How to deliver standout customer service that won’t break the bank

We bet that you remember a really excellent customer experience that you had. You probably still look on that business fondly and would love to get that loyalty from your own customers. 

But as a small business, you likely don’t have the time or money to hire a customer service team to deal with all the questions you get. Don’t worry - you can still wow your customers with impressive service, with just a few tips from FreeAgent. Trust us, we know what we’re talking about. 

Get to know your customers

The first step to good customer service is knowing what your customers care about - and this’ll be different for every business. There’s a few ways to find out what’s important to your customers, but by far the simplest is to be friendly and listen to them. Given half a chance, they’ll tell you what they like - and what they don’t! 

Depending on how many customers you have, you might also be able to tailor your interactions to each of them - prioritising information you know will be important to them. 

Respond quickly to questions 

You don’t need anyone to tell you that your time is precious - the same goes for your customers. Providing a quick response to their questions can only win you goodwill.

However, as a small business owner, you can’t be available 24/7 (and you shouldn’t, work-life balance is important). If you sometimes get out-of-hours questions, you can set an out-of-office auto-response or a voicemail greeting which give a timeline for your actual response. 

Create consistency

Customers like to know what to expect from you and a consistent customer experience is a major factor for many customers choosing a business. You can take steps like: 

• promising deliverable deadlines - no one will complain if you deliver early
• being clear about your working hours and never contact them outside of them - you can draft an email at midnight if you want, but schedule it to send the next morning
• send your invoices on the same day of the month - you can automate that in FreeAgent  

Offer different contact options 

Part of flexible customer service is meeting people where they are and that means acknowledging that your preferred communication method might not work for everyone. Some people love a phone call and some can’t imagine much worse, so giving a couple of contact options helps to put customers at ease. 

It’s worth noting that self-serve guides can be a fast and free way to help customers. Some people actually prefer to find the answers themselves if possible! Could you save some time in the long run by setting up some frequently asked questions on your website, or even some guides. Take a look at our Knowledge Base for some inspiration. 

Be proactive

Good relationships are built on trust and that includes customer relations. You can develop that trust by anticipating their needs and proactively reaching out. It’ll make them feel like a priority.

You’ll probably know what kind of proactive support makes sense for your business, but some examples include sending information about what to expect when working with you, providing tips and guides, and flagging any issues as soon as you spot them. 

Own your mistakes

Let’s be honest, we’re only human and mistakes happen. Most customers don’t care whose fault they are, they just care about fixing them, as soon as possible. 

So, if you can spot a mistake before your customer does and contact them proactively with a solution, you’ll make a very good impression. 

Make real connections, however brief

This one can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you don’t ever meet your customers face to face. But all your customer service will be easier if you find opportunities to see each customer as a person, rather than a number. 

A small moment of kindness can go a long way - anything from messaging them acknowledging an important life event, including an extra surprise with your product, or sending a thank you gift to long-term customers. Your customers will likely feel special and cared-for. 

Accounting software with super support

We know accounting can feel a little overwhelming but our UK-based support accountants are here to help you through the tricky parts. If you’re struggling, you can talk to a human - yes, a real human - who’ll explain that accounting jargon in plain English and won’t stop until you’re back on track.  

Find out all the ways you can get help with your FreeAgent account.