The Importance of Customer Care During the Cost-Of-Living Crisis

In a nutshell, higher inflation and interest rates are weakening household purchase power.

It’s no wonder, then, why many are profoundly concerned. As a business, you need to ensure that your customer care team boasts the right people with the right attitudes, as care and compassion are paramount. They must be knowledgeable so they can assist with queries, but also patient and sensitive, as many people are going through the worst period of their lives.

Blair Strachan, Business Development Manager at customer service outsourcer Kura, presents an expert guide to help your team handle communication across a multitude of platforms, including web chat, calls and email, as best as possible.

Customer care = customer loyalty

Caring for your customers should be a priority all year round, crisis or no crisis. Naturally, though, you’re going to need to up your game in times of national catastrophes. Not only is this ethically and morally important, but your business will also benefit.

There’s an undeniable link between customer care and customer loyalty. If you demonstrate that you -genuinely - care about them and their needs, they’ll keep coming back. This statement is only growing in importance, too. More than 65 per cent of people say their expectations for good customer service are higher now than they were three to five years ago.

As UK households are plunged deeper into financial difficulties, your customer service team needs to be armed with expertise as well as understanding, as doing so will foster customer loyalty. When you care about your customers, you will profit from repeat business, word of mouth recommendations, and brand advocacy.

The importance of communication and transparency

Understandably, tensions are high during a cost-of-living crisis, and people are generally apprehensive when it comes to making decisions. Especially financial ones. With that in mind, your customer service team must understand the value of, and consistently practise, communication and transparency. This applies to all sectors, including healthcare, utilities, financial, telecommunications, and retail.

If somebody has experienced a problem and they’re looking at your team to resolve their issue, this must be done with honesty and caution. Building trust is crucial. Ensure you have the right people covering all forms of communication; people who will accept responsibility and offer solutions in a calm and friendly manner.

In addition, you must ensure your team is providing clear information at all times. Communicate proactively, encourage feedback, and always use data and statistics in your messaging where relevant. A lack of transparency results in distrust and insecurity, two feelings nobody wants to experience in this current climate.

Addressing customer concerns

It should come as no surprise that concerns are heightened during the cost-of-living crisis. So, your team must be able to address these concerns efficiently and effectively. Concerns could include:

Affordability: As the prices of basic necessities such as food and energy increases, customers may be worried about being able to afford the products or services they need.

Perks: In a similar way, people are now more eager than ever to make their money stretch as far as possible. As such, they may be seeking discounts, loyalty programmes, or customer perks to guarantee they’re getting the most value for their money.

Quality: Businesses are feeling the pinch, too. While this shouldn’t ever equate to ‘cutting corners’ when it comes to processes or products, some customers are worried that this is going on behind closed doors to keep prices low.

Being aware of these concerns is only the first step. Next, you must address them, whether that be through courtesy calls, emails, door-to-door canvassing, or letters.

Here’s where your pledge to be transparent will really begin to take shape. Acknowledge each concern concisely and have possible solutions to hand.

Invest in your customer care strategy

Establishing a good customer care process is a marathon, not a sprint. To create the best strategy and implement it effectively, you must be prepared to invest. It’s not something you can successfully arrange during your lunch hour…especially during times of panic and uncertainty.

Offer your employees better training opportunities so that they can learn what it takes to ensure each box is ticked. As well as this, you should encourage feedback from your customers, especially regarding customer care. What went well? What didn’t go well? What could be improved in the future?

If you don’t have the capacity in-house, consider a contact centre outsourcing strategy. Doing so could help you meet your obligations and keep your customers happy. As discussed, doing this will turn them into a repeat buyer and brand advocate. That’s never a bad thing.

One organisation that relies on outsourcing is Independent Age, a charity that focuses on supporting the elderly based here in the United Kingdom.

Blair said: “We manage thousands of calls per year for the charity, and it really is such an honour to do so. We’re proud of the support our advisors provide, especially to those who are facing financial hardship in later life.”

Customer care should never be an afterthought

If you’re serious about growing your business and enjoying better return on investment, you cannot skimp on your customer service department. This team is responsible for alleviating customer concerns and building long-term relationships, so it’s crucial you ensure you have all your ducks in a row.

While we may not be in this financial hardship forever (at least we hope we won’t be!) the next few months, or even years, are going to feel never-ending for some. So, be kind and helpful.

Sources

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/04/the-uk-recession-will-be-almost-as-deep-as-that-of-russia-economists-predict.html

https://www.zendesk.co.uk/blog/customer-service-statistics/

https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/basics/inflat.htm