Customer Service Could Help Grow Your Business. Here’s How

Quality customer service not only retains customers, but also turns them into an exceptional marketing ally through word-of-mouth, loyalty, and trust.

by John Hall

Of the many things that can help drive sales for your business, perhaps few could be more important than customer service. While your core products or services may get most of your attention during business planning, customer service deserves to be front and center in your operations, no matter what kind of business you run or what type of clients you serve.

Quality customer service will influence the overall experience of your customers, directly impacting their satisfaction and retention rates. When done right, rock-solid customer service can become one of your business’s best marketing methods.

Why does customer service need to be a priority?

Customer service deserves to be a top priority because it has a major impact on consumer purchasing decisions. According to customer service software company Zendesk, over half of customers will switch to a competitor after a single bad customer service experience. Multiple bad experiences will cause 73 percent to switch, with about three-quarters of all customers reporting that a bad business interaction can completely ruin their day.

The outsize impact of a bad customer service experience helps highlight just how much of a difference a positive service experience can have. The same report found that three-quarters of consumers are willing to spend more when a company provides a good experience. What’s more, 60 percent have made a purchase based entirely on the expected level of service.

Customer service is a key differentiating factor.

Even when you’re targeting a niche market, the aforementioned stats illustrate that customer service can ultimately become the biggest differentiating factor that helps your brand stand out from its competitors. One example is ROI CX Solutions, a call center services provider. Client testimonials for the brand consistently highlight that the company’s work resulted in higher customer satisfaction scores for its clients, while also helping ensure accurate and reliable outcomes with everything from qualifying and scheduling prospective clients to scheduling maintenance service orders. The most consistent element that appears in the testimonials is praise for the level of service, particularly in comparison with its competitors.

Customer service can become a differentiating factor in your niche, too. Because customers are often more service-sensitive than they are price-sensitive, emphasizing your strengths in terms of customer experience can become a powerful way to differentiate your brand. Even relatively simple elements of the service experience, such as personalizing customer interactions, maintaining accessible communication channels, and proactively addressing customer needs can help you stand out.

How to make customer service a core part of your marketing

With consistently positive customer service experiences, you can generate a lot of marketing materials that will build your brand image. One of the easiest ways is by collecting positive reviews and testimonials that can be used in your own marketing. These reviews can be incorporated in social media ads or featured prominently on your website. This “social proof” can be much more persuasive than typical ad copy. A case study by customer service company VWO and job search platform WikiJob found that even including very basic testimonials increased the purchase rate on sales pages by 34 percent.

Depending on the nature of your business, some of these testimonials could even be expanded into more in-depth case studies, creating valuable content that highlights the level of service you provide to your clients.

Many service-focused brands also implement loyalty programs to further encourage repeat business. Giving satisfied customers another incentive to continue to engage with your brand offers additional opportunities for repeat, higher-value purchases with a much lower cost per conversion.

Perhaps most important, however, is the potential for strong customer service to turn into positive word-of-mouth recommendations. Seventy-five percent of customers have recommended a company based on the quality of its customer service. Considering that 88 percent of customers trust word-of-mouth recommendations over any other marketing option, this can have an outsize influence well beyond the capability of your marketing efforts.

Make customer service a core part of your success.

When you make customer service a priority, it can become a foundational part of your marketing—and not just through your paid advertising efforts. With consistent, quality service, you’ll also have the opportunity to grow your brand through word of mouth as your existing customers spread the word.

By enabling customer service to become a differentiating element of your business, you will set yourself up for dependable, lasting growth.