89% of consumers switch to a competitor after a bad customer service experience. And 93% are willing to buy again from a company that offers excellent service.
These figures tell a simple story: customer service is not a cost center to be optimized, it is a growth driver to be activated.
However, many companies continue to view support as a necessary evil. The result: understaffed teams, outdated tools, and customers who are leaving.
In this article, we explain why customer service deserves to be at the heart of your strategy, and how to turn it into a competitive advantage.
Customer service encompasses all interactions between your company and your customers, before, during, and after the purchase. Its goal: to help customers get the most value out of your product or service.
Specifically, this includes:
But modern customer service goes further. It is proactive (anticipating problems), omnichannel (being present wherever the customer wants to talk to you), and personalized (recognizing each customer and their context).
These terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Let's clarify.
Customer support is the reactive part of customer service: responding to requests, solving problems. It's the firefighter who puts out fires.
Customer service is broader: it includes support, but also proactive assistance, advice, and long-term relationships.
The Customer Success focuses on the customer's success with your product. It is proactive in nature: ensuring that the customer achieves their goals, not just that they don't have any problems.
In practice, these roles overlap and work together. The important thing is that the customer receives good support, regardless of who is providing it.
Acquiring a new customer costs 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one. Good customer service increases retention, and therefore profitability.
Reducing churn by a few percentage points can have a massive impact on your long-term revenue.
A loyal customer buys more often, tries your new products, and upgrades. The customer lifetime value (CLV) of satisfied customers is significantly higher.
A delighted customer tells three people. An unhappy customer tells ten. In the age of social media and online reviews, a bad experience can go viral.
Conversely, excellent customer service generates recommendations, testimonials, and ambassadors.
When products are similar and prices are comparable, service quality makes the difference. This is a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate because it is based on culture and execution.
Your support team talks to customers all day long. They know what frustrates them, what they love, what they would like to see. These insights are valuable for product, marketing, and strategy.
Customers want to reach you on their preferred channel. Modern customer service is omnichannel.
Self-service is not a way to avoid customers. It is a response to a real demand: 70% of customers prefer to find the answer themselves when possible.
What isn't measured can't be improved. Here are the essential KPIs.
Be careful not to optimize one KPI at the expense of others. Reducing AHT is counterproductive if it degrades FCR.
Amazon has accustomed customers to instant gratification and simplicity. Every company is now measured against these standards, even in very different industries.
Each new communication channel adds complexity. Teams have to juggle between tools, and customers expect the same quality everywhere.
The job of support agent suffers from a sometimes negative image. Turnover is high and recruitment is difficult. However, it is a job that requires real skills: empathy, problem solving, and communication.
Customer service is often seen as a cost to be cut. Teams are understaffed, which degrades quality, increases churn, and ends up costing more than the savings achieved.
Artificial intelligence is transforming customer service. Not by replacing humans, but by augmenting them.
Frequently asked questions and basic requests can be handled automatically: order tracking, product information, FAQs, etc. This frees up agents for cases that really require their expertise.
AI can suggest responses, summarize customer history, search documentation, etc. Agents become more efficient and improve the quality of their work.
Sentiment analysis, trend detection, churn prediction... AI extracts value from thousands of daily conversations.
At Klark, we have built AI that goes beyond the traditional chatbot. Our AI agent understands requests, accesses company systems, and truly solves customer problems. Not just responding: taking action.
Result: simple requests are resolved in seconds, and agents can focus on high-value interactions.
It seems obvious, but how many processes are designed to suit the company rather than the customer? Question every friction point, every unnecessary step.
Training, tools, working conditions, career prospects. Happy employees deliver better service. It's a simple fact.
An agent who has to request three approvals for a commercial gesture wastes time and frustrates the customer. Give your teams autonomy.
Not 50 KPIs, but the right ones. The ones that truly reflect the customer experience and the health of your service.
Automate repetitive, low-value-added tasks. Keep humans where they make a difference: empathy, judgment, creativity.
Every interaction is a learning opportunity. Analyze feedback, complaints, and suggestions. And act on them.
Customer service is not a burden to be endured, it is an investment to be capitalized on. Companies that understand this outperform others: better retention, better word of mouth, better differentiation.
The keys to strategic customer service:
Ready to transform your customer service? Discover what Klark can do for you.
