Running a small business means less money, big ambitions, sleepless nights, and working tirelessly to keep the business afloat.
I know all these things because I am also a business owner.
Three years ago, when I started my small business, I thought a decent product and a powerful marketing strategy were enough to help me grow my business.
But boy, was I wrong.
Within just six months, I realized that something was missing – a powerful relationship with customers.
So, how do you build that?
Well, the options are endless, but anything that can help you connect with your customers and make them feel valued would work. One of the best solutions in this regard is providing customer support.
However, the days of boring customer support are over. Today, just offering customer support is not enough; instead, your goal should be to offer the best customer support that can work in your favor and attract your customers.
If you are a business owner interested in finding out more about providing customer support, its features, and ways to bring it to life, then keep reading. This write-up includes some of the most important details that will help you offer the best customer support without draining your budget.
Top 5 Features for Offering the Best Customer Support for Your Small Business
Start With a Benchmark
Setting a benchmark is very important when you are starting something, be it a business, a new tech feature, or just starting something fun.
Since I was running a small tech startup, I chose a tech business as a benchmark. The company I chose was Xfinity. The brand serve in more than 41 US states and has a solid reputation. They offer a top-notch Xfinity customer service that cater to the technical and non-technical needs of the customers who are using their internet, TV, or phone service.
However, if you are not running a tech company, make sure to choose a decent benchmark in your niche. Your goal should be to study the features offered by the brand within its customer service department. Also, look for the technologies and policies that they are using to offer customer support.
Choose right Technology
This brings us to our second step, which is choosing technology for your business customer support.
As a small business owner, I know that leveraging sophisticated technology is essential, and it can make your life easy; however, most startups do not have enough money.
Fortunately, so many different tech startups can help you cut a decent deal. If you are a small company with a limited number of employees, there is a high chance that you might be able to get a bargain deal. For instance, most communication platforms are free for small companies.
So, as a small business, you don’t need to spend money; however, once you scale and start recruiting more people, you need to shift to their paid plan.
Invest In Software
For customer support, you need a cloud-based dashboard that can help you maintain data. Moreover, you also need a few automation software programs that can ensure a minimum response time.
Small businesses with very few customers often overlook the importance of this software. However, if you want your brand to flourish and build a solid connection with your customers, then good software with sophisticated features is very important.
A decent all-in-one cloud-based dashboard will help your employees maintain customers’ data. You can then use the customer data to market the product better, seek feedback, and even customize your branding accordingly.
Train Your Employees
You have the best software, and you have invested in technology, but there is no one to operate it properly. This is where you need to train your employees.
Keep in mind that your customer support agent should not just learn about the basics of operating the software, but also the company policy and all about the product you are offering.
For instance, if you are a skincare brand, your agent needs to know about all the products included in the skincare line, along with the company policy for returns, complaints, late delivery, etc. Finally, your agent also needs to learn about the communication software and updated work requirements.
Keep Customer First Approach
Finally, it is time for the most important tip.
We have all seen customer support agents struggling under pressure while dealing with customers. However, if you truly want your company to stand the test of time, you need to opt for the gold rule of “customer comes first.”
Most brands today work by this rule. They have an apologize-first policy, which means even if it’s not the company fault, the agent still apologizes and admits mistakes to compensate the customers.
Now, this might be confusing. However, some of the biggest brands like Amazon and Costco swear by this rule. So, when you admit a mistake, compensate and bleed money, you are basically building a relationship for life.
Your customer will keep coming back to you, and there is a high chance that you will eventually get a loyal customer out of a single interaction.
Simply put, for a small business to survive in this cutthroat competition, offering customer support is not enough. You need to make sure your customer support is the best in the market, offering you a competitive edge. The above-mentioned tips will help you achieve that in no time.