Customer service, customer care, customer support — no matter what your team calls it, it revolves around the customers. But that doesn’t mean the customer is the only one who can benefit from the outcome.
How your frontline reps interact with people day in and day out is just as important for the success of your business as the goods or services you’re selling. And while your marketing and sales teams may already use customer rewards, you may not realize how useful they can be for your support teams as well. Sending rewards to appease unhappy customers can help boost retention rates, revenue, and advocacy efforts.
Check out these 10 statistics about service interactions that prove it’s a good idea to deploy customer rewards for your support teams.
BHN Rewards now integrates directly with Salesforce! Contact us today to learn how to arm your frontline reps with streamlined appeasement rewards.
1. Customers are 2.4 times more likely to stay with a company or brand when their problems are solved quickly. (Source: Forrester)
Your teams have probably been hearing how customers are more willing than ever to switch brands after a bad experience, and while that may be true, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Being willing to switch and wanting to switch are two different things. When your service teams are efficient and effective, they’re far more likely to retain current business.
2. Among consumers who often interact with support, 66% say a bad interaction with a business can ruin their day. (Source: Zendesk)
We’ve all been there, stewing in anger over a problem with a product or service that no one can seem to solve. But remember that appeasement doesn’t have to wait till the interaction is over, and customer rewards can help turn the day around. Even if you haven’t been able to resolve the issue yet, a reward can help you end the current call on a better note, instead of letting the customer’s frustration continue to grow.
3. Customers are more likely to tell others about a bad experience (95%) than to share good experiences (87%). (Source: Zendesk)
Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool — with both positive and negative messages. And thanks to a phenomenon called “squeaky-wheel syndrome,” customers tend to speak up to complain more often than to offer praise. That tendency is an even bigger issue now, with so many buyers relying on online reviews to help them make their purchasing decisions. Not only can customer rewards help service reps minimize the number of bad experiences there are to write about, they can also help encourage the satisfied customers to leave reviews to counteract any bad ones.
4. Acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining the ones you have. (Source: Harvard Business Review)
Great customer service can do a lot for your reputation, but it also benefits the bottom line. Higher retention rates will save your company money in the long run. Customer churn requires you to spend more on your acquisition efforts to replace that business and continue to grow.
READ MORE: Using Rewards to Engage Prospects and Customers
5. Among surveyed leaders in customer service, the most reported challenge was “dealing with upset customers.” (Source: HubSpot)
6. About three-quarters (74%) of service agents say that being able to access more tools and data gives them more opportunities to personalize their customer interactions. (Source: Zendesk)
It’s no surprise that dealing with unhappy customers is tough. But for any frontline agent, it’s a necessary part of the job. That’s why it’s important to arm those agents with every tool possible for appeasement and retention. When they have the right platform, digital customer rewards can be sent immediately — with a personalized message and apology — to help rebuild the recipient’s trust.
7. When a business makes a mistake, a vast majority (96%) of regular customers say they would continue shopping there if they received an apology. (Source: HubSpot)
8. Sixty-eight percent of customers expect brands to demonstrate empathy, but only 37% say they do. (Source: Salesforce)
Yes, there are customers who aren’t going to be happy and will switch companies, no matter what you do. But most consumers just want their problem and the inconvenience it caused to be acknowledged and respected. By just showing some understanding and offering a simple but sincere apology, service reps can change the whole mood of the interaction — as well as the outcome. Backing that apology up with customer rewards that are delivered instantly only solidifies its sincerity and your commitment to making it right.
9. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of customers will spend more with a business if their issue gets resolved there. (Source: Zendesk)
Again, the bottom line is at stake, and it’s not just about a customer’s business now. By providing good support experiences, your frontline reps can actually make customers increase their spending in the future, since they can trust that any issues will be resolved quickly.
10. Over three-quarters of B2B buyers consult three or more sources of advocacy before they decide to make a purchase. (Source: Gartner)
In addition to boosting a buyer’s lifetime value for your business, great customer service can put you back on the road to earning their seal of approval. Those who are pleased after their experience with your support team make great advocates to provide referrals, online reviews, case studies, and more. Even better, you can expand your customer rewards to incentivize such advocacy actions.
Need more help turning customer rewards for appeasement into further engagement? Check out these tips!
Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.
Hannah is a reformed journalist who has more than 15 years of experience and now focuses on content marketing for innovative tech companies.
