Customer Support Software Featured Articles

In the debate over differences between B2B and B2C purchasing habits, there’s the argument that people are still selling to people. While this holds true, the reason for the purchase is where the differences become more entrenched. The B2B buyer has a business process reason for making a purchase and if something goes wrong, it can hurt the bottom line.

Therefore, it’s critical that customer support software focus on more than just the typical interaction. It’s also important to remember that B2B customers take their time to make new investments in products and services as there is little room for error. With the right customer support software in place, you can use this buying process to help be the expert or consultant, spending more time with the buyer and building out the relationship.

As highlighted in a recent Business2Business piece by customer support software solutions provider, TeamSupport, the buying process is a time you can take advantage of to develop a strong relationship. What’s important to remember, however, is that current customers expect the same time and attention. The appreciation level shouldn’t change once the prospect becomes a client as there are too many competitors trying to gain their attention.

Surprisingly, this churn happens way too often. Affording to B2B International, every five years most businesses will lose 45 to 50 percent of their customers. If operating in a purely B2B world, that can be devastating. These providers tend to deal with licenses, contracts, subscriptions and more that mean hundreds and thousands of dollars over the course of months and years. If that customer leaves, a significant portion of a business’s revenue might leave with them.

With customer support software in place to help maintain these relationships, you gain access to more than just a communication tool. You can also use customer satisfaction as a means to business intelligence that can drive sales, marketing, product development and even support efforts to continue to keep them satisfied. This kind of focus is what makes B2B decision makers happy with the level of support they’re receiving and they won’t make time to listen to a pitch from a competitor or research alternative options.

One other extremely important element to remember in the B2B environment is that satisfied customers will talk about your business. They will take the time and make the effort to praise your brand and your people when they feel you’ve gone above and beyond to meet their needs. This is a great way to drive referrals that you didn’t even have to ask for. Just keep in mind that the same individuals will be quick to complain if you’re not meeting expectations – so have the right tools and technology in place to maintain those relationships so you can enjoy many years of success with that B2B client.