People love to gather in groups and discuss the topics they’re most interested in, whether it’s in person or online. That’s why so many consumers turn to community forums when they need information or support from their favorite brands. These online platforms are where users can come to ask questions, enter into debates, share knowledge, and discuss topics of common interest. In many cases, users can get information about how a product works or ask questions about specific features.

What customers want and what they get might not always align, but the stakes are getting higher for any business that falls short. 80 percent of customers say they’d switch to a competitor after more than one bad experience. And that’s a number that should have most companies paying attention. Why? Customer expectations have shifted considerably over the past year.

Jenny wakes up every morning at 8 am. While sipping her coffee, she opens up your company’s app to check the weather that day. Later, between work calls, Jenny checks your website on her laptop to see if it’s going to be windy in the afternoon – maybe it’s a good day for a bike ride? In the evening, while scrolling through Instagram, she sees your ad to subscribe to a new weather newsletter catered to cyclists.

To nobody’s surprise, sturdy success starts with good foundations. While the building materials have changed drastically and improved remarkably over time, the foundation of any good business is ultimately the satisfaction of its customers. Arguably, it’s easy to overlook the importance of customer satisfaction when the issues aren’t obvious. Just like the wiring of a house, you expect it to be there and working perfectly.

Your customer’s perception of you and your brand can be shaped in a single customer service interaction. So it pays to be careful with what you say and how you say it. One way to set the course of conversations in your favor is by using the right customer service phrases. Customer service phrases serve as ready-reckoners that you can use in your day-to-day interactions with customers.

Helpful, friendly customer service shouldn’t be seen as “optional” by your business. It has serious implications for whether customers will return to your company and spread the word about your products. According to a Qualtrics study, 95% of consumers who rate a company’s customer experience as “very good” are likely to recommend the company.

It’s impossible to provide great customer service without great customer data. You can’t give people the white-glove treatment if you don’t know anything about them. Especially in today’s data-driven world, companies need to leverage their customer data to make informed decisions and improve their business. Yet some organizations struggle with outdated or insufficient information. Other brands capture plenty of data but fail to connect it all.

The idea of a single view into the enterprise has existed for some time as a "holy grail" concept—not just for Customer Service teams, but for IT leaders, and managers looking for big-picture dashboards for better decision-making. The trouble with realizing this concept has historically been an unreasonable investment in time and treasure to tear-down and rebuild vast enterprise systems. Today's fast-paced mergers and acquisitions activities only compound the technical challenges.