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Stop Losing Money and Focus on Customer Service (Infographic) Your customers probably don't like you as much as you think. Here's a look at how improving customer service can boost your bottom line.

By Colleen DeBaise

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Sure, it pays to focus on customer acquisition -- but what about customer retention first?

According to the infographic below, 80% of businesses believe they provide "superior" customer service. But only 8% of customers would describe the service they've received in such glowing terms. When customers aren't happy, there's often significant damage done. In fact, U.S. businesses collectively lose an estimated $83 billion a year due to shoddy customer service.

The following visual comes from Shankman Honig, a customer-service consultancy in New York. "Be nice to the customers you have," the firm says. "You'll win the customers you want."

Click to Enlarge+

Stop Losing Money and Focus on Customer Service (Infographic)

Colleen DeBaise is special projects director at Entrepreneur.com.

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