Start customer service off on the right foot at your new company Customer service is a key component of any business, but it’s especially important for new companies that are trying to establish themselves among the competition. Unfortunately, it’s also particularly challenging for these young businesses. In a recent article published on Inc.com, contributor Michael Fertik, one of the world’s leading cyberthinkers in digital privacy and reputation, shares his simple secret for improving customer service: placing the customer service team in the middle of all the action. According to Fertik, this can help in the following ways: It creates a feedback loop – “Particularly when you’re just starting out, you need to create an excellent feedback loop by co-locating your member services team with program management, development, sales, engineering, fulfillment and finance,” writes Ferik. “Customers contact your member services team, which then relays it to the right people across different functions, who make changes and roll out updates to customers, who then use it and provide more feedback.” It shortens the learning curve – As Ferik notes, new companies typically experience a steep learning curve. Keeping customer support staff integrated with everyone else in the company can speed this process up significantly, as it allows other employees to hear about what’s working and what isn’t. While keeping customer support internal and centralized like this works well for some companies, it doesn’t for others. In fact, many businesses can benefit greatly by taking advantage of US-based outsourced customer service solutions. By outsourcing customer service, you can rest assured knowing that your valuable customers are in the hands of highly trained support specialists who will help them resolve their issues in no time.