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The term “Customer Service” is as ubiquitous in marketing speak as “jobs and the economy” is in political speak. Like the latter, the former can have many meanings.
It can be a team within a company. A job title. Part or all of someone’s job description. The act of responding to a customer when they ask a question or need something from you.
Most importantly, it can—and should—mean understanding the current needs of your customers, anticipating their future needs, and proactively improving your business in ways they didn’t see coming.
In our B2B research study, we learned that 62% of B2B marketers think customer service (as a category) is one of their top differentiators. We’re sure that everyone who checked that box has a team who does a great job of responding to the requests of their customers, but frankly, that’s not enough.
If you really want to separate your brand from others in your category, think about doing something different.
As a marketer, you might be thinking “my job is to communicate who we are, not change what we do”. But what if you could leverage all that knowledge you have about your customers and your competitors and use it to bring new ideas to the table for making your business even better?
We’re not talking about offering new products or adding a chatbot to your website. Those jobs are for R&D and IT. We’re talking about filling a gap, solving a problem, or providing more value.
As a bonus, you’ll have some pretty great stuff to talk about in your marketing.
Here are some examples…
- Start an online community where buyers can connect with each other and talk shop. This book will teach you how to do it.
- Develop a loyalty program. You don’t see nearly as many loyalty programs in service, B2B, or nonprofits, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work. Find out what motivates your customers and build a program around that. Here are some ideas for getting started.
- Offer live online classes to teach your customers how to use, fix, or get more from your products. Or even your competitor’s products. Next time, they might buy from you instead.
- Create virtual reality experiences that let customers see how your products would work or look in the spaces they were made for. CDS Visual is leading the way with their technology.
- Support a cause, offer a scholarship, or start a foundation for a cause that’s important to your customers.
- Partner with a complementary business and co-brand your messaging. There are lots of B2C examples of this, like Red Bull and GoPro, but not many for B2B. A perfect opportunity to be the first in your category.
- Get your whole team certified in an area your customers play in. That certification proves you’re serious, plus you’ve got another tool for helping them solve problems.
These are just a few ideas for thinking above and beyond a typical customer service mindset. It’s about paying attention, understanding your customer’s needs, and getting into their minds and hearts. It’s about differentiating your brand by improving your business through deepening customer engagement.
What out-of-the-box tactics have you implemented that have surprised and delighted your customers? We’d love to hear about them.
If you need help brainstorming ideas or getting your messaging in front of your audience, hit us up. We live for this stuff.
About the Author: Danette Knickmeier
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