For many years, small businesses and the local high street have been considered the lifeblood of our communities, with a long history of providing a ‘friendly face’ and exceptional service that satisfies repeat customers and contributes value to the economy in turn.

From the high street newsagents that welcome regulars with their choice papers ready on the counter, to the local plumbers known for their reliability and no-nonsense advice, small businesses are often characterised by the care, quality and bespoke service they can provide. And it was really encouraging to see the ‘shop local’ movement inspire many consumers to reaffirm their support for small businesses and independent retailers like these in recent years, helping the businesses that they love and value to survive beyond the pandemic.

But now, new economic challenges and the cost of living crisis are increasing the financial strain on many customers and driving changes in consumer habits – for example, insight from Barclays has previously indicated that many Brits are choosing lower prices over shopping locally. And with some larger businesses already making moves to accommodate lower budgets by cutting prices, SMEs are competing to survive in an increasingly difficult climate.

This means that small businesses simply cannot afford to lose out on potential custom by missing an inbound enquiry – or worse, fail to respond to or resolve a complaint and risk the customer spreading the word locally, leaving a negative review or taking to social media to vent about their poor experience. It’s clear that providing a responsive and helpful service is more important than ever for small businesses when it comes to securing new customers and promoting existing customer loyalty.

While at one time cost would be an inhibiting factor for small businesses and independent retailers, the good news is that technological advancements have made providing quality customer service more affordable and accessible than ever. There are several ways that small businesses today can enhance their customer service to meet expectations in a simple and cost-efficient way, helping them to secure and sustain customers – and ultimately, survive.

Enhancing tech to meet existing and emerging expectations

Sadly, there seems to be some perception that smaller businesses don’t provide much flexibility when it comes to customer service; for example, our research suggests that 78% of 16-24 year olds think that the customer service provided by small businesses is not as good as large businesses, while a significant 41% think small businesses will offer less channels.

But this simply doesn’t have to be the case and customers don’t need to suffer poor customer service. With many innovative digital platforms available and AI technologies rapidly advancing, it’s now very possible for small businesses to offer more rounded, 24/7 support in different languages, enabling them to future-proof and continue to compete with the customer service provided by larger corporates that are racing to be ahead of the curve.

Fortunately, while it may seem like a complex undertaking, adopting new digital platforms and choosing to manage different contact methods in a central system can actually streamline operations for small businesses, ensuring seamless integration, quality and efficiency across channels. This makes it much easier to keep track of what’s coming in, where enquiries are at and any actions that remain to be taken.

The key to embracing new contact channels, though, is having a strong understanding of existing and target customer audiences and identifying which platforms they are most likely to find useful – before making sure that the business is present ‘there’ to provide the service.

An omnichannel approach can be extremely effective, but it’s about working smarter, not harder; today’s businesses have a plethora of channels at their fingertips but it’s vital that they make sure they are available on the right platforms for the right demographics, providing a bespoke and tailored approach to customer service. New and emerging customer demographics, for example, may have different preferences and expectations when it comes to customer service, and it’s important that businesses understand what they need.

Increasing capacity while keeping the costs down

Of course, many small businesses genuinely want to provide a better service and embrace new technologies, but allocating resource to respond to messages or answer calls can often be challenging for the small teams, microbusinesses and sole traders tasked with wearing multiple ‘hats’ and juggling the delivery of day-to-day work at the same time.

In this case, outsourcing can be a really viable option, but understandably some smaller businesses can be hesitant to make the shift due to concerns about the costs involved. At FM Outsource, one way that we’ve been looking to tackle this is by offering a pay-as-you-go model that plugs the gaps for small businesses when support is actually needed. Another useful option for small businesses can be providing emergency and flexible cover, which can be scaled-up and -down quickly around unpredictably busy and challenging periods or peak periods.

A major priority for small businesses when it comes to outsourcing is the ability to maintain the understanding, ‘friendliness’ and familiarity that they’re known for – from the high street hairdresser with a list of longstanding clients, to the local electrician known for their ability to explain complex issues in a simple, ‘human’ way. In reality, a good third-party provider should take the time to really understand the client and their offering, and be able to adapt their tone of voice to provide the communication that existing and prospective customers expect. For us, this means ensuring we can effectively resolve FAQs quickly on our clients’ behalf, but also identifying the trickier technical stuff that should be passed over for a real expert opinion. It’s about taking customers on a tailored journey, providing effective one-on-one interactions and the right support when it’s needed.

Ultimately, while taking the leap to embrace new technologies or invest a relatively small outlay in customer service can feel daunting for many small businesses, it can be an effective tool to support customer satisfaction and their ability to remain competitive.

Author: Martin Brown CCO at FM Outsource, a high-quality call and message answering service by a team of expert UK advisors.