This is a Guest Post by Brandon Yanofsky. Customer service is only one part of increasing sales. To learn about all the other factors, visit Brandon Yanofsky’s relationship marketing website.

Why are some internet companies “crushing it” and continually growing while others are just stagnant and barely holding on? Many factors lead to success, but none quite as important as customer service.

While many companies have pretty good customer service, the companies that are crushing it have great customer service.

I’m going to first show you the difference between good and great customer service with two true stories (names changed of course). Then I’ll show you how you can take your customer service from good to great.





Good Customer Service

Charles has just started his first business and has decided to handle the bookkeeping. Before he can begin, he needs to find accounting software. After a couple hours researching different software, he narrows his choice down to one: XYZ Pro.

Before purchasing, he wants to make sure this is the right software for him and calls a customer service agent. The agent he speaks with is very helpful and answers all of Charles’s questions. When the call ends, Charles decides to purchase the software. He spends the next few days installing the software and reading the manual. With a pretty good understanding, he starts to tackle his company’s bookkeeping.

Seems pretty good, right? But it’s only good. And good doesn't get us anywhere. Now, let’s see what great customer service looks like:


Great Customer Service

Like Charles, Brenda has started her first business and will also handle the bookkeeping. She does a search online for accounting software and one of the first hits is an article from ABC Accounting Software explaining the pros and cons of the top 5 accounting software, including their own. After she reads the article, a screen appears, asking if she’d like to chat with a customer service agent who can answer any questions. Brenda click yes and the customer service agent explains the differences more in depth. Brenda tells the agent she thinks ABC Accounting Software has what her company needs. The agent offers to show Brenda a demo of the software, which she accepts. After the demo, Brenda decides she would like to purchase the software. As Brenda is making her purchase, she has trouble downloading the software. Luckily, the customer service agent is still available and fixes the problem. He even guides her through the installation and the basic operations. He also sends her links to a library of resources to get the most out of the software. Lastly, he leaves Brenda his direct line if she would like to get in contact. Much, much better.

So, what’s exactly is the difference and how can you make your customer service better?

How to Make Your Customer Service Great

There are three major differences between good customer service and great customer service. Here they are:

1) Customer Service Starts Before the Sale

Many companies believe customer service is there to help current customers. But the great companies provide customer service long before the sale. Notice in Brenda’s case that ABC Accounting Software offered help in the form of the article when she was still in the research phase of the sale cycle. XYZ Pro, on the other hand, didn’t offer any help until Charles contacted them.

2) Guide Customers through the Sale

When Charles decided to make his purchase, the customer service agent ended the call. Imagine if Charles had experienced the same issue Brenda experienced. Most likely, Charles would have abandoned the sale. Brenda almost did. But because the customer service agent was there to help, she made the purchase.

3) Provide Value after the Sale

Once Charles made his purchase, the customer service agent considered his job done. Not in Brenda’s case. In addition to helping her with the installation and showing her how to use the software, he provided Brenda an easy way to contact him with any questions. Customer service doesn’t stop once you make the sale. It continues on for the lifetime of the produce.

The Bottom Line

Obviously, there are companies who are happy with their good customer service: they don’t want to increase sales and are happy being stagnant.

But, if you want to increase your sales, you must turn your good customer service into great customer service.

It’s the only way to rise to the top.

To read more informative articles from our wonderful guest authors, then do subscribe to our blog. You can also choose to receive updates via email.


If you'd like to join E-junkie.info's Guest Authors club, then do write to us and we'll take it forward from there.