Cultivating Customer Loyalty
Word of mouth advertising is the most effective marketing tool for any business. Positive word of mouth is directly proportional to your customer’s perceptions of the quality of service they receive from you and your organization. Customer service is the key to fostering positive word of mouth advertising and generating repeat and referral business.
Customer Service is important to the success of all businesses, especially those that provide services rather than products. It is a simple fact that in a service-oriented industry, you don’t manufacture anything. What you are selling is your service. It costs almost nothing to develop and maintain policies that help ensure quality service. On the other hand, not developing those policies can cost you a fortune.
The customer service your company provides is what separates you from your competition. The less your company focuses on service, the more difficult and expensive it becomes to attract business, and it becomes impossible to retain customers.
Smart service providers know that their customers are the bottom line, both literally and figuratively. Customer focused organizations never lose sight of the fact that keeping customers happy is the key to long term success.
Customer service is more than something that you put on a to-do list and check off every day. Providing exceptional service is a way of thinking, even a lifestyle. Customer service has to be woven into the philosophy with which you approach your business. Respect, fairness, and a true desire to serve the needs of your customer base should motivate everything you do and say.
Customer service means different things to different people. In reality, the only perspective that matters is the customer’s concept and perception of good customer service at the time service is needed and delivered. If you think you are providing great service, but your customers disagree, you’re really not providing great service. By remaining focused on the needs of your customers at all times, you will build long-term relationships and cultivate customer loyalty. Loyal customers will come back to you time and time again, and they will bring other people with them.
