What Is Customer Care & How Does It Impact Your Business?

What is customer care?

While many people think of customer service when they hear the term customer care, while the two are connected, they are not the same.

It is quite possible for a customer representative to provide good customer service which satisfactorily answers a consumer’s inquiries or remedies their problem but if they provide customer care, it goes beyond customer satisfaction levels and remediation.

Customer care involves making a deeper connection, an emotional connection, that leaves a lasting impression.

Another way to put it is customer service is often a one-and-done transaction from which a person comes away feeling their need was met and proceeds to go on with their day without another thought.

And that is perfectly acceptable, but imagine a scenario where that same person comes away thinking wow, that was more than customers expect. That support agent really cared. They went out of their way to tailor a solution, an out-of-the-box solution that worked for me and wasn’t just the usual customer service jargon.

And if every consumer has the same reaction each time they call, the support agent is truly representative of the company’s care for them.

And if all customer care reps provide this level of care and concern, the business has achieved the type of customer success that comes with being known for exemplary customer care services.

Customer care vs customer service

There’s a difference between customer care vs. customer service. Both are important for a business, but you should know the difference between the two. With customer service, you’re providing assistance to your customers who need help.

For example, if they need help making a return and the cashier facilitates that that’s customer service.

Customer care, on the other hand, is the emotional connection that a brand builds with its customers. Customer care involves an employee going above and beyond for a customer in a way that is truly meaningful for them.

For example, if a customer wants to return a pair of pants that ripped but it’s beyond the return window, and the salesperson makes an exception for them because of the circumstances, that’s customer care.

Customer care focuses on resolving the issue quickly and making sure the customer is thought about during their entire customer experience.

Customer care vs customer support

There’s also a difference between customer care vs customer support. Customer support involves assisting a customer with how to use a product. It will typically include assistance with technical support, a customer service representative, and troubleshooting.

An example of customer support is if their phone stops working and they call the customer support number for help on how to fix it.

Customer care, as we know, is the process of forming a more meaningful connection with your customer. In the case of a phone not working, customer care and customer messages would involve someone going out of their way to help their customer fix their phone and providing them with as much assistance as possible.

Why should businesses prioritize customer care?

Think back to the days before big box stores, when people in need of a container of milk or a loaf of bread patronized small mom-and-pop grocery stores.

Sometimes they bypassed similar stores along the way to visit their favorite grocer. It wasn’t always that this chosen business carried a better grade of food, it was because they had developed a long lasting relationship with that shopkeeper.

They were loyal to the business because they knew the grocer would go out of their way to procure a special ingredient or grind coffee beans the way they liked. They’d go to the butcher shop where the meat cutter would provide a special cut of meat.

In other words, people gave their business to establishments that provided customer care. And as they told their neighbors about their customer experience, the business grew a reputation as an establishment that not only supplied them with all the items on their shopping list, it cared about each customer as an individual and a friend.

Reputation matters

Now while people of today may not stop on street corners to rave about the care they received at their fishmonger or greengrocer, they do talk. They tweet. They yelp. They belong to Facebook chat groups where they talk about the outstanding level of care they received at Company A.

But they also complain about the lack of care or the robotic treatment they received at company B where they felt they were just one more customer to be served, but not listened to; not heard.

The truth today is that as more and more groups gather online either to vent or proclaim, the audience grows and along with it, the company’s reputation. Prioritizing customer care is one way to gain a 5-star reputation ….. And new customers.

(An excellent first step in that journey is to send a customer survey to current customers to assess where the company is providing that level of care and where it's falling short.)

Ways to show you care about customers

The basic customer care definition is that every customer is made to feel he is being taken care of.

Since this attitude doesn't always come naturally, customer care, like vegetables and flower crops, must be nurtured. And while there are some people who have an inborn caring nature, it's far from an inborn and universal trait.

In other words, exceptional customer care requires training for it to become a habit. It also calls for a customer care philosophy that applies to omnichannel customer service interactions with the public since every communication whether face-to-face or in an email, phone call, text, or dm leaves the customer with a lasting impression of the company's brand and its values.

In order to implement this philosophy, it is imperative that from day one, in fact, before he is hired while still being interviewed, it needs to be emphasized that if hired, the most important job of the job will be to exhibit exemplary customer care in every facet of the job.

Taking care

Companies who know how to build customer relationships emphasize to all employees that exemplary care extends to every department.

Those in packing and shipping should treat the contents of every package as if it were a fragile gift they were giving to a loved one.

Those taking orders, whether the business is a restaurant or a fulfillment center, need to take pains to get the order right whether it involves repeating the order to the customer or taking a second (or third) look at a computer screen.

But since mistakes do happen, and the wrong size arrives, or a component is missing, while apologies are always called for, they should never be dictated by a stiff script but come as if from the heart.

And it should go without mentioning that the error is remediated as soon as possible. This is care, but most businesses that want to go beyond care to show their sincerity might want to send along something a little extra, in the form of a "we're sorry" gift.

This might be a complimentary glass of wine or dessert if the business is a restaurant or a t-shirt or pen if the business deals in merchandise.

Service with a smile

No amount of careful attention can guarantee that nothing will ever go wrong. In such cases, an irate customer may unleash their frustration by berating the customer service agent.

This is the time when a customer service rep turns into a customer care rep.

Rather than taking the assault personally, they recognize it for what it is, the understandable reaction of a person who was looking forward to receiving an object or experience that never materialized or in some way, failed to meet their expectations. They wait for the customer's angry words to play their course, and then they address the issue - with a smile on their face,

It's an old cliché, but even if the customer can't see the agent's smiling face, it shows in their tone of voice. Words uttered through a smile tend to convey patience and understanding which after all are benchmarks of a caring attitude.

But since the display of care is only empty posturing unless the matter has been rectified, the job is not finished until they follow up to ensure customer success.

How to improve your customer care

Working on your customer care will be more beneficial than you think, so here are some ways you can improve your customer care for your business:

Follow industry best practices

Whatever your industry has set as the standards for customer care, make sure you and all your employees strictly adhere to them. No one should be slacking off or disregarding customer care. Customer care can make or break the success of a business, so it’s important that everyone who works for your business follows the industry’s best practices.

This can mean making sure your employees nail the first impression with customers or that they personalize their customer relationships. It’s important that your employees have some sort of standard that they can follow so they know what to do regarding customer care.

Get to know your customers

There’s nothing better than walking into a store and actually having the salespeople remember who you are. Remembering your customers and actually taking the time to get to know them is one way to form a memorable customer experience.

Whether you’re meeting your customers online or face-to-face, it’s still important to prioritize getting to know the people who support your brand. There are a lot of ways you can do this. Strike up a conversation with them when you’re ringing them up.

Respond personally to their reviews, whether they be positive or negative. Get personal with your deals and discounts so your customers know you practice actively listening to them. Getting to know your customers is a great way to build a mutually beneficial relationship with them.

Be open to customer feedback

At the end of the day, every business can be improved in one way or another, so it’s crucial that you’re open to feedback. Feedback can feel personal at times, but it can also be a really valuable way to gain audience insights so you can figure out what is working and what isn't.

They’re the ones providing support to your business, after all. So if multiple people say something needs improvement, that probably means it needs improvement.

Why you should prioritize customer care

There are many reasons why you should prioritize customer care for your business, such as:

Improves employee retention

If your employees know that the business they work for actually cares about their customers, they’re more likely to want to continue to work there.

It represents your brand image

The way you treat your customers is a direct reflection of your brand image. You can act like the most genuine brand in the world, but if your actions don’t reflect that, it’s not going to look good on your brand image.

Strengthens company culture

If everyone who works for the company can come together and revel in the fact that their business prioritizes customer service, it’s going to build company culture and strengthen your relationships with your employees.

Increases customer retention

If a paying customer is happy with your customer care, that means they’re most likely going to continue to support your business.

Quality customer care is a great way to build a loyal customer base that you know you can count on.

Can lead to more revenue

Since your customers are going to be so impressed with your customer care service, that also means they’re more likely to recommend your business to their friends and family, which can lead to more revenue.

A happy customer will typically also be more willing to buy from your business more often because they want to support you and watch you grow.

Helps you stand out from competitors

Having good customer care can give you a competitive edge and help you stand out from competitors. If a customer has to choose between two very similar companies that offer the same products at the same prices, but one offers much better customer care, they’re most likely going to go with that one.

Doing something as simple as striking up a conversation with a customer every day is one step closer to having the best customer care service possible. Whether you interact with your customers in person or via email, your customer care standards should be the same nonetheless.

Take customer care to the next level

Even if you have done everything you can presently think of to improve customer experience, there's always room for improvement. It's time to take a look at your online presence.

Optimizing your online presence

Are you taking advantage of the latest technology to improve your website? Landing pages are a sphere where first impressions matter more than ever. It's where the customer of today shops.

• Does your landing page balance text and graphics?
• Is it colorful, eye-catching, and vibrant?
• Does it capture the essence of your business, what you offer, and your customer care services?
• And does it do so succinctly?

If not, you won't have a second chance to make a good impression. Researchers report that 52 seconds is the average time a searcher spends on a website before moving on.

Automating your email

Have you looked into augmenting your email with AI?

This is especially important when dealing with new or even potential customers. Some of the latest technology allows you to identify and sort first-time purchasers and send them a personalized email thanking them for their business and goes a step further by offering a discount for use on their next purchase.

If you have a brick-and-mortar presence in their area, you can also offer an additional coupon good for not only that location but any other you may maintain.

Personalizing customer experience

Personalizing customer interactions with anyone seeking information about your products or services is an excellent opportunity to assure every customer you are there for them.

It doesn't matter whether an individual is making a call or clicking on an item, personalizing your response not only shows them that you care, it opens the door to continuing conversations that nourish their trust in your business.

Personalized customer interactions also benefit your company in that they can:

• Increase customer loyalty
• Decrease customer churn
• Lead to impulse buys
• Differentiate your company from its competitors
• Lead to word-of-mouth referrals
• Positively impact your sales conversion rate
• Boost your revenue

Providing exceptional customer support

Providing exceptional customer support mandates a company policy of providing the highest level of service to every person it interacts with regardless of the circumstances.

Exceptional customer care support agents need to be able to think on their feet to find an immediate solution. This requires giving customer support representatives sufficient latitude to act immediately when a situation arises.

It doesn't matter whether the individual is angry about a company error, requires help troubleshooting a problem they are having operating an item, or is a longtime customer with a history of returning items.

Make your customers a priority

Making customer service experience a priority need not cost a lot. On the contrary, customer care that goes beyond the ordinary can mean an increase in revenue. Word of mouth is still one of the most effective forms of marketing, and it costs nothing other than customer care reps' salaries.

But it does place responsibility on the company to create a positive experience that nurtures care support and customer service team members. It also poses a challenge for those in charge of hiring to consider only those candidates who possess qualities compatible with the job.

These include problem-solving skills and patience, as well as emotional intelligence and empathy that enables the type of deep listening that assures the customer that they are being heard and supported.

In other words, once the company has a customer care team in place that reflects its values and visions, this personal touch can be augmented by technology.

How Mailchimp can help?

Mailchimp is a one-stop-fit source of tools like their scalable CRM that allows all departments from marketing to sales, great customer service to shipping, to be on the same footing as they follow loyal customers on every step of a customer's journey.

Collecting and connecting all their contact data in order to become familiar with their shopping patterns, so they may serve them best and provide exemplary customer service experience then they make their next purchase.

Since staying connected with loyal customers is necessary in today's fast-paced society where a minute lost can mean losing a sale, there's Mailchimp's Mobile App, a cross-device tool that lets sales and marketing reps on the road start and fine-tunes marketing campaigns on their mobile devices and save them to their Mailchimp Account for subsequent follow ups.

And for everyday, lasting success Mailchimp helps even the smallest business to create their own unique website complete with marketing tools. As time goes on they can use Mailchimp tools to launch online stores.

For service-oriented businesses, there is appointment scheduling software that not only allows customers to book a service online but follows up with automatic notifications that make sure reps show up on time for their scheduled appointments.

In other words, Mailchimp can fit in with your customer care definition, no matter how you choose to apply it in your everyday dealings.