CRMTips
Making Customer Service a Strategic Advantage

 
Twenty years ago, in 1987, New England Business Services (NEBS), the largest supplier of business products to small businesses, conducted a survey of its customers.  What they found surprised them.  Their survey found that the future value of buyers who had returned products was more than twice the future value of those who had not returned products.  It was exactly opposite of what they expected.

How could that be?  When they investigated further, they found was that the way they reacted to their customer’s problems actually contributed to customer retention and increased their propensity to buy in the future. They discovered that their customer service was a strategic advantage.

In 1987, providing excellent customer service was an expensive proposition. Today, it’s not.

More than money, excellent customer service requires intelligent customer relationship management (CRM). Using automated CRM tools makes it possible for evening the smallest of business to delight their customers when they need assistance. Here’s a few ways that CRM tools can help:

Quick Answers. Putting frequently-asked-questions (FAQ’s) or even a knowledge base at the fingertips of your customers by giving them 24/7 access online.

Immediate Service Requests.  CRM, tied in with your web site, can also allow customers to directly log a support incident for their problem, even outside of normal business hours.  They can be assigned a support person on the spot without requiring them to work through your telephone system.

Rapid Resources For Support Staff.  A well-designed CRM system will ensure that your support people, junior or senior, have access to online knowledge bases, and customer history, to help them quickly solve the customers complaint.  The best way to impress your customers is to resolve their issue during the first call.  When you can do that by giving your junior support people the right tools, you lower your support costs.

Give The Right Level Of Attention.  Allowing your CRM system to automatically monitor all open support records can ensure that customer  problems get the right amount of attention BEFORE the customer gets frustrated.  After a predetermined amount of time, your CRM will automatically escalate incidents to a more senior support person. 

These Are Strategies That Can Improve Your Customer Retention Rates.  Fred Reichheld, author of “Loyalty Rules”, reports that a 5% improvement in customer retention rates can yield a 25% - 100% increase in profits.”

If you want to learn more about how we can help your organization better utilize CRM to turn Customer Service into a strategic advantage give us a call at 858-541-1820 or send us an email at info@rbdata.com

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