Customer service: putting the customer at the center of the business

Customer service is a set of activities of a company with the aim of promoting a good relationship with customers and potential customers. It is an important area in all sectors of the market, after all, we cannot deny the importance of a good relationship with customers, especially nowadays, when the profile of consumers has become increasingly demanding.

It is a fact that with the emergence of new digital technologies, people want the brands they consume to participate in this dynamic, being able to get closer to them. After all, we can communicate with friends, family and co-workers even thousands of kilometers away, why not create closer communication with our favorite brands?

Therefore, it is essential that companies make use of as many digital resources as possible when working in the customer service department. This is how you can expand your service channels and points of contact with consumers, making the relationship more intimate and assertive.

What is customer service

Customer service is nothing more than the English term for what we know in Brazil as customer/consumer service. In this way, it is a set of activities, and even a sector of a company, that maintains a direct relationship with its customers. Therefore, the main objective is to ensure that the customer has a good experience with the company in general, ensuring that contact between them is not restricted to occasional commercial exchanges.

The idea is to always be ready to listen and understand the customer in all situations: compliments, doubts, suggestions and complaints. With this, one can note the potential that this activity has in developing insights for improvements in all departments of an organization, as the public's expectations and desires are taken into account. 

In this sense, it is precisely because of the many possibilities for interaction that many companies choose to create a specific department for customer service. From small companies to large corporations, this sector needs to be valued and must have a trained team to receive interactions and also analyze them.

Pillars of customer service

Therefore, some of the most important aspects of customer service are:

1 – Agility: In times of a culture of immediacy, people expect to be answered as quickly as possible.

2 - Personalization: Ready-made and generic messages generate cold and impersonal communication. The public expects to be served based on their individuality.

3 – Continuous improvement: Customers expect their feedback to be heard and absorbed. Therefore, a feeling of frustration can be generated if, despite complaints, the company does not invest in changes to improve itself.

The importance of customer service for business

Customer service becomes more important in the context of increased use of digital tools. With the public more connected than ever, they want companies to follow this process. Furthermore, we cannot deny that a good customer service in the digital context can be a differentiator among competitors.

Among the main benefits are:

Reputation: good service builds a positive image from the perspective of current customers, which can help attract new ones;

Customer Satisfaction: quality customer service adds value to the business, leaving customers more satisfied. One of the consequences is your loyalty.

Upselling and cross-selling opportunities: A satisfied customer who has a good image of the company is more likely to purchase other products or services.

Lead Conversion: When well attended to when requesting clarification of doubts, for example, a potential customer is more likely to be converted into a customer.

Using digital tools for customer service

Bearing in mind all the points discussed in this article, it can be concluded that the use of digital tools in the customer service sector of any company is fundamental today. After all, this is not only a demand from consumers but also helps to perform this work with greater quality, efficiency and productivity.

Digital capabilities can automate repetitive tasks, such as answering frequently asked questions or scheduling appointments, while being customizable. It also contributes to the collection of information, allowing the construction of a database on customers and their feedback over time.

Therefore, there is a huge list of digital tools aimed at customer service, developed by different suppliers. Therefore, choosing the ideal resource depends on the specific characteristics of each company. Even so, it is possible to evaluate the features, ease of use and price, considering the cost-benefit ratio.

Generally speaking, three customer service features are key.

1 - CRM or Customer Relationship Management, tool for managing customer relationships. Among its features, it can generally store information and track interactions with customers, generating reports for later analysis

2 – Chatbots, virtual agents to guarantee customer service 24 hours a day, especially for services outside working hours.

3 – Customer support software, which can be adapted to the company’s needs. They are tools for organizing and managing the team’s workflow.

If you are looking to increase your company's digital presence, check out the other content on Beatz's blog!