As a small- or medium-sized business owner, you understand that customer service is a key area where you can differentiate yourself from larger competitors. But with limited staff and resources, sometimes doing this is easier said than done.

However, there are simple methods you can utilize to speed up your customer service without spending a fortune on a support staff or costly tech solutions. And below, we’ll discuss 3 of the leading solutions you’ll want to consider to keep customers coming back for more.

1. Make Self-Serve Service a Priority 

All too often, customers are forced to call in to ask a question that could have easily been answered either on your website or in the packing materials included with the product or service that you offer. Because of this oversight, you’ll have to handle an influx of calls that you otherwise wouldn’t have to worry about.

By taking the time to construct a comprehensive FAQ section on your site and offer information in other key places, you can reduce your call volume and avoid having to answer the same question across multiple calls.

2. Manage Peak Times Effectively

Most small businesses have an upsurge of calls at a particular time of the day. It’s vital to free up your staff during this time to reduce wait times and give customers access to an agent and the answers more quickly than you otherwise could.

Of course, you might not always have the staff available to handle all of your calls (and you certainly won’t be there after hours to answer calls either). By investing in an affordable telephone answering service, you can give customers access to a live agent rather than packing message after message on an answering machine (and frustrating your customers in the process).

3. Make Hold Times Clear 

If customers have to hold, make sure they understand how long they will be waiting. After all, some customers might need you to call them back depending on how long the wait will be and won’t want to waste 15 minutes on hold only to find out they can’t have their question answered.

Transparency is something that’s greatly valued in customer service and by doing so you can prioritize calls and determine which customers can be dealt with now and who will need a call back later.

With the Right Solutions and Services, You Can Transform More Callers Into Loyal Customers

Customer service plays a key role in whether or not customers will purchase from you just once or will continue to come back.

By taking the tips above into consideration and investing in a 24/7 answering service, you can take steps in the right direction to ensure that you don’t just offer quick customer service, but quality customer service as well.