Did you know that 59% of Americans say they would try out a different company or brand if it could mean receiving better customer service? Not surprisingly, good service matters to a lot of people. As a company, you?re often stuck between a rock and a hard place. You want to accommodate requests and be flexible on the one hand. On the other hand, every extra bit of service you offer ultimately adds to the bottom line of running your business. Even just something like keeping someone by a phone line for quick customer service can add hundreds of dollars to your overhead every week or month.

If you?re a small business, you need to get smart about offering more, without paying a whole lot more yourself. Here are three tips for giving your customers the very best, at an affordable rate for you.

1. Virtual Receptionist Services

If your customers have questions, they don?t want to wait 10 hours to hear back from you. Especially if it?s a product or service they really need to use now. As mentioned, though, having someone man the phone constantly can be a big expense, especially if you?re a small business that only has a few employees to begin with. One potential solution is an outsourced live operator answering service. What this means is that you basically have another company handling your live phone answering services. These companies equip their secretaries with all the necessary basic info they need to handle your routine calls. Best of all, these live operator answering services typically just charge for the time they are actually on the phone, rather than charging by the hour. This also allows you to have after hours answering services.

2. Have a FAQ

FAQ, as you know, stands for Frequently Asked Questions. As much as many of us may hate going through automated choices when we make a call to a company, there?s a reason they set up their phone lines this way; the majority of customers will have routine questions that can be answered without talking to a live agent. It?s important, for your part, that you figure out what these common questions are and write down comprehensive answers for them. You?ll also want to invest in a good Q and A section for your website, including a search bar that helps people locate these answers rather than having to hunt around for five minutes.

3. Interact, Don?t Just Observe

If you have spare time during the day, consider investing that time into your social media. Customer reviews of your offerings can be good or bad. Either way, you should take the time to respectfully respond to their compliments or concerns when they are voiced in public forums. This can help ensure that potential new clients see you as a company that cares about what their clients think, and strives to improve their performance.

Are you going to interact, have a FAQ, or invest in live operator answering services? Let us know.