opinion

Customer Service Done Right

Customer Service Done Right

Good customer service is key to sustaining any successful business, and this is especially true with recurring revenue models, which depend on keeping customer memberships active over long periods of time.

Of course, delivering the content or products customers want is the main way to keep them around. But it can be just as important to provide the type of support they need. This includes a chance to be heard, different ways to voice their thoughts and opinions and a company that is responsive and caring in its communications. Do those things and you’ll keep your customers happy and loyal. With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of key principles your business can follow to ensure you’re meeting the demands of your clients.

Investing in excellent support is just one of many possible retention strategies, but it’s a simple one that can pay long-term dividends.

Be Responsive

Customers want to know what to expect when dealing with support. Commit to a realistic SLA (service-level agreement), which sets expectations regarding expected turnaround time on support inquiries, and stick to it.

Set up an auto-reply that immediately responds upon receipt of a customer’s email, letting them know you’ve received their comment, what the expected response time will be and pointing them to helpful resources in the meantime, such as a knowledge base. Do the same for chats and phone calls, communicating the SLA time upfront.

If you can’t give a personal reply immediately, give them as much info as you have available, and let them know where they stand in terms of getting a more complete response. It’s better to acknowledge their request for help than to say nothing at all. People are willing to be patient with issues when they know that you are addressing them and taking them seriously.

Provide Choices on How Customers Can Ask For Help

As with the products and/or content you offer, consumers want options when dealing with customer service. Many people prefer to talk to a customer support agent, but some would rather document things in an email. Others want the option to chat with a representative online. And many prefer to post their issues on social media and exchange comments publicly.

Make it easy for consumers to find your hours of operation and understand which types of support are available at which times of day/week. Always make sure you offer equal quality of service no matter the channel.

Also, train your customer support representatives to respond to multilingual inquiries when possible; there are tools they can use to make this easier. In other words, provide options to accommodate every type of customer you have and question you get.

Measure Your Performance

You may have heard this one before: if you aren’t measuring, you aren’t managing. Or, you are what you measure. How do you know how you’re doing if you’re not measuring?

Start internally by measuring your responsiveness and effectiveness — the former, by tracking your average response times relative to the SLA; the latter, by recording conversations and identifying areas for improvement. Reward your best support representatives to incentivize excellence.

You can measure externally as well, by including mini surveys in emails and chats that allow consumers to rate the performance of your support reps. Conduct larger surveys of your customers periodically to ask them how you’re doing overall.

Surveys convey that it’s important to you that you’re meeting customers’ expectations, and that their participation will help in that effort. Incentivize participation by offering a reward. Perhaps it’s a chance to win something. Perhaps it’s a discount off a future purchase with you. This will show your customers that you care what they think, and about meeting their expectations. You will hear from them exactly what you need to do to improve.

Plus, you may identify specific customers who aren’t happy, giving you a chance to hear them out and resolve their issues before it’s too late. This will help reduce churn, which of course is a crucial metric for a recurring revenue business.

Make Customer Service a Priority Within Your Company

Make customer support part of your company culture. Preach it as a crucial component of the organization’s mission and objectives. Build training into new employee onboarding.

It sounds cliché when you say your firm is customer-focused, but when employees see that you take it seriously, by being responsive, providing options, measuring, etc., then they will take it seriously as well.

Great customer support improves customer retention, which ultimately drives business expansion. After all, growing your existing customer base isn’t possible if that base is shrinking. This is especially important for recurring-revenue, subscription-based businesses that rely on retention strategies to survive.

Investing in excellent support is just one of many possible retention strategies, but it’s a simple one that can pay long-term dividends.

It took only three years for Cathy Beardsley to turn startup SegPay into a profitable company. As president and CEO, Beardsley oversees the day-to-day operations and long-term strategic planning for the company. SegPay is one of four companies approved by Visa USA to operate as a high-risk internet payment service provider in the U.S. Since 2005, SegPay has offered online merchants a state-of-the-art billing platform that provides realtime payment processing around the globe.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

WIA Profile: Paulita Pappel

Raised in Spain, surrounded by a predominantly Catholic community, Paulita Pappel grew up being told porn was bad. When she became a feminist, she was told her fascination with porn was not in line with her desire to empower women. This inner conflict made her feel like there was something wrong with her.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Complying With New Age Assurance and Content Moderation Standards

For adult companies operating in today’s increasingly regulated digital landscape, maintaining compliance with card brand requirements is essential — not only to safeguard your operations but also to ensure a safe and transparent environment for users.

Gavin Worrall ·
opinion

Understanding the FTC's New 'Click to Cancel' Rule

The Federal Trade Commission’s new “Click to Cancel” rule has been a hot topic in consumer protection and business regulation. Part of a broader effort to streamline cancellation processes for subscription services, the rule has sparked significant debate and legal challenges.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Key Factors for Choosing a Merchant Services Partner

Running a successful adult business requires more than just delivering alluring and cutting-edge products and services. Securing the right payment processing partner is essential to maintaining a steady revenue stream.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Identifying and Preventing Transaction Laundering

Recently, a few merchants approached me after receiving compliance notifications from their acquirer about transaction laundering. They were unsure what it meant, and unsure how to identify and fix the problem.

Cathy Beardsley ·
profile

WIA: Alexis Fawx Levels Up as Multifaceted Entrepreneur

As more performers look to diversify, expanding their range of revenue streams and promotional vehicles, some are spreading their entrepreneurial wings to create new businesses — including Alexis Fawx.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Navigating Age-Related Regulations in Europe

Age verification measures are rapidly gaining momentum across Europe, with regulators stepping up efforts to protect children online. Recently, the U.K.’s communications regulator, Ofcom, updated its timeline for implementing the Online Safety Act, while France’s ARCOM has released technical guidance detailing age verification standards.

Gavin Worrall ·
opinion

Why Cyber Insurance Is Crucial for Adult Businesses

From streaming services and interactive platforms to ecommerce and virtual reality experiences, the adult industry has long stood at the forefront of online innovation. However, the same technology-forward approach that has enabled adult businesses to deliver unique and personalized content to consumers worldwide also exposes them to myriad risks.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

Best Practices for Payment Gateway Security

Securing digital payment transactions is critical for all businesses, but especially those in high-risk industries. Payment gateways are a core component of the digital payment ecosystem, and therefore must follow best practices to keep customer data safe.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Ready for New Visa Acquirer Changes?

Next spring, Visa will roll out the U.S. version of its new Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program (VAMP), which goes into effect April 1, 2025. This follows Visa Europe, which rolled out VAMP back in June. VAMP charts a new path for acquirers to manage fraud and chargeback ratios.

Cathy Beardsley ·
Show More