Exceptional customer service can yield unique benefits for startups Customer service is important for businesses of all sizes, but it can yield some unique benefits for startups. These young companies can use exceptional customer service to: Build confidence among customers – Startups often struggle to build credibility in a competitive market. Customers will be more likely to conduct business with you if you look as professional as your competitors, so it's in your best interest to focus on things like designing a great website, generating relevant content and implementing excellent customer service solutions. Drive word-of-mouth – When small companies are first starting out, they rely quite a bit on word-of-mouth promotion, and what better way to get customers talking about you than to provide them with an exceptional customer service experience? Research shows that customers are apt to share their opinions about a brand in person as well as on social media platforms. Give them something great to talk about. Gain valuable feedback – "Customer support is more than solving problems or answering questions – it is also a feedback machine," writes ZenDesk contributor Matthew Latkiewicz. "The better able you are to capture and then analyze the feedback you are receiving, the better off your start up will be. You will learn what works and what doesn't about your product or service. Get a system that allows you to organize, track and then report on your customer conversations." If customer support is a priority at your startup, consider outsourcing customer service to a 24 hour call center where customer service representatives are trained to provide the best service possible at all times. If customer support is a priority at your startup, consider outsourcing customer service to a professional multi-channel contact center where customer service representatives are trained to provide the best service possible at all times. You then set performance criteria, monitor results, manage the contact center to your expectations and focus on growing your business.