In the world of business, they say that the customer is always right (even when they’re not). So if a customer is wrong, why do businesses make it a point to still make them right? Well, there’s this thing called customer service and it can make or break a business in a flash.

Customer service is the way a business meets the needs of its customers. It can be something as simple as showing a customer where a particular item is in the store or using a calming voice on the phone to resolve a customer’s issues… customer service, in short, is the way a business goes above and beyond to retain current customers and to attract new ones.

According to a poll by Gladly, 68% of people stated that they would be willing to pay more for a product or service if the company had outstanding customer service. What does that mean in business terms? That means that the quality of service your business provides has a direct impact on the revenue your business brings in. It also means that if your business’ customer service skills could use a revamp, you better get the ball rolling, especially if you want to attract high-paying customers!

Expectations of High Paying Customers

As you already know, customers have high expectations as it is but high-paying customers have even higher expectations that businesses need to live up to. For the most part, their expectations aren’t ridiculous or over-reaching… they’re pretty valid. Just think about it from their perspective; if they’re willing to pay a higher price for certain products and services, they’re going to want top-notch customer service for the price they’re paying, ultimately, they just want their money’s worth just like anybody else would.

The thing about high paying customers is that because they’re high paying customers, they know what great customer service looks like and if they receive anything less than that, well, they’ll just find a different business that offers the same product or service they wanted but with a much higher level of customer service.

What business owners aren’t realizing about their level of customer service is that high paying customers aren’t just comparing your business to your direct competitors… they’re comparing your business to the best customer service they’ve ever received. Their comparisons are coming from any business or any person they’ve encountered in the realm of how they were treated and how their needs were met.

The fact that high paying customers know what great customer service looks like, they’ll be expecting it from your business as well. The question is, how will your business meet, or better yet, exceed their high expectations? Well, in order to meet or exceed their expectations, you must first know what their customer service expectations are.

Expectation 1: They Want a Personalized Experience

At first, customer service was all about having fast responses to customer questions and complaints but now, their expectations have slightly shifted. High-paying customers still want and expect timely responses but they now want more of a personalized customer service experience. They don’t want to feel like a case number… they want to feel like that business is genuinely concerned about their issue and will do everything in their power to find a resolution.

Expectation 2: They Don’t Want to Have to Repeat Themselves

If a high paying customer has an issue of any sort, they only want to have to tell an agent or manager their story one time… if they have to repeat their story more than that, that business is going to lose that high paying customer. They have this expectation whether speaking with a person on the phone or in-person…they even have this expectation when talking to a chatbot too.

Expectation 3: They Want to Be Assured They’re Covered

As a business owner, you know that accidents happen… in that same token, you also know that there are certain measures you have to take to be properly prepared for those accidents. If you own a brick-and-mortar business and one of your high paying customers slips and falls, they’re going to expect no push-back from your business, meaning they’re going to expect for your business to have business insurance to cover their injuries… it’s as simple as that.

This is not only going to cover your customer for injuries but having business insurance will also help protect your personal assets as well as your business liability, especially if you’re a high net worth business owner. So business insurance is something you definitely don’t want to skimp out on.

Expectation 4: They Want Consistency

High paying customers expect consistency, meaning they expect everyone to be on the same page. If they have a complaint about something and speak to an employee about it, the resolution that the employee gave them should be the same resolution a manager gives them, unless the manager has the ability to override and provide a better resolution to meet their needs.

When a high paying customer receives conflicting answers from multiple people in a business, you can expect to never hear from or see that customer again. Why? Because there are businesses out there where all staff members are on the same page and will provide a much higher level of customer service. If they’re willing to pay for top-notch customer service, they’ll go wherever it’s being provided, even if it’s not with your business.