{"id":51079,"date":"2019-06-11T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T19:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=51079"},"modified":"2022-10-30T20:01:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T03:01:40","slug":"7-ways-startups-are-smashing-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/blog\/7-ways-startups-are-smashing-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"7 ways startups are smashing customer service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even without big budgets and dedicated customer service staff, startups can nonetheless provide the kind of customer experience (CX) that more established companies dream of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Startups are fortunate not to have the outdated bureaucracy and processes that get in the way of providing great customer service in large organisations. This is even more fortunate considering the relative value of each customer to a startup \u2013 which likely has fewer customers than a big, old business in the same industry.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s imperative startups offer an outstanding experience<\/a> to every customer, from marketing to the point of purchase and long afterwards, but as well as avoiding the shackles of processes and bureaucracy, startups are generally light on precious resources. They don\u2019t have the budgets that large organisations have to staff a huge customer support team, and staff likely split their time across functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customers don\u2019t care about any of that \u2013 their expectations about how companies treat them don\u2019t vary by the size or age of the business, especially when they have questions about or challenges with purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So startups have to punch well above their weight on service, delivering more with less. Here are seven simple best practices and techniques to help a startup stand out from the crowd and make a deep impression with early customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Make customer service everyone\u2019s job<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even in startups, there can be hierarchies and hoops customers may feel they need to jump through before they can find someone to address their issues. That\u2019s what makes it such a pleasant (and astonishing) surprise when the head of the company rolls up his or her sleeves and shows they want to be connected to what customers care about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When other members of the team are too busy, for instance, the best entrepreneurs tend to be quick to jump on customer calls and resolve things personally to demonstrate their commitment to an outstanding experience. It doesn\u2019t just have to be the boss who does this, of course. Great startups \u2013 and even large companies, for that matter \u2013 thrive when customer service is everyone\u2019s job<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Take the lead on escalation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s infuriating to be on a call or chat with a customer support agent, or immersed in an email or text exchange, and realise that the person you\u2019re dealing with doesn\u2019t quite have the training to solve your problem. This reaches its peak when the exasperated customer finally has to ask, \u201cIs there someone else you can transfer me to?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Startups can take advantage of mobile technology and a small, tight-knit team to reach the right person right away and, if they encounter a roadblock, can bring colleagues into the conversation before a customer ever gets impatient. When you take the lead on escalating an issue, it shows you care and that you\u2019re acting in the same way a customer would themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n