Plan: The definition of customer service

Customer service can have a big impact on your bottom line.

It’s often said that it’s cheaper to keep existing customers than to find new ones. (It’s even been estimated that acquiring customers costs 6–7x more.) And it’s true: Bad customer service is a key driver of churn. The U.S. Small Business Administration reports that 68% of customers leave because they’re upset with the treatment they've received. Don’t let that happen to you. Prioritizing customer service support helps you attract and retain loyal customers, and can have a big impact on your company’s bottom line.
Customer service can make or break your reputation.
It’s no surprise that as today’s social, mobile consumers have grown accustomed to getting what they want, when they want it, their expectations have risen accordingly. In fact, in a recent poll, 82% of CEOs reported that customer expectations of their companies were “somewhat” or “much” higher than they were three years ago. What’s more, today’s customers are quick to share negative experiences online, where they can quickly reach large audiences. It’s more important than ever to support customers on every channel from day one and establish what good customer service looks like internally and externally.
Support is an integral part of the product experience.
The line between products and services is blurring, and customer experience has become part of the product or service itself. (Think Amazon Mayday button — it’s a totally seamless way for customers to get help.) It may seem like only a big technology company thing, but even small companies are building product into their customer experiences. Some online businesses start by integrating their support centers into their website’s headers and footers or by adding links to relevant support articles to specific pages on their site. And many app companies are adding a way for customers to log tickets within their product experience. In-product support is the wave of the future for customer service.

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