In recent blogs, we have discussed the importance of a robust customer service function. Today’s competitive environment demands instant access to information and accounts, seamless transactions, and responsive customer service. A deficiency in any of these areas may result in fickle consumers simply clicking over to your competitor – and even the most loyal customers will lose patience if they cannot get satisfaction when an issue arises.
The viral nature of the internet means that if one customer has a bad experience today, the entire world can know about it tomorrow. Depending on the circumstances, this bad publicity could absolutely turn into a customer service nightmare. As if that weren’t enough, businesses need to proactively confront the cyber crime epidemic and protect their customers, or they will face a possibly catastrophic backlash.
Here are some tips to save you from a PR crisis you never expected.
Tangible Steps to Take
Build Trust: Building great customer relationships is akin to building up immunity in your body. If you take the right steps to get strong before a crisis, you are far more likely to weather the situation without too much harm. By taking steps to build rapport with customers on an every day basis – giving them an experience which is second to none – they are typically willing to forgive a single gaffe, recognizing it as the exception, not the norm. Social media is a great tool to building rapport with your customer base, but an overall commitment to excellence in all areas will help to “immunize” you in the event of a crisis.
Train Every Employee: Companies may be great at training employees whose job entails interaction with customers, such as the front desk receptionist or your sales team. However, those same protocols and expectations should be instilled in every member of the company, from the mailroom to the executive offices. It is important that every employee understands the importance of proper behavior, respect for the organization and its customers, and the image they project. It is not unheard of that a delivery driver or accountant did something to get a customer angry enough to make a scene. Something incredible happens when you train all employees as well – they have a sense of ownership and pride in their job and workplace. Corporate cultures who embrace this ideology are easy to spot, when every person you encounter is helpful and smiling.
Have the Right Infrastructure: Organizations today absolutely need to have the right IT systems in place to keep operations running smoothly. Downtime of any length is hard to recover from, but an extended outage is nearly impossible to overcome. If you do not have an expert IT staff, consider a managed services solution – or at least an assessment to identify your vulnerabilities and problem areas. The technology curve is difficult for anyone to keep up, but especially those who don’t have an IT background. Because your IT operations and online presence is critical, having the right hardware, software, communications and expertise in place is critical to your success.
Protect Their Data: Data breaches of all kinds are one of the most threatening risks to businesses of all sizes. Data theft is on the rise, with the evolution of phishing scams, ransomware and cyber attacks. Having a plan in place to protect your client data is considered the most essential part of doing business in cyberspace. No one wants to learn that their bank account information, social security number, or medical records were not secure in your care. Having a plan in place for this eventuality is non-negotiable in today’s world.
If this all seems overwhelming, take a deep breath. There are resources and professionals available to help you to create a strategy to protect your business and revenues. Alliance IT is a Sarasota based managed services firm dedicated to making your business safer, more productive and more profitable, Call today for a free consultation or to schedule an onsite assessment of your technology landscape.
