It has become increasingly common to confuse customer care with customer service or customer relations. Even though they are strongly intertwined, they have distinctive differences. Each one seeks customer satisfaction, however the approach will determine which of these functions is applied in order to reach the desired goal.
When customers interact with a brand, they go through different experiences with the company’s staff and Customer Care describes how people are treated during this process. Having good listening skills can provide a head start, as it is of utmost importance to focus on understanding the real needs in the customer. From the moment someone considers purchasing a specific product or service, during and after the purchase, customer care is one of the most important aspects of customer service since it has the ability to go further by cultivating an emotional connection with the brand`s active and growing community.
Customer loyalty and success will blossom naturally when caring for customers becomes a priority, which is why customer care can’t be measured the same way as level of service. If you’re too focused on measuring the customer base, it will be impossible to build an emotional and trustworthy connection with all the people that are reaching out to your business. The main characteristic of customer care is fully focusing and investing in customer`s goals and needs, even if it sometimes means counterintuitively ignoring certain metrics to achieve full service satisfaction.
The Main Difference
When a business provides advice or assistance through a specific team or department, this is what is commonly known as Customer Service. On the other hand, building an emotional connection with your customers is what the Customer Care process is all about. The main concern for Customer Care is one on one interactions, and by making this a priority, it becomes less quantifiable than what goes on in Customer Service.
It is clear that both of these functions are productive and helpful for any business when you’re looking to increase customer satisfaction, each one contributes in their own specific way. Customer Service has to be in charge of continuously answering questions and providing support, while Customer Care develops a working strategy based on active listening that enables a better understanding of a customer’s emotional and physical needs by nurturing a long term relationship that will mutually benefit both sides.
In Customer Care you can expect the unexpected, in many cases it is most likely you will have to improvise to help the customer reach their desired solution. In consumer satisfaction this can be seen as a real challenge, but it also works as a fresh opportunity because it allows us to find new creative ways to deliver a high quality service.
Customer Relations in Customer Service
Customer relations is another area within the scope of customer service that focuses on constructing long-term relationships. However, the main goal in customer relations is to create loyal customers that can eventually turn into advocates; this can be achieved by aiming to quantify this relationship with the target audience you are seeking.
A similar objective but in a much less calculated way is what customer care works and stands out for. In any given situation its sole purpose is assisting customers with the simple purpose of helping them, the idea is to have a way of resolving even when a customer’s goal does not relate to your business. In a world filled with a variety of options in any product or service that we are looking for, technological advances have allowed many business to flourish in the global market in many different ways depending on their marketing strategy, but nothing beats the essence, which is being able to deliver an honest feeling to your customers giving them a sense of being heard and cared for. Every company should aim to become a trusted resource in the eyes of the people, the eyes of your consumers. You look to become a dependable expert in your field.
Personalizing the entire service experience is one of the best ways to strengthen a relationship. When a customer receives a thoughtful response, it means you took the time to craft it and it is a very good way to demonstrate how much you actually care. Having a team that knows how to deliver a personalized response will motivate customers to engage in a better way during the interaction, responding any inquiry`s, questions or complaints with creative and customized solutions delivers the confidence people need to feel in order to gladly come back to your business any other time, make them know they can rely on your agents and your brand.
Being prepared for any given situation can be a little overwhelming when it comes to customer care, sometimes you may not be able to know it till you get caught up in the action. You want customers to be with you and you want to be there for them everytime, but keep in mind your most loyal customers are also the most valuable ones for your company and they can help when inspired to do so. The fact is that they spend more, value their investment and feel confident about their purchase with a partner they trust, therefore they are the ones that most likely will advocate on behalf of your business.
Always assume customers expect an immediate response, especially with all the latest internet platforms, software and applications, so by meeting this expectation you are covering a crucial component in the work process of customer care. Drop what your doing and focus on the well-being of a person not a customer. It can make all the difference in the World, although sometimes it may take an act of above and beyond customer service, but on the long run the customer will forever appreciate the gesture, eventually become an advocate and will surely keep you in mind as their number one option.
