What is customer service and why is it important?

In today's competitive business landscape, customer service has become a critical differentiator.

Modern customers are looking for exceptional experiences, and that includes the customer service they receive.

Nowadays, the quality of your customer service can make or break the growth of your business. According to Gartner, 89% of businesses now expect to compete primarily on the basis of customer experience (CX). Another study found that 93% of customers were likely to return and make repeat purchases from companies that provided excellent service, while 80% said they had stopped doing business with a company due to a poor customer experience. .

With loyalty being a priority for many forward-thinking companies, providing world-class customer support has never been more important. But what exactly is customer service and how do you deliver fast, helpful experiences that make customers happy? Read on to learn more.

What does customer service mean?

Customer service is the support you provide to your customers (and potential customers) throughout the customer journey. Its goal is to meet customer needs by solving problems, solving problems, and helping them get the most out of your product or service.

"Everyone who interacts with customers has a role to play in providing excellent customer service"

While often seen as the sole responsibility of your customer support team, everyone who interacts with customers – from sales to customer success – has a role to play in delivering great service .

The importance of customer service

Customer service is an extremely important factor in ensuring customer satisfaction and engagement in your business. And satisfied, engaged customers buy more, come back again and again, and make recommendations to friends and family.

We've already seen that good service can improve retention, while poor service can contribute to churn. In fact, customer service has a major impact on every step of the customer journey, from attracting and winning new business to improving the engagement and satisfaction of existing customers.

< /p> 1. Attract

Reputation for excellent support gives you an edge over the competition. In a survey, 50% of respondents said that "effective customer service" was the factor most likely to have a positive impact on their perception of a brand, even in relation to price (32%). This goes to show that support has a powerful (and often overlooked) brand-building function that can help you attract new customers.

2. Convert