Nobody wants a customer complaint, but complaints have huge value. Take the opportunity to make things better by opening communication channels and resolving issues instantly.
In the competitive retail space, good customer service lays the foundations for a successful business, but turning your biggest challenges into opportunities is no simple task.
Irrespective of how good your product or service is, if customers are unhappy at any part of their journey -from purchase through to returns – they will shop elsewhere.
While complaints are, to an extent, inevitable, providing a sound resolution to displeased customers can prove more cost-effective in the long run. As is often quoted, it’s seven times more expensive to win a new customer back than to retain an existing one.
Make it easier for customers to complain
When a customer contacts you, you are presented with an opportunity to make things better. If a customer can’t get in touch or isn’t satisfied with their options, then you could be missing out on that opportunity. Studies show that 54% of customers were put off by a lack of clear contact information on a website.
Source: Consumer Action Monitor
Wherever your customer is on your mobile app, website or social media, they should be able to have their voice heard without having to locate and utilise an alternative channel.
Customers want to be presented with self-service options that make it simpler to get the answers or engagements that they want. In fact, 40% of customers prefer self-service options to human contact as it requires minimal effort on their part.
This will reduce the strain on your customer support agents who can use a variety of different methods to address each ticket raised, from automated chatbots to text message conversations.
Airlines including Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue have adopted 2-way SMS as a means of handling customer enquiries, responding to “the gap between customers moving to instant messages for who they talk with, and brands doing the same thing.”
Improve efficiency, time and speed of delivery
There’s more than one direction to go in. Utilise chatbots, SMS chat, email, mobile web apps, social media and more to facilitate customer communications that span across a range of devices.
In the world of retail, cheaper, faster, better is no longer an aspiration, it’s a necessity. Efficiency drives competitive success as 45% of companies offering web or mobile self-service reported an increase in site traffic and reduced phone inquiries.
When self-service support is done right, it allows the customer to find information quickly, can reduce the number of calls your support team receives, and lead to greater customer experience.
It’s one way to ensure that even the loyal ones have nothing to complain about. Take a look at our free customer service ebook for some more fantastic stats and ideas
