2020 Business Resolutions Part 1: Customer Care

Remember how the shows and movies you watched as a kid referenced the year 2020? It was the very essence of futuristic. And now – we’re here! The last thing you want to do is embarrass your past self by doing things that are soooooo 2015 in your business. That’s why, throughout January, we are going to share with you 5 resolutions for your business in 2020. First 2020 business resolution? Better customer care.

I know, I know – doesn’t sound revolutionary, does it? Of course you are focused on customer service – what do we take you for? But here’s the thing: customers or clients in 2020 have even higher expectations for customer service than those of the past. According to a recent Gladly customer service survey, 54% of people make decisions based on customer service, and 68% would be willing to pay more for that service. Millennials – the new heavy-weight as a customer base – are almost 4 times as likely to pay for that great service, so expect that number to rise in the coming years.

Customer Care Online

And where are people going to find out if you can offer the customer care that they have come to expect? Why, online of course! People are 50% more likely to rely on these online reviews than they are the advice of their friends and families.

But will any old online review do? Not so much. Your reviews must be current and relevant – 85% of your potential customers dismiss reviews older than 3 months. And you can’t just get people to rate you by the stars – you need written reviews. The good news is that even a small 0.1-star increase in your average rating can increase your conversion rate by 25%. More good news? The majority of consumers (68%) think a mix of positive and negative reviews is more trustworthy. Speaking of trust – you need to respond to negative reviews and you need to do so promptly – within the hour if possible. A good response makes you 1.7x more trustworthy, according to Google’s business profile.

Upping your Game

Most importantly – how do you offer better customer service? Quick response times are incredibly important, so you might consider having a “chat-bot” installed on your social media to answer any pressing questions a browser might have. (We’ll talk more about chat-bots later in this blog series). From that point, you need to have a real live person that they can talk to once basic questions are out of the way, to help them become a happy customer. More than anything, the willingness to listen is critical. Think about how you want to be treated as a customer and do that.  Customer service doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be consistent, thorough and customer focused. It costs a heck of a lot less to keep your current customers happy than to find new customers, so it’s a great place to invest in your business.

Can you make one of your 2020 business resolutions absolutely fantastic customer care?