There’s no lack of marketing channels available today. Whether a brand is looking to reach customers online or through more traditional methods,Is Customer Service the New Marketing? Articles there are plenty of options to choose from. In fact, it seems like every week there’s a new channel being touted as the next big thing.
And while keeping up to speed with these developments is a wise choice, it’s important not to let them completely overshadow tried-and-true methods of acquiring and retaining customers. One of these is customer service. Excellent customer service is a necessity for every business, regardless of industry or business model.
And though it may not be a marketing channel in the traditional sense, it can play a significant role in whether potential customers choose to purchase from or work with your business.
How Does Customer Service Play a Role in Marketing?
Some marketers focus their efforts solely on acquiring new customers 買空殼公司. That’s a mistake — both from a growth standpoint and from a financial one. Growth is a top goal for many businesses, but it’s impossible to achieve steady growth if you’re struggling to keep the customers you already have.
Plus, when you consider that it costs 6-7x more to attract a new customer than it does to retain an existing one, focusing on retention could help you achieve the same size customer base at a much lower cost. It simply doesn’t make sense not to prioritize converting your customers into loyal buyers.
And customer service plays a major role in this process. According to a survey from Temkin Group, 86% of customers who rate a company’s customer service as “excellent” will repurchase from that company.
That number drops to 13% for customers who have a “very poor” experience. That’s less than one-sixth of the repeat purchases generated by excellent service. It’s also worth noting that 77% of consumers who have an excellent customer service interaction say they’re likely to recommend the brand to others, while only 7% of those who have a poor experience will.
From an acquisition standpoint, this is huge. If your service is currently lacking, stepping it up could make a serious difference in how willing your customers are to spread the word about your company.
And considering that those recommendations have the potential to translate into sales, it’s clear that customer service can have a significant impact on your ability to reach your marketing goals.
4 Ways to Make Customer Service Part of Your Marketing Strategy
If you haven’t yet integrated your approaches to customer service and marketing, there’s no better time to start than now. But adapting your strategy means more than merely offering great customer service. With that in mind, here are 4 tips to help you get started.
1. Use Support as an Acquisition Channel
Many businesses believe that their support team’s sole purpose is to answer questions and address concerns from current customers and clients. And to be clear, these are important functions that aid in customer satisfaction and retention. But you can also take things a step further by utilizing support as an acquisition channel.
For example, e-commerce platform Kajabi offers live chat support for all of their site visitors. While current customers can log in and ask questions specific to their accounts, prospective customers see the following default message after clicking the live chat icon.
If they’re interested in learning more, they can instantly message the company’s support team with any questions. This gives the brand the opportunity to speak directly with a lead and provide a more tailored explanation of their product.
It also has the potential to turn a standard site visit into a conversation — and increases the chances that each visitor finds the information they need to take the next step in the company’s sales funnel.