Customer Service Myths

Customers prefer the companies that provide better customer service. This trend is now being followed by a lot of businesses. This has led to misconceptions about customer service delivery. It’s sometimes difficult to differentiate between fact and myth. Some companies do their businesses believing widespread myths about customer service.

Here are the 3, in my opinion, the most common customer service myths.

Satisfied Customers Are Loyal Customers

There are businesses that believe in this customer service myth. However, it isn’t always the case. While loyal customers are probably satisfied, it doesn’t mean that all satisfied customers are 100% loyal.

Satisfied customers will come back to you only if they don’t get a better experience somewhere else. If you want loyal customers, you need to exceed your service levels and provide an exceptional customer experience. Consider an example of you calling your mobile number operator about some issue regarding your internet speed. In the first scenario, they fix the issue and you are satisfied.

The second scenario is: they fix the issue and tell you about a new plan which is cheaper and suits your usage better. In that case, you feel happier and you probably will refer the company to your friends. Some of the customer service gurus go even further, like the author Jeffrey Gitomer, who put it very baldly:

 “Customer satisfaction is meaningless. Customer loyalty is priceless.”

Jeffrey Gitomer

Unsatisfied Customers Will Let You Know About That

It would seem obvious that the majority of customers complain when they have a problem. Well, it seems, it isn’t always the case too. According to the studies, only less than 25 percent of customers complain when they have an issue, and 70 – 90 percent of them never complain!

Why? Because they feel it’s either too difficult or they are not confident in the companies’ ability to solve their problems, or willingness to help. They will most likely just silently turn around and leave.

Moreover, instead of complaining to their provider, customers will tell an average of three people “bad” things about their provider. So, if you don’t hear from unsatisfied customers, it doesn’t mean they don’t exist!

It is Better to Invest in Marketing and Advertising Than Customer Service

In other words, marketing and advertising are the best way to grow and sustain your business. But, yet again, it isn’t always the case. It is true that every company needs to spend on marketing activities which will bring in new customers. But, these customers will not retain if you do not provide them with good customer service.

Marketing is for getting new customers to use your product or service. Customer service is for retaining your customers and keeping them happy. Positive customer appraisal will spread quickly and attract more like-minded customers.

The studies show that in fact, it can cost at least five times more to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one. The cheapest and fastest way to grow your business might be to take care of the customers you already have, rather than invest large amounts of money in acquiring new ones.

Conclusion?

One of the best ways to protect your online reputation is to ensure you offer fantastic customer service. If you don’t, an unhappy customer will tell their friends and followers, and may not ever tell you!

Perhaps, you should even encourage customers to…complain? In order to monitor the negative feedback, to catch it at the source, and to use it to improve your product and to make your business better.

What do you think? Do you have such experiences with your own customers? How about you as a customer, do you let companies know when they do a good or a bad job? Let me know in the comments below. Let’s talk about that.

Brought to you by Chris Jaworski

My very first contact with computers and programming was in the 1980s, while getting my Masters of Engineering degree. Despite the fact that most of my past professional experience was more “analog engineering”, I find the skills obtained there (analytical thinking, problem solving, general understanding of technology) very useful in the digital era.