Importance of Customer Service in the Senior Living Industry

The phrase, “The Customer Is Always Right” although cliché, is a statement that in today’s world of digital marketing, is extremely relevant. The truth is, even if the customer (or potential customer) is wrong, they have the ability (and power) to do great harm to your business. Whether a bad experience occurs in-person, online, or over the phone, the result of that experience can be detrimental to your business, even if you think you won’t see the ramifications.

Unhappy customers can open up a door to a world of frustrations. According to HelpScout.com, the news of bad customer service will reach twice as many people as good experiences. While you may not care that you lost that customer, the damage they have the potential to do to your reputation online can be harmful.

In a recent study by New Voice Media, when faced with poor customer service, 26% of respondents said they would publicly complain on social media, 38% would post an online review, and 39% would just never come back. So, while you may think that losing a customer is the only harm that to be done, the thought of that customer telling 10 of their closest friends or seeing a dreaded post or online review for others to see can be much worse. 

Customer service is relevant in all industries, so neglecting it within your senior living community shouldn’t be avoided.  

{{cta(‘818ae290-a658-4ef7-8310-b8c673207c2e’,’justifycenter’)}} 

Where is Customer Service in Senior Living?

As you cannot avoid it, it is most certainly important to identify the areas in which you should have customer service processes in place. From start to finish, be sure to assess all areas of your business in which an employee or team member provides an experience for your new or existing clients. From the moment someone reaches out to your business for attention, this plan should be in place. 

As you can imagine, having quality customer service from start to finish can be a challenge given that time is likely a factor within your organization. So, how can digital marketing help?

Here are a few ways the Markentum team can help you provide everyone that interacts with your brand with a delightful customer experience:

• Social Media
• Reputation Management
• Automated Email Marketing
• CRM Management

 

Challenges in Customer Service

In an effort to understand what challenges your business may have in the customer service area, Markentum has identified a variety of studies that explain just a few of the challenges individuals interacting with your brand may be facing:

1. You don’t meet their high expectations. A 2017 Microsoft study of global customer service identified that 54% of customers have higher expectations this year than last [year] for customer service. What does this mean for you? Continue to find ways to attract and delight new clients! Your competitors are likely working to stay ahead of the curve as well, so it is important to find new and innovative ways to amaze.
2. You can’t solve their problems. According to thinkJar‘s CEO, Esteban Kolsky, 84% of customers become frustrated when an agent does not have the information that is needed to solve a problem.
    

How can Markentum help? Offering call tracking and listening, Markentum can help your team(s) identify flaws in your conversations and help streamline helping customers with exactly what they need. Even further, we can work with your teams to set-up automated messaging on Social Media to ensure no inquiries are missed!

3. Your entire team isn’t on board. The Incite Group explains that over 50% of companies report that the biggest issue with customer experience is the opportunity to “provide a seamless experience across multiple channels”. In order to provide a seamless experience, it is important to have brand congruency within all of your channels, including your digital marketing.

Markentum works closely with each of our clients to understand the brand and ensure congruency across all digital channels.

3. Be where the customer is. In a 2016 blog by Ameyo, it is reported that 57% of customers would rather contact companies via digital media such as email or social media than using voice-based support. By ensuring you’re covering all of your bases, and utilizing the customer’s preferred method of contact, you’re ensuring that the customer feels comfortable contacting you for support!
4. They can’t find what they need. Do potential customers have what they need to learn everything they need to know about your business? If your website doesn’t immediately answer all of their questions, they’ll likely become frustrated, and become annoyed that they’ll need to contact you. Microsoft reported that the main reason a customer cannot solve an issue is because there is not enough information online. If they can’t find that online, or know how to obtain it, you’re likely causing unnecessary tension!

At Markentum, we strive to work with you to streamline your content to ensure the customer understands your online presence.

• • •

Following the HubSpot Inbound methodology, Markentum also believes that the “delight” phase of a customer will help create a positive experience with your brand and will help foster an emotional connection to create brand loyalty. At Markentum, our 1:1 client attention will help ensure that not only do the individuals that interact with your brand have a pleasant, seamless experience, but we also strive to ensure that you are satisfied with our team. As the Director of Partner Success, we believe in creating a stress-free experience for our clients that include individualized attention, education, and support!

If you would like to learn more about Markentum, or how our team of marketing experts can help your senior living community grow, contact us today!