Why providing excellent customer service is critical to SMB success

A healthy organization starts with happy customers. This is not just a bumper sticker business philosophy – it is a core tenant of building a strong organization. For small- to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs), every customer matters, and obtaining new customers costs more than retaining your existing book of business. That’s why I encourage SMB leaders to adopt a customer success program like the one we have at DocXellent.  

Creating a proactive approach will lead to more customer feedback, a better understanding of your clients, and clearer paths to success for both you and your customers. Not only will you improve client retention, but you will also find opportunities to grow your offering.  

I was first introduced to the idea of a customer-first approach during my undergrad engineering program’s classes in Organizational Behavior. Then, for many years, while working in hospitality, I honed my customer skills.   I then brought these principles into my roles in software and professional services organizations.   From engagement during pre-sales to managing legacy software customers, I have repeatedly seen that the customers’ opinions of the company permeate the organization. 

Losing a great customer is like a bad breakup. I will share important tips for keeping customer relationships healthy in this blog. 

7 core elements of a successful customer-first approach 

No matter the industry, you can create a customer success approach. A team culture with a proactive, client-first mentality starts at the top. Here are seven key areas to focus on:  

1. Response time: Be clear in the expectations for responses to customer questions and complaints and ensure someone is tracking that response time. Even if the initial response is incomplete, follow through on your commitments every time.  
2. Create an inquisitive approach: Always try to understand what the customer is asking and try to be consultative in your response.  
3. Know the products: If you sell food, widgets, or software, the client-facing roles need to become experts in your products and know who on the team can answer certain questions when something is outside their wheelhouse.  
4. Accuracy and accountability: Never lie (the dreaded “I think the answer is ...”). Take the time to find an accurate answer, and if you happen to make a mistake, own that error and provide the right information as quickly as you can.  
5. Visibility: Customer questions and responses need to be visible to the entire team. This allows everyone to learn from each other, see a customer's specific language, and provide additional ideas. 
6. Be your authentic self: When communicating with customers, it can be easy to fall into impersonal responses. Adding warm welcomes, a sense of humor, or any other personal touches will let your team’s personality shine and create a stronger relationship.  
7. Provide tools to make it easier: Whether it is process documentation, ticketing systems, or customer relationship management software, the organization should support the team.  At DocXellent, the software tools that support our customer success approach include our CRM, chats, and email for incoming client communications. We also use ENSUR, our document control software, to create electronic forms for the capture of specific data points, action items, and customer records.   

Embrace a proactive customer service approach  

Customer relations can be incredibly rewarding. There’s nothing better than solving a customer’s problem, giving them information to make their day easier, or helping them complete their project on time and on budget. But it’s not always easy, and many businesses take a reactive approach — only worrying about satisfaction when clients are unsatisfied.    

Empathizing with a customer’s situation, absorbing their frustration, and solving complex problems can be draining, especially when you only hear from customers when they are upset. At DocXellent, we spread the cheer and the responsibilities across the team.  

When we started doing business 40 years ago, the founder insisted that our software developers always answer the phone immediately and help customers directly. These developers provided great service, but these calls made it difficult for them to complete their main responsibilities. The leadership team made an important decision to add technical resources to handle support.    I was recruited to build implementation and service teams that take a proactive, consultative approach, which led to DocXellent expanding our services by enhancing out-of-the-box solutions with custom logic; these service engagements resulted in customers having tailor-made solutions that precisely fit their business. Eventually, we created a team of experts who were versed in the product and our clients’ specific implementations. This change in approach had a major impact on client satisfaction. Our clients consistently tell us that our service truly sets us apart from our competitors. 

Take the first steps to a client-first approach today 

DocXellent has always taken a customer-first approach to business, and now, as the Chief Operating Officer, I am able to take my experience in customer relations and organize the team around one goal: Grow and retain your loyal customer base.  

Identify your goal for building a client relations culture before you implement these tips. You can start by working with your response team today. Train them and hear their opinions on how to deliver consistent, excellent service. Then, find someone in the organization who can own this element of your culture.