The Importance of Customer Service in B2B

Providing customer service as a business to a business can be much more complex than the standard business-to-consumer model. A great starting point is to help the business your company is serving with their clients. Proving that you are an asset to those that work closely with you will help in establishing your business as indispensable.

Many B2B companies can deal with anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand clients, and every transaction can result in revenue gained or lost. With that said, losing a customer could affect these companies’ annual earnings, or worse. B2C companies on the other hand, can financially endure losing a few customers here and there. Customer service plays an enormous role in B2B aspects for that reason. Keeping your clients happy and loyal is very important.

Loyalty among businesses is much more likely to span a few years compared to that of consumers and the businesses they are purchasing from. Long-term relationships in this sense can lead to either business taking the other for granted. Being aware of every interaction between employees and the businesses that your company serves is vital in providing great customer service. Should any problems arise, you will want to solve them as quickly as possible for every client. This will help build your reputation as a truly accommodating company.

91% of B2B buyers are influenced by word-of-mouth when deciding who wish to work with, but these referrals almost always depend on whether or not they had a pleasant experience as a customer. As word spreads about great customer service from a B2B company, that company’s reputation improves tremendously. Today more than ever, buyers seek input from their peers before making upcoming purchases. As referrals grow, so does your clientele.

An important consideration when differentiating B2B and B2C is the fact that the product hardly ever changes among B2B, seeing as their main service is brand loyalty, the innovations of which often need just a few small changes here and there. Taking that into account, B2B’s compete through quality of service. Companies of similar products must prove to potential customers that they not only provide the better service, but that they truly care about those who they are serving.

The phrase "the customer is always right" carries much more weight in business-to-business customer service, despite the controversy that surrounds it. Losing customers on a larger scale can negatively affect B2B's much more than B2C's, proving the importance of how you serve your clients.

Improving Your Employment Screening Program in 2015 (Part 3)

Customer Service

We have all had experiences with bad customer service at one time or another. When dealing with customer service is a headache more often than not, it’s time to review your provider. Awful customer service is a deal breaker. Whether or not the product or service offered is great becomes irrelevant when communicating with the customer support staff is a hassle. If you’re on the fence about changing providers, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

How accessible is the Customer Service Team?

Navigating through the maze of an overly complicated automated phone system is unacceptable. When you’re constantly put on hold for an extended period of time, your provider is not holding up their end of the bargain. Employment screening is in many cases very time sensitive. When a position needs to be filled quickly, you do not have the luxury of dealing with an unresponsive vendor. Make sure you can quickly reach someone when you need help. Don’t settle for less.

How knowledgeable/helpful is the support staff?

The customer support team should be well-trained and fully equipped to handle any questions and/or concerns. Whether you have questions about FCRA compliance or need help navigating the system, the support staff should be able to help you. If they cannot answer a question, they should be able to quickly direct you to someone who can. Don’t stand for being bounced around and constantly put on hold.

How long does it take to resolve a problem?

Your issues should not take more than one phone call on average to resolve. If you have to keep calling to obtain a solution, your provider is letting you down. So this year, hold your provider to the service excellence that they promised.

Are you dealing with any of the problems mentioned above? If so, take action this year!

The Meaning of Service

I often wonder why we as individuals tolerate companies that lack the basic skills of customer service. Why do we continue to use a company even after having a bad experience?   Maybe it's because we are simply to forgiving.   Maybe it's because we just don't want the hassle of moving our business.

Recently we have been growing and have had to look at alternative internet providers. Our current provider has the fastest speed, but the problem is that it is down 40% of the time.   So we had a T1 installed, and my partner, who has been dealing with the mess, was on the phone for over an hour.  He sent an email and the new provider and the response was "Thank you we will get back with you in 72 hours." What in the world are these people thinking?

However, we have had a great experience with Clear. This is not an advertisement for their product, but a confirmation of their service. Now their product is really good. But let me tell you about our experience.  

One day when our service was down, I went by the mall to get an additional router from "Clear."  The sales person went above and beyond the call of duty. I needed  a another router that day, so he gave me a loner until our new router arrived. Also, when we were installing the router, we had some issues. So what did the salesperson do?  He came to our office and installed the router.  It would be a great story if it stopped there, but it does not.  He came back when we got the new router and installed it as well.

The meaning of "Service"  to me is meeting or exceeding the customers expectations.   This is something that we strive to achieve at S2Verify. Not only for our clients, but for the applicants and consumers as well.   Clearly we can take a lesson from our friend at "Clear."  

Absolutely an outstanding customer service experience.