Customer service is essential for any business which wants to create a loyal following of customers, and pull back the ones drifting away to competitors.

1. 3 Customer Service Essentials for Startups
For startupbusinesses,itisinstrumentaltogeta dynamicand responsivecustomerservice setup right
fromthe beginning.CustomerService is atthe core of developingastrong relationship betweena
business anditscustomers. Therefore,customerservice isessential forany businesswhichwantsto
create a loyal following of customers, andpull backthe ones driftingawaytocompetitors.Accordingto
researchconductedbythe consultinggiant,Price Waterhouse Coopers,overhalf of Global CEOsbelieve
that growingtheircustomerbase isa top3 investmentpriority.
Here are a fewstepsthatStartups can follow toensure arobustrelationshipwithcustomers.
Don’t Just Rely on Email
Most startupsthat I know of,are not satisfiedwiththe typical‘support@companyname’emailthey
have created.Theybelieve thatcorrespondingoveranemail takestoomuchtime,andmakeswayfor a
lotof variablessuchas, if/whenthe otherpersonwill respondtothe query,andwhetherthatperson
will be the rightpersontodo so.
Startupsneedto deploymultiple communicationchannelstoenablecustomersto getintouch with
themand show flexibility inordertobuildbetterrelationships. Theyhave tofocusondelivering
personalizedcustomerservice inordertocreate that listof followerswhichtheycanrelyoninthe
future.
Focus on CustomerNeeds & Proactive Communication
Ignoringcustomerneedsandlate responsescanprove tobe a disasterforbusinessesespecially
startups.Researchconductedby a marketresearchfirm Harris Interactive statesthatcustomersare
likelytoretaliate againstthe businessif theircustomerservice needsare notmet.Customersaged
between18and 30 are highly likelytoventonsocial mediaanddamage the company’s corporate
reputation.
Customersessentiallywantpersonalizedresponsesfromcompaniessoget all yourstaff members
involvedandtrainthemtoproactivelyrespondtocustomerqueriesandconcerns. Understanding
customer needsandcommunicatingwiththemactivelyshouldbe the focusof your staff training. Your
teamshouldknowthata customeralwayscomesfirstand facilitatinghim/heriscrucial forthe success
of a newbusiness.
Don’t Underestimate the Powerof Feedback
In orderto measure the qualityandlevel of productsandservices beingoffered,there ishardlyabetter
wayfor startupsto findout howwell theyare doingthangettingample feedbackfromexisting
customers. Gatheringfeedbackisessential toimprove the qualityof productsandcustomer experience
beingoffered.Thisresultsinanincrease inthe levelof customersatisfactionand drives sales.
Customerfeedbackisalsoa great way for companiestogatherdata on customers,andsegmentthem
accordingto differentdemographics. Itcanalso helpstartupstoidentify trendsaccordingtoconsumer
behavioranduse these trendstocreate differentmarketingandpromotional strategies.Forexample,if

2. a companyfindsoutthat althoughtheyare targetingpeople inawhole city,yetmostof theironline
visitorsare froma certainarea, theycan thenstart to specificallytargetthatareato satisfycustomer
needsandgenerate more revenue.