The traditional purchase funnel is out of date. It focuses on linear processes when today’s shopping experience is cyclical. It focuses only on marketing and sales even though it should also include customer service. In the Digital Age, software companies must understand that its most important resource is the customer.
This infographic from Help Scout, a provider of help desk software, illustrates the costs of bad customer service and the benefits of good customer service.
Perhaps the most surprising piece of data here is that according to the Annual Mystery Shopping Study, only 10 percent of online merchants offer “stellar service.”
Ultimately, the consensus is that customer acquisition is more expensive than customer retention. If 80 percent of merchants believe they deliver excellent service, but only eight percent of customers think that’s true, it’s time for merchants to improve their service. It’s not just about helping your customers. The right action here is also the profitable one.
Customer Service has always been a front line position for any company. This is the first experience and peek into your company that your customer receives. It really needs to be a pleasant experience, or the result will be a dissatisfied customer, and that could hurt your company badly. It is important to know your customer base and what works best for them. Telephone support, and speaking with a live operator? Live on line chats? Email? Or a good database with helpful information of FAQs, are all helpful tools. Your customer needs to be able to reach you in whatever way is most comfortable to them. If you offer a service that your customers need and your competition doesn’t offer, you may be on your way of gaining new customers, and achieving higher customer satisfaction.