Recently, my company, Red Dream Studios, was awarded a prestigious mandate to revamp The Lord Reading Society website. While this post isn’t being written to promote or laud on this fact, one of the primary reasons for being selected is.

Throughout our 16 year history, our small but mighty company has gone out of its way to provide the utmost care and dedication to our clients. The majority of the testimonials we’ve received attest to this, which can mean only one thing — it’s one of the most important factors that clients consider when choosing to work with a service provider.

1. It builds trust

Now more than ever, people will only stay loyal to a company or brand if they have very good reason to. Social media adds an extra level of potential toxicity — social influence marketing (known as SIM) can help you sink or swim. For example, negative restaurant reviews by your peers will make you think twice about going out for dinner. By providing the best in customer service, you will increase trust, and that could mean the difference between customer loyalty and customers who jump ship.

2. It shows you’re ethical

Similar businesses will compete for the same set of customers. It’s the law of nature. But not always. If you are a smaller company, you can try to establish strategic partnerships with a larger firm who doesn’t want to get involved with smaller projects. You may offer a particular set of skills that are not present in the larger firm. By receiving referrals and returning the favour in kind, you’re not only becoming a reliable resource but you’re making the larger company look good.

3. Clients are willing to pay more for good customer service

Studies have repeatedly shown that to get the right experience, they are willing to pay more. No one wants to deal with a service provider who is negligent, never around, or takes weeks to respond to an email. Clients are ingratiated the most by transparency, accountability, and timely responsiveness. Doesn’t everyone want to feel like they’re important?

4. It builds brand awareness

For small businesses, word of mouth is the most sales tool in your arsenal. By far. You often don’t have the time or resources to go out there and sell, so by having a team of virtual sales champions who will attest to your abilities and think about you when an opportunity comes around is what will propagate your business. When you provide the best in customer service, people will talk about you. (They will also talk about you if the converse if true!)

5. It alleviates conflicts

When you are a service-based provider, there will undoubtedly be times when you and the client don’t see eye-to-eye on things. Sometimes the scope of the project may change over time, or the client becomes picky with what you are delivering. By managing expectations and being honest and transparent throughout the process, often you will find that you can diminish any client anxieties and even be able to negotiate some extra compensation for extra work that may arise mid-stream. Again, the goal here is for the client to perceive that you are bending over backwards to meet their needs.

6. It appeals to the customer

In the age digital relationships and instant gratification, customers expect to be treated as a person (and are often surprised when they are!). Wanting more from the experience, they don’t want to be seen as a number, as an obstacle, or simply a means to shove cash into your bank account. Personal relationship building goes a very long way. And it’s much easier to get recurring work from an existing client than to spend time trying to find new ones. Better customer service will ensure you are providing them what they want.

When it comes to your business, offering amazing customer service is the most attractive quality you can exude. By keeping the 6 points above in mind when dealing with clientele, you will undoubtedly enjoy the positive results.