Small businesses may not have the resources of their more established competitors. They often have something far more valuable, however. Running a small operation means that it’s easier to provide personalized service and adjust to changing customer trends.

This is something that’s helped South African company, UBuy, as a premier leasing solution in the country in just a few months.

What sets UBuy apart is that it monitored the changing business environment in the country. Theft, rising costs, and the impact of a slowing economy made it difficult for businesses to purchase the upgraded equipment that they needed.

UBuy stepped in and provided a solution based on the shifting needs of clients in the country. They’ve consequently left their competition in the dust. We recently published an interview with the company’s CEO, Grant De Vries.

During the interview, it became clear that the company’s success was due to its outstanding small business customer service solutions. That, in turn, sparked the idea for this article. Today we’ll look at smart decisions that firms may make to improve their service offerings.

How to Use Small Business Customer Service Solutions to Best Effect

Use the Right SMB Customer Service Tools for Your Market

There are many customer relationship management tools on the market today. These tools may make managing client interactions simpler. The tools usually include:

A full client history

Details of client activity on your website

Automated messaging capabilities at different trigger points

Buying behaviors

Tools to manage client interactions

Many have useful features that save the business much time and administration. You could, for example, configure the system to send an email checking on if the client is satisfied with their purchase.

Companies must take care not to become over-reliant on such systems. They’re an enhancement to SMB customer service, not a replacement thereof. No form email can measure up to the human touch.

Choose Innovative Small Business Customer Service Solutions to Cover any Gaps

In an ideal world, you’d be available to answer every customer query. In the real world, you must delegate this task so that you can focus on building your business. The question then becomes, who do you trust with this vital function? Partnering with a professional firm like SupportYourApp ensures that you get the best returns for your investment.

Most companies have a “tag; you’re it” approach to customer queries. With this method, whoever answers the call gets to answer the questions. This is problematic because:

Without a dedicated call center, it places additional strain on the employees. They may not deliver their best because they’re worried about the work piling up in the background.

Employees may not have the training to handle the call professionally.

The client may be transferred to another department and have to repeat themselves.

A single call may not be sufficient to answer most questions.

The consultant may not be knowledgeable.

According to Statista, it’s the latter two sins that will cost you the most dearly.  A third of customers view good customer service as:

Having their query resolved in one interaction.

Dealing with a knowledgeable customer service consultant.

How to Hack Small Business Customer Service

Hacking small business customer service is simple if you partner with a professional call center service.

Outsourcing your call center to the Philippines and other top BPO countries:

Allows your employees to focus on their tasks.

Gives your clients professional support at a fraction of the cost of maintaining a call center.

Ensures that your clients speak to a knowledgeable human being.

Reduces training costs for your organization.

Provides clients with a consistently pleasant experience whenever they call in.

Allows you to stay on top of customer service through useful analytics.

Outstanding Customer Service for Small Business Centers on Clients’ Needs

Being customer-centric is fast becoming the only way for businesses to remain competitive. There’ll always be someone who can offer your services or products at a lower price. Trying to compete by lowering your prices is a losing proposition.

Providing excellent customer service for small business and your client is one way to break the cost-cutting cycle.

Stellar Service Starts With Understanding Your Clients

Businesses often make the mistake of assuming they know what their clients need. Don’t make this fatal error. Instead, conduct regular customer surveys to confirm that you understand your clients’ pain points.

Ask your clients where you’re doing well, and where you can improve. They’ll appreciate you taking the time to ask for feedback. When you receive actionable information, be sure to take action. This shows your clients that you have their best interests at heart.

Final Notes

Modern technology provides us with a range of customer service solutions. It’s essential, however, for businesses not to place their full reliance on technological service options. There is no substitute for the human touch when dealing with clients.

Successful companies retain a good balance between automated solutions and human service consultants.