Thread: Has anyone thought of customer support as a marketing tool?

Think about it. The web now days is all about being personal. Taking the time to talk to your clients, help them with problems, even give them tips and ideas about a product or service when they don't ask for it. Email campaigns have been built around it, newsletter, etc. All focus on talking to clients and showing them that there is a team of people behind the site and not just pages and pages of code.

But what about actual customer service? Taking the opportunity to help a client when they have problems etc. ? I was reading through another forum a few minutes ago where they had a poll about who uses customer support for their companies or not.

Seriously , if your client base is kept happy, making sure an problems they have are sorted out quickly, in a friendly matter, it shows them that you care and that their customer satisfaction is important to you. That leads to them bragging about the awesome service they received from company such and such, which could lead to you gaining more business and more sales.

Would you agree?

Great thinking!

The best marketing book I've read over the last 15 years was Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking, by Andy Sernovitz.

I think I won't post the link, just to play it safe.

The book suggests ideas like the following.

As merchants we have low credibility, as we obviously are not objective reviewers of our own offerings. But our clients have high credibility. So the book suggests redirecting the marketing budget in to higher levels of service, so our customers are really happy. Then it suggests how we can give customers things to talk about, so that they have a reason to start conversations about our business.

Very savvy stuff, you're definitely on the right track, imho.

Thank you and welcome to IMT.

I think its one of the most effective ways, but very few seem to spend the time and resources adding customer support to their marketing campaign. If you look at the IMT Marketplace, its a perfect example. You have those that offer review copies, those that don't, those that take the time to give information, help other members out when they have problems, those that don't do that, and you can clearly see which are doing well and which aren't. So it actually proves my point. In the end your clients are the ones that decide whether or not you make it big, so why not seriously cater for them by being there for them if they need anything. It's a system that has been used for centuries in marketing of any sort, so I see no real reason that it cannot be done in Internet marketing.

Why do you think companies don't focus on customer support /and or service?

I agree customer satisfaction is the greatest marketing tool for any company, if they think it that way. I say I was introduced to a barber by a friend of mine because he was satisfied and then I became satisfied and now all our friends are his customers too. This is a very fine example of keeping the customer happy and gaining new clients without spending a single penny on ads.

I think companies focus more on promotion through ads and have a huge marketing team and spend loads on them, I think if they just make sure to provide customer support and satisfaction going through all this hassle won't be necessary.

Exactly. It's really that powerful because people trust their friends and what they would recommend. That in itself should be an incentive to create the best customer support plan you can think of and within your budget of course. When you work in a world where every good word counts, its better to have as many good words as you can. IMHO.

Some examples, I think, of sites that either need customer support "schemes" or need to seriously improve on their existing plans are web hosting services, anyone that sells a product or service, people and companies who sell domains, just about anyone if you think about it. Even wikipedia has one although it might not be as advanced as one you would use on a site that sells products or services, they have one, and it just adds emphasis to the fact that keeping clients happy is one of the most important aspects of business, not just marketing.

I have thought about it but after reading your thread I am rethinking about it seriously. I am completely agreed that customer care is one of the most effective long term marketing tools as it helps to spread your business networks through word of mouth, references and viral marketing. Building a good reputation is a vital key for effective marketing of your business which is not possible without effective customer care services. Thanks for pointing out about this important aspect of marketing.

Thank you It's one of the best viral marketing tools out there, especially if you find ways to "spice up" a client's experience in your business. Doing something for them, something that they never expect, will probably give you a better result as well. If it simplifies their life, solves their problem, and they don't have to lose their cool to get it, its a winner, because that client will come back and they will tell people about you.

That being said, how far would you go to keep a client happy if they have a problem, and how do you handle the tough ones, the ones that seem to have problems with everyone....

Satisfied customer is always the best advertisement.
So always try to over-deliver and give 110% to your customer and to your business and you will get more than double back, WIN-WIN situation.

Let use restaurants for example, one with great food, drinks & staff doesn't have to spend money on advertisement, their guests are the best advertisement.

Exactly. (I'm saying this a lot these days lol) But its true. If your client feels that you are there to help him, and not just to take their money and leave them in despair when they have problems, they feel justified in doing business with you and they tell everyone they talk to. it's a lot of hard work, that's one thing for sure, but if you think about it, its all worth it.

To be completely honest, customer support is there, in everything you do, before a visitor even becomes a client. When you are on the web, people see everything you say or do, and if you link to a company, they can then see which company you work for, whether its yours or not. They can see how you deal with clients, or people on a daily basis (especially on blogs and forums), and they take note of that, and remember you and your site/blog/forum they saw you on. That can be a powder keg in itself when you think about conversions etc.

Completely agreed with you Phoenyx and Nemanja and that's why most of the people check for the client reviews online before making any transaction or buying any product or service nowadays. There is no doubt that "Customer is the King" of business markets and making happy that KING is very critical for long-term success in today's business environment of cut-throat competition.

It is, and if you think about it, every little advantage you can get can help you to be more successful than your competitors. Yes, you need to get your site ranked well, and you need to drive traffic and create backlinks and all that, you can add all the unique content you want to, appeal to as many aspects of business or the general population, but in the end, the deciding factor are your clients/visitors. If you neglect to add them into your plan, and mainly focus on getting your site out there and think its going to be all you need, it might seriously not work out that way. Establishing some type of relationship with clients is essential.

Sorry for the late reply and in the end I would like to add one more point. Now, more and more companies are focusing on getting reviews and testimonials from their clients and users to build authority and credibility of their products and business and this strategy really works in building customer satisfaction.

Originally Posted by Rivaldo

Sorry for the late reply and in the end I would like to add one more point. Now, more and more companies are focusing on getting reviews and testimonials from their clients and users to build authority and credibility of their products and business and this strategy really works in building customer satisfaction.

That is what makes customer service so important. Your business relies on their satisfaction. If they don't like your service, they will tell people. It's the same vice versa. Good point you made, thank you.

Yes, especially live chat. I have increased my conversions by offering live chat and engaging potential customers in real time.