Small Business Trends

Don’t Forget About Real Customer Service

Social EntrepreneurshipSeptember 23, 2009By Lisa Barone

customer serviceSocial Media. Word of Mouth Marketing. Online Reputation Management. Engagement. Listening. We’ve given it a lot of fancy names over the past year, but all we’re really talking about is customer service. It’s about treating customers better than they expect to be treated and surpassing their expectations. And if you’re a small business, customer service is what most separates you from the big corporations. Customer service is your point of difference.

A year ago I bought a fairly pricey pendant. I saw it while on the road at a conference and immediately loved it. I loved not only the pendent itself but the story behind the company, the one the woman who sold it to me spent at least 15 minutes reciting. And I purchased them both — the necklace and the tale of the company. I felt connected to the brand.

A few weekends ago, the chain for the pendant broke and I needed to contact the company to have it replaced.

The company has a Web site. They have a blog. They have a Twitter account. They’re on Facebook. Heck, they even have a YouTube channel. They’ve obviously invested time and money into social media. They “get it”.  However, when I emailed about having the chain replaced, it was ignored. So was my tweet. No response.

Yes, it’s important to use Twitter and the various social networking sites to get word out about your company and attract new customers. But what does it matter if you fail to serve your existing customers? For me, the experience was a good lesson in that it doesn’t matter how “visible” you are online or how savvy. If you’re not investing in real customer service, you’re doing yourself a disservice. You’re wasting money building a brand that people won’t want to do business with.

Part of the allure of my pendant was the story the woman told along with it. How the business was started out of love, how she was traveling to get the word out, how much the people she sold these necklaces to meant to her. A quick email telling me how I could have easily replaced my chain would have reaffirmed that. It would have reaffirmed that this was a company that cared about their customers. But I was ignored.

If you’re a small business, you can’t afford to ignore your customers. Each point of contact is a chance for you to win them over again and get them talking about your company. We’ve made up a lot of words for customer service because that’s how important it is. When you’re out there being social and trying to bring in new customers and attract new eyeballs – don’t forget the people who have already made the decision to trust you.  The ones who actually walked into your store.  Customer service and personal touches are what separate small businesses from the big conglomerates.

You can reach out. You can be accessible, more personable. Because that’s how you better your brand and build positive buzz. That’s how you create trust and authority. By doing all the little things that make people feel good and want to tell their friends about you.

You build positive word of mouth when you do things like:

  • Answer emails.
  • Call people back.
  • Be present.
  • Empathize with their complaints.
  • Go out of your way for them.
  • Make it your mission to make their lives easier.

Don’t hassle them. Don’t tell them “it’s not possible” when it is. Don’t blame them for the error. And definitely do not ignore them.

Old marketing was based on customer service and it’s even more important than ever. Social media has given us a great way to reach new people, but once you have them – take care of them. Value them. That’s how you grow your business and spread positive word of mouth. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your money attracting customers you’re going to turn away a month from now. Don’t forget about real life customer service. There is no substitute.

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133 Responses to “Don’t Forget About Real Customer Service”

Leave a Reply
  1. Robert Brady says:
    September 23, 2009 at 10:58 am

    Many small businesses live and die by the quality of their customer service. Serving current customers should be the base of the pyramid and then move on to serving potential clients and lead generation. Social media allows you to extend your customer service effort into even more areas, but the basic priorities should remain in place.

  2. Synthesio says:
    September 23, 2009 at 11:31 am

    Lisa,
    You couldn’t be more right. Each company has to think of itself as a team, and each employee really does make a difference. Just the other day I was talking with a friend and co-worker who said “Congratulations” to me because we got a great compliment from a client, but I said, “It wasn’t me!” If anything, it is the people behind the operations that no one gets to see that are doing the work that makes your products good or not, and it is the people that are interacting with customers and partners on a daily basis that can build a good reputation.
    Online reputation companies sometimes get a bad reputation, themselves, because many that identify themselves as such seek to cover up bad reports, which is only a solution to the symptom and not the cause. Thank you again, for pointing out real ways to build a great reputation, online or off.

    Michelle
    @Synthesio

  3. Keith DeLong says:
    September 23, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    Outstanding customer care has been our competitive advantage for years. It has preserved customer loyalty and helped our software business thrive during the economic downturn of the past year.

    It’s not just small businesses that need to get a hold of the value of excellent customer service. Apple Computer is using superior customer service to sell Macs against a largely customer indifferent PC market. I love the recent Apple Customer Care ad .

  4. Market Viewpoint says:
    September 23, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    Lisa!
    Great post! As the owner of a mystery shopping company, we see many businesses thrive or fail based on the level of service they are offering. Today’s businesses are asking us about the new media and our response is always the same, “If you are able to support it with unprecedented service, then by all means, get involved with the new tools that are out there.” Unfortunately, what we are finding through the mystery shopping process is that most of the time, the basics aren’t being supported. Phone calls go unanswered, emails are neglected, business owners are in hiding from their customers, etc. The list goes on. Thanks again for the great post!

    Angela Megasko
    marketviewpoint.com

  5. John Krech says:
    September 23, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Great post – I would add:
    Make sure you have product when your customer needs it and deliver on time. Inventory management is a silent killer and it is difficult to know how much to have on hand. That is where inventory optimization programs like Phitch (http://www.phitch.com) determine when to order and how much to order. Such tools provide a powerful competitive advantage. Bottom performing businesses have nine times more inventory than their top performing peers – this has a tremendous impact on cash flow and customer service.

  6. NicoleRivera says:
    September 23, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    Great post! I think it is especially critical for small businesses to really focus on customer service; in the end it is what will make or break them. Too often poor customer service can lead to a grapevine of bad publicity and referrals. Another important point to remember is to only take on what your business can handle. Meaning, there many be hundreds of new social media and CRM tools, but if your business can fully invest the time to engage and interact in only 1 or 2 of them, then that is all that should be used.

  7. Susan Oakes says:
    September 23, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Lisa, simple and good advice. Apart from the basics of returning calls, emails I would add to check with your customers on what they want regarding customer service. What we think is important may not be in their eyes and we could be missing something in customer service delevery that is crucial to them.

  8. Penny Feigel, IAC-EZ says:
    September 23, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Customer Service is so important to any business, small or large. Not only in making and keeping your customers happy, but in finding ways to improve, grow, and expand.

    Your clients are a great source of ideas and inspiration, and can see something in a totally different light than you do. They just offer so many different backgrounds and experiences into their opinions, it’s like a gold-mine of information.
    The best resource available.

  9. The SmallBusiness.com Blog » links for 2009-09-23 says:
    September 23, 2009 at 7:48 pm

    [...] Social Media Matters Little if You Don't Have Customer Service | Small Business Trends Lisa Barone writes about a company that had every social media based covered — but still didn't answer her inquiry. Lesson: take care of the basics first. (tags: marketing technology) [...]

  10. Amanda Collier Stillwagon says:
    September 24, 2009 at 9:22 am

    This is a great reminder. I’ve had similar experiences and it is so frustrating. I don’t understand why a company bothers to make themselves appear accessable but then doesn’t follow through. I know businesses are busy but putting aside one afternoon a week to respond to all their social correspondence with customers would be smart.

  11. Martin Lindeskog says:
    September 24, 2009 at 9:59 am

    It should be a two way street between the customer and the seller. And please keep in mind that extraordinary things could happen that could have an impact on your level of response. A good friend of mine, bought recently a pen from a company in USA. It took longer time with the delivery than usual, so my friend sent them a reminder by email. They didn’t reply at first, but some days later they informed him about a thing that had happened with one of the employees of the company that had caused the delay. It had been smart if the company had replied at once, but I think they turned the situation to a positive outcome at the end. It is all about communication…

  12. Once More, With Feeling says:
    September 25, 2009 at 10:46 am

    [...] of what you’re selling, your POD is the feeling you pass off to customers. It’s why I bought an overpriced pendant. It’s why people buy Apples – not for the system, but to feel superior to everyone else. People [...]

  13. Harold (SMM) says:
    September 28, 2009 at 2:43 pm

    Spot on advice, Lisa. Once you woo and win the customer you can’t just ignore them. That’ll just end in a breakup or worse, a divorce.

  14. Sophie says:
    September 29, 2009 at 7:49 am

    This is so true, Lisa! And I completely agree with NicoleRivera too – one of the best ways to improve your customer relations is through CRM use. By using CRM we have managed to “steal” customers away from several of our competitors who seem to ignore their existing customers!!

    You have to find a CRM that works for you and fits with your budget, which is not always easy. I personally use http://www.glasscubes.com as it’s free and really easy to set up, however it is marketed as a “simple CRM” so it might not have everything for everyone.

  15. Kathy Doering says:
    September 29, 2009 at 10:53 am

    Wow! You really hit a nerve with this excellent post! Our company conducts mystery shopping and does social media monitoring as well. We believe clients need both to measure and improve customer service. You can never know too much about your business or that of your competition.

    Some companies view Twitter, Facebook, etc. as the new magic bullet for gaining market share and new customers. It doesn’t exactly work that way. It is using the old selling technique of relationship selling and bringing it into this new age of technology. Both take time but the end result is great!

    When done correctly (Zappos is a great example of how to do it right!) it can be a wonderful thing for your company.

    Thanks for the post!!!

  16. Andrew McFarland says:
    September 29, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Good post. You’ve hit on one of the differences between companies that think technology drives great service and those that know it starts with great culture. (The technology can come later.)

  17. Laine says:
    November 4, 2009 at 2:52 pm

    You can remove the word ’small’. Everything you say applies to big businesses as well. All businesses need to keep it REAL.

  18. Robert Brady says:
    September 23, 2009 at 10:58 am

    Many small businesses live and die by the quality of their customer service. Serving current customers should be the base of the pyramid and then move on to serving potential clients and lead generation. Social media allows you to extend your customer service effort into even more areas, but the basic priorities should remain in place.

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  19. Synthesio says:
    September 23, 2009 at 11:31 am

    Lisa,
    You couldn’t be more right. Each company has to think of itself as a team, and each employee really does make a difference. Just the other day I was talking with a friend and co-worker who said “Congratulations” to me because we got a great compliment from a client, but I said, “It wasn’t me!” If anything, it is the people behind the operations that no one gets to see that are doing the work that makes your products good or not, and it is the people that are interacting with customers and partners on a daily basis that can build a good reputation.
    Online reputation companies sometimes get a bad reputation, themselves, because many that identify themselves as such seek to cover up bad reports, which is only a solution to the symptom and not the cause. Thank you again, for pointing out real ways to build a great reputation, online or off.

    Michelle
    @Synthesio

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  20. Keith DeLong says:
    September 23, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    Outstanding customer care has been our competitive advantage for years. It has preserved customer loyalty and helped our software business thrive during the economic downturn of the past year.

    It’s not just small businesses that need to get a hold of the value of excellent customer service. Apple Computer is using superior customer service to sell Macs against a largely customer indifferent PC market. I love the recent Apple Customer Care ad .

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  21. Market Viewpoint says:
    September 23, 2009 at 12:48 pm

    Lisa!
    Great post! As the owner of a mystery shopping company, we see many businesses thrive or fail based on the level of service they are offering. Today’s businesses are asking us about the new media and our response is always the same, “If you are able to support it with unprecedented service, then by all means, get involved with the new tools that are out there.” Unfortunately, what we are finding through the mystery shopping process is that most of the time, the basics aren’t being supported. Phone calls go unanswered, emails are neglected, business owners are in hiding from their customers, etc. The list goes on. Thanks again for the great post!

    Angela Megasko
    marketviewpoint.com

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  22. John Krech says:
    September 23, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Great post – I would add:
    Make sure you have product when your customer needs it and deliver on time. Inventory management is a silent killer and it is difficult to know how much to have on hand. That is where inventory optimization programs like Phitch (http://www.phitch.com) determine when to order and how much to order. Such tools provide a powerful competitive advantage. Bottom performing businesses have nine times more inventory than their top performing peers – this has a tremendous impact on cash flow and customer service.

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  23. NicoleRivera says:
    September 23, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    Great post! I think it is especially critical for small businesses to really focus on customer service; in the end it is what will make or break them. Too often poor customer service can lead to a grapevine of bad publicity and referrals. Another important point to remember is to only take on what your business can handle. Meaning, there many be hundreds of new social media and CRM tools, but if your business can fully invest the time to engage and interact in only 1 or 2 of them, then that is all that should be used.

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  24. Susan Oakes says:
    September 23, 2009 at 4:09 pm

    Lisa, simple and good advice. Apart from the basics of returning calls, emails I would add to check with your customers on what they want regarding customer service. What we think is important may not be in their eyes and we could be missing something in customer service delevery that is crucial to them.

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  25. Penny Feigel, IAC-EZ says:
    September 23, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Customer Service is so important to any business, small or large. Not only in making and keeping your customers happy, but in finding ways to improve, grow, and expand.

    Your clients are a great source of ideas and inspiration, and can see something in a totally different light than you do. They just offer so many different backgrounds and experiences into their opinions, it’s like a gold-mine of information.
    The best resource available.

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  26. Amanda Collier Stillwagon says:
    September 24, 2009 at 9:22 am

    This is a great reminder. I’ve had similar experiences and it is so frustrating. I don’t understand why a company bothers to make themselves appear accessable but then doesn’t follow through. I know businesses are busy but putting aside one afternoon a week to respond to all their social correspondence with customers would be smart.

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  27. Martin Lindeskog says:
    September 24, 2009 at 9:59 am

    It should be a two way street between the customer and the seller. And please keep in mind that extraordinary things could happen that could have an impact on your level of response. A good friend of mine, bought recently a pen from a company in USA. It took longer time with the delivery than usual, so my friend sent them a reminder by email. They didn’t reply at first, but some days later they informed him about a thing that had happened with one of the employees of the company that had caused the delay. It had been smart if the company had replied at once, but I think they turned the situation to a positive outcome at the end. It is all about communication…

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  28. Daniel says:
    September 25, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    This is one of my favorite posts you have written, and I’ve read a lot of Lisa Barone. You are absolutely right that good marketing makes people feel something. The beauty of social media marketing is that it let’s us create a community around this feeling and marketing message. The potential to market a feeling and build up an engaged customer base around it has never been better. Do you agree?

    @theoceanagency
    @pragerd

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  29. Tim says:
    September 25, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    If we all applied Once More, With Feeling in EVERYTHING we did, beyond marketing ourselves or our wares – we’d all be better because of it. Truly we would.

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  30. Lisa Barone says:
    September 25, 2009 at 1:32 pm

    Daniel: Thanks. I appreciate that. :) And agreed, I think the ability to engage your customers and make them feel something (anything) is indeed larger today than it ever has been. The more personal the tool, the easier it is to shake people.

    Tim: Amen, brother. :)

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  31. Josh says:
    September 25, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    Great post and Great reminder. In college I worked at a ski/snowboard shop and the owner always said “We are not selling Skis we are selling fun” he truly loves skiing and exudes that feeling as a result he is the most successful salesmen I have ever met. The same can hold true in any field.

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  32. Richard Barratt says:
    September 26, 2009 at 3:04 am

    To quote: “We waste far too much time in business creating BS sales pitches designed to describe pointless features…”

    You’ve hit the nail right on its head with that one!

    Besides, I think almost everyone is now aware of when they’re being pitched to by a robotic ‘canned’ sales guy.

    The old techniques such as the ‘yes roll’, ‘alternative close’, ‘7 steps’, etc are quite frankly a load of crap in my opinion. The very best sales people I know ignore these techniques and speak from the heart about their love for their product and their joy of how it can help their customer. It’s this approach that sees of competition and forms long-lasting relationships.

    Great post!

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  33. George Angus says:
    September 27, 2009 at 4:28 pm

    I think the most successful sales folks don’t sell the product or service – they sell their love for it.

    Potential customers can sense that love and they will respond to it.

    George

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  34. Jamie Lee Wallace says:
    September 28, 2009 at 9:51 am

    Love this post and couldn’t agree more with Tim’s comment above – this is a concept that should be applied to much more than marketing … it should be applied to LIFE.

    I think we all get so caught up in “looking smart” that we bury all the feeling (because, after all, there’s no data to back that up, right?) beneath loads of marketingese BS. I mean, how many marketing campaigns can you name that took a product or service that once HAD passion, and sucked the life right out of it by trying to cram it into some forumlaic, sales-driven method of marketing? Ouch.

    In the end, we are human – with all our insecurities, inspirations, and aspirations. I sometimes find “marketing” to be dirty work – seems full of manipulation and trickery – BUT, when I think more along the lines of sharing a passion with someone who WANTS to share that passion; I can not only sleep better at night, I produce my best work.

    Thanks for the great post. So glad I found your blog. :)

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  35. Kathy Hokunson says:
    September 28, 2009 at 10:22 am

    Lisa -
    Another great post and you really hit the heart of “brand”, the emotional connection.
    Kathy

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  36. Kandi Humpf says:
    September 28, 2009 at 10:37 am

    Absolutely awesome post Lisa! I always say that I’m not a salesperson. I’m no good at “sales speak” and, I hate every moment of it. Once I get past the “here’s your proposal” part and get into the details and steps – it’s like everything in me gets excited about the opportunities for that client. And that excitement comes out in my voice, mannerisms and ideas. Thank you for letting me know that there are others out there like me – now I don’t feel so alone!

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  37. Lisa Barone says:
    September 28, 2009 at 11:14 am

    Josh: It’s so true. As a business owner, you’re selling way more than just your product. You’re selling the feeling and emotion behind it. That’s how you reach people.

    Richard: Does anyone listen when they can tell someone is just reciting the 10-line pitch they memorized a week before? I know, I don’t. I may stand there politely and wait for him/her to finish before walking away, but that’s all they’ve inspired me to do. If you need a 3 minute scripted monologue to explain the benefits of a product, it clearly has none.

    George and Kandi: Completely agree! Thanks for the comments. :)

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  38. Sophie says:
    September 29, 2009 at 7:49 am

    This is so true, Lisa! And I completely agree with NicoleRivera too – one of the best ways to improve your customer relations is through CRM use. By using CRM we have managed to “steal” customers away from several of our competitors who seem to ignore their existing customers!!

    You have to find a CRM that works for you and fits with your budget, which is not always easy. I personally use http://www.glasscubes.com as it’s free and really easy to set up, however it is marketed as a “simple CRM” so it might not have everything for everyone.

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  39. Alex Lim says:
    September 29, 2009 at 8:13 am

    This is an excellent post. I think the very core of marketing is making unobvious connection through establishing feelings with the customers. I guess that is somewhat the purpose of using celebrities as endorsers. If you want to feel like you’re Britney then use her branded perfume, clothes and shoes. It’s great to be aware with this basic principle of marketing. Thanks for sharing Lisa.

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  40. Kathy Doering says:
    September 29, 2009 at 10:53 am

    Wow! You really hit a nerve with this excellent post! Our company conducts mystery shopping and does social media monitoring as well. We believe clients need both to measure and improve customer service. You can never know too much about your business or that of your competition.

    Some companies view Twitter, Facebook, etc. as the new magic bullet for gaining market share and new customers. It doesn’t exactly work that way. It is using the old selling technique of relationship selling and bringing it into this new age of technology. Both take time but the end result is great!

    When done correctly (Zappos is a great example of how to do it right!) it can be a wonderful thing for your company.

    Thanks for the post!!!

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  41. TP says:
    September 29, 2009 at 6:16 pm

    So you think Apple is successful because it has persuaded people that buying an Apple product makes them better than other people? That it shows they have taste and sophistication? Perhaps now, to later adopters. Maybe.

    But you want to know why the iPhone was so successful? This: It looked like something from the future. Its interface was fluid and obvious, and connected immediately with all the hard-wiring in your brain about how physical objects should respond. I touch it and it moves. I swipe and it goes away.

    This is the real emotional connection of the product. The other stuff you talk about is, at best, secondary. A distraction to the main idea.

    This comment was originally posted on Outspoken Media

  42. Andrew McFarland says:
    September 29, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Good post. You’ve hit on one of the differences between companies that think technology drives great service and those that know it starts with great culture. (The technology can come later.)

    This comment was originally posted on Small Business Trends

  43. Louis Gray says:
    October 3, 2009 at 1:19 am

    Bing! Agree.

    This comment was originally posted on FriendFeed



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