MDS Brand Blog

With the idea that customer loyalty is one of the most valuable ways to maintain and increase business, one of the best options is to introduce a loyalty program to incentivize existing customers. Such reward programs help build customer relationships and ensure their return for further sales and positive reviews spread to others.

Over the past ten years the growth and development of online sales and marketing has evolved to suit the demands of fast pace internet users. There is plenty of increased availability that helps to access many brands that would not have been previously seen in the mall or shopping center down the street. There is more to the available online store than the purchase. Customer support has become accessible through the internet as well, and has since grown into a necessity for business. Live chat is one form of online support that has become a favorite among users in recent years. Instant messeging businesses? Who would have thunk it?

While there has been much to consider with the caution and care of the customer, working closely for quality and never speeding ahead of the process to make sure that customer support is handled efficiently, there is in fact one place where customers expect a speedy response. Think about the overall communications that are sent on social media channels, primarily those like Facebook and Twitter. They are primarily considered to be more of a personal and social form of communication, and the response is an immediate and personal response, not necessarily one that is thoughtful and investigated for the quality of the information at hand. It is important to many social media visitors to at least see the initial response that states there is an answer coming, even if the final one is not received immediately.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the “do” factor of customer support, that the numbers and statistics become the most important factor. In the same way our customers then turn into people whose feelings and responses are no longer valid. This can be a slippery slope that leaves you and your team wondering why your efforts are generating adverse effects. Rather than having only a rigid protocol for your customer service techs to adhere to, allow some flexibility that is geared towards understanding and caring for the customer’s needs. Empathy is key. When communication is positive and truly supportive, there are better odds of receiving positive customer reviews. As we now know, positive reviews lead to consumer confidence in working with your dealership, increased traffic, and ultimately more revenue.

We have been discussing the positive effects of customer service, at all times in the process of sales. It is wise to treat your customers with quality service even before they have made their initial purchase, especially considering the likelihood that the mention of your quality service from another customer is what brought them to you in the first place. There is definitely the need to provide overall incredible customer support for those who return with questions and additional servicing needs as well. Customer reviews and feedback spread out the positive reputation of your business based most importantly upon your customer support that they appreciate so much.

Some studies have in fact come to show that customers are willing to pay more for better customer service. This means that quality customer service is no longer a follow-up and long-term relationship feature, but a front-end selling point that will help you stand out from the competitor. In fact, it has been stated by the customers themselves that this is in fact one of their key research points in the buying process, whether it is an initial purchase or returning occurrence.

You may notice that lately we have been discussing the value of customer service and the importance of keeping existing customers happy. With the knowledge that those happy customers will remain loyal, will keep in touch and will spread the positive word of your business to their friends and family, the retention of those customers has proven in many studies to be the best way to improve business and profits combined.

We consistently mention the importance of good customer service as the ideal function to keeping existing customers happy, spreading the word of your positive business to others, as well as the potential for more sales.

We have recently discussed the most frequent presence of marketing and promotion and that is word of mouth. We know that happy customers are likely to spread the word to their friends and family of how happy they are with your business. Now, there is the question of how many existing and former customers are out there with an unhappy memory of working with your company, either in a purchase, customer service or other way.

We have all heard at some point in our lives that the customer is always right, knowing that there is no better reason to keep a customer happy than the fact that positive feedback is best spread by word of mouth. We have the benefits of social media, surveys and other digital messaging, but those customers who you keep consistently happy will continually pass along a positive reference in your favor when their friends and family are looking for the greatest marine service in the biz.