In one of our recent blogs we covered the statistic that 70% of customers take their business elsewhere due to poor customer service. This got us thinking – what is more important for a business: sales or customer service?
Clearly, generating sales is vital for any business. Unless you are running a business for the good of your health, or indeed on a voluntary or not for profit basis, developing a sales pipeline and converting them into paying customers is fundamental to making it viable. Sadly not many of us get up for work in the morning purely for the fun of it; we all need to get paid!
Yet putting all that time and effort into generating new sales; and let’s be honest, this can be hard work; only for a lack of fundamental customer service to drive customers away, this is clearly also unsustainable.
So, what is the answer?
Here at Aspect Market Research we feel the first place to start is with your existing customers. It is often stated that it can cost up to 10 times as much to win a new client than to keep an existing one. So if you can get your model of customer service right with your existing customers, ensuring they are not only satisfied but happy with the service they receive; this can only lead onwards and upwards.
When customers feel valued they are more likely to be open to hearing what other services you have to offer. It is possible to significantly grow your sales simply by concentrating on your existing customers – provided they are happy ones!
It is worth remembering that happy customers are in themselves brilliant sales and marketing tools! Happy customers will recommend your services to others – and the power of a good referral cannot be beaten; no matter how good your selling skills are!
So to answer our own question; whilst sales is often referred to as the lifeblood of a business, we suggest that customer service is the heart. Delivering an exceptional and consistent level of service will help to develop your business further and faster.
If you want to be sure that your customers are happy and receiving the treatment you would want to receive, ask them! Get in touch, we work with many businesses to improve the customer experience and have a customer survey tailored to your business.
Featured image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rodeime/15627238721
