In most situations, there will be financial struggles in place for a newly started business. In order to grow a highly profitable and impactful venture money needs to be invested in the infrastructure. However, during early development days, not much is available, especially in terms of revenue. This makes many business managers neglect customer service in an attempt to save money. According to Lupient Automotive Group President, Jeffrey W. Lupient, this is a huge mistake that almost always leads to inadequate growth or even bankruptcy. Because of this, Jeff Lupient shares some advice, based on his managerial experience spanning over ten years.
Take Advantage Of Customer Service Software
This, according to Jeff Lupient, is the best option available for startups because they facilitate a much higher customer service efficiency thanks to automating features included. Many startups do not use such software because of costs but the truth is there are really low monthly rates that have to be paid and they are a lot better than how much time and money you would need to cover what you save with the use of the software. The customer experience will be better, which is paramount during early business stages.
Hire Contractors And Freelancers
Jeff Lupient will be the first to tell you that one of the biggest management mistakes you could do is to try to do everything alone. This is also true for the business, not just for the manager. Instead of having in-house staff take care of all customer service tasks, you can increase reliance on contractors and freelancers. This is a great way to save money and have your key employees work in a more efficient way as they do not have to deal with aspects they are not proficient in.
Outsourcing, in general, is really effective for the startup. You gain access to a worldwide talent pool and the people you hire have much more experience than what you could be able to afford at a local level and build your brand. Believe it or not, the star freelancers out there are much cheaper to hire than to handle everything in-house and the quality of the work they do is more than suitable in most cases.
Look For Remote Workers
It is common to underestimate the potential associated with hiring remote customer service teams. Modern communications technology is highly advanced right now. It is very easy to have workers set up on regular schedules as they work from home instead of coming to the office. Tracking performance is also very easy so you do not have to worry about the work they do.
The big advantage of hiring remote workers is that you save money on office costs. Workers added to the office team increase expenditures. If the local team is small, expenditures are low.
Offer Social Media Customer Support
Jeff Lupient highlights that you most likely already do social media marketing so the existing platform can easily be used as a secondary option for customers that need help. As an example, you can set up some separate profiles or sub-accounts that would handle the incoming social media customer service inquiries. This basically hybridizes customer service and marketing, allowing you to save money on infrastructural and labor expenses.
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