Building a successful business means building a strong customer base made up of new and returning customers. And in order to build that customer base, you are going to need good customer service.
When you treat your customer right and address all their needs, they will become loyal to your company and your brand. So loyal, in fact, that they’ll become advocates for your brand and their connections will become your customers too.
To start providing top-notch customer service, you need to understand what your customers will be looking for from you. Here are the 10 most common types of customer needs and how to solve them efficiently so your business can thrive:
- Convenience: Every day, new companies start that promise to make their customer’s lives more convenient. Millennials especially beg for convenience in their everyday lives. Customers are willing to pay as long as their life, work and play are made simpler. So create goods and services that help them, and roll out your business in a format that they’ll have easy access to (like an app).
- Experience:Shopping should be fun! If you’ve been anticipating a particular purchase, it’s an amazing feeling to order that product and receive it in the mail or pick it up from the store. Ensure your experience and atmosphere are fun and inviting for your customers at all times.
- Cost:Pricing is key. You don’t want to be the cheapest on the market, but you also don’t want to be the most expensive. At the end of the day, you want to make sure your pricing is on point with what your customers are willing spend, and what they think is fair for the goods and services they’re receiving.
- Reliability: Trust is tough to earn and easy to lose. If your business is seen as unreliable, your sales will definitely reflect this. Customers demand reliable businesses, and they won’t buy from companies that have bad ratings and reviews. To boost your reliability, make sure to follow through with your promises. For example, if you say you ship the product out in 3-4 days, then make sure it gets done.
- Information: Before a customer can make a purchase decision, they need to know about your business goods and services. Provide plenty of information on your brand’s website and social media profiles. Also, consider hiring influencers to inform their followers about your products. If the customer can’t find the information they’re looking for about your brand, they may head to someone else who answers all their questions.
- Incentives: Everyone loves a good deal! Most of the time, customers need a little push to pull the trigger and purchase your product. Offer them exclusive promo codes, discounts, coupons, free samples or trials to help them think of it as a deal.
- Transparency:Customers are looking for transparency and honesty when mistakes, service issues and pricing changes take place. The best thing a business can do is be transparent about those changes and issues — explain what happened, why and what you’ll do next.
- Options:No two customers are exactly alike. Tastes, preferences, and needs are different from customer to customer. You need to offer enough options to meet the needs and expectations of varying demographics that may be interested in your goods and services.
- Empathy:When a customer runs into an issue and calls your customer service department, they want empathy from the people assisting them. Train your team to be more empathetic, understanding and calm when addressing customer needs.
- Speed: When a customer wants something, they want it right then. That’s why two-day shipping has become so commonplace. Quick shipping and fast responses are essential to your success.
This article was originally published on the Incfile Blog.
Lisa Crocco is a marketer for an international food manufacturer by day and a freelance writer/marketer for startups & small businesses by night. She’s She’s written for outlets like USAToday College, Career Contessa, Cloudpeeps, and Fairygodboss.
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