How to Make Customer Service A Key Differentiator of Your Business

In the competitive business world, the only way to survive and sustain strong customer relationships is to offer a service that makes you stand out from your competitors. While every business strives to improve customer retention rates, the most effective way to go about earning customer loyalty is to make your service so exceptional that it keeps customers coming back to you. Creating a delightful and   memorable experience for your customers by paying attention to details is the first step towards making your service a key differentiator. Knowing what your customers expect from your business can help you improving and modifying your service according to their needs. Effective and active customer communication is yet another factor that can make your service gratifying. Wooing the customers with gestures that make them feel privileged would turn out to be a distinguishing factor for choosing your brand. Here are some ways to make customer service a key differentiator of your business!

Create a Memorable Experience for Your Customers

The first thing that can make a difference is to create a striking experience for your customers. The moment they land on your website or walk into your store, make them feel warmly welcomed and facilitate them in the best possible manner. Make sure that your customers get exceptional service and appreciate them before they leave. Ensure that all the little things that count for creating a gratifying customer experience are taken care of, give every customer undivided attention and make him/her feel valued by offering the preferred kind of product/service. Offering your customers a memorable experience is likely to make you stand out among your competitors.

Understand Your Customer Needs and Expectations

Your customers would rate your service based on how well you understand their needs and expectations. Without understanding what your customers want and expect, you can not deliver a worthwhile service to them. So in order to make your service exceptional, know your customers well. For instance, if you are running a street food business, just offering good food would not make you talk of the town, connect with your customers to know what they want and expect, it can be some new cuisines or a genre of music that your customers prefer. A better understanding of your customers’ expectations would help you in improving your service standards.

Accept Your Mistakes and Fix Things Quickly

Your customers are likely to perceive you the way you handle your mistakes so always own your mistakes and find a right and quick way to fix them. In a scenario where a customer has received a wrong order, apologize and replace the order in minimal time with a free gift and discount coupon. Brands that are commended for their exceptional customer service have achieved this distinctive place because of accepting the flaws or mistakes and setting things right instantly for the customers. So if you want to build strong customer relationships, rectify the negative customer experiences smartly, it will strengthen your brand image and is likely to earn you an edge over your competitors.

Go the Extra Mile to Win Over Customers

Giving your customers a gesture that you truly value them is likely to make them your brand advocates. Start off with bending the rules and policies for your customers. If for instance, you do not have a product delivery rule but a regular customer requests it, go the extra mile and bend your policy for that customer. Making exceptions for your customers is likely to win their hearts and this would earn you a distinctive place in the market as a brand that gives an exemplary treatment to its customers.

Add a Personal Touch to Customer Communication

The way you communicate with your customers is one of the decisive factors for your brand’s success. Adding a personal touch to your customer communications can go a long way in enhancing your brand’s image and client relationships. Converse with your clients in an informal tone, make every customer feel respected and special. In written communication never use canned messages. Use interactive content to make every customer feel like a friend or family member. Send seasonal greeting cards to all your customers with a handwritten message. Adding a personal touch is likely to strengthen your repute as a customer oriented business.