge. More information on brand strategy can be found at specialists such as www.reallyhelpfulmarketing.co.uk/specialist-services/brand-strategy-agency.
This is a more in-depth method of ensuring customer needs are specifically met by examining marketing strategies, branding, communication style and management structure. The reward for taking the time to properly establish, research, and understand the needs of the customer is a business that enjoys growth, repeat custom, and improved profitability.