As companies close out a lackluster 2025, all eyes are on the bottom line and on finishing the year with as much revenue booked as possible.
That’s understandable, especially for newer or smaller companies that aren’t as well capitalized to survive downturns the way larger, more established companies can.
But two emails that hit my inbox this week drove home a key point about business—the importance of customer service.
Customer service is a cost center for most, if not all, companies, and it’s certainly not at the forefront of a company’s end-of-year revenue push. However, the smart companies embrace the fact that customer service means “revenue out,” and they aren’t afraid to invest in it, understanding the longer-term benefits.
Companies that skimp on customer service, or begrudgingly see it only as a necessary evil, overlook both its importance and its indirect impact on the bottom line.
Customer service takes several forms and isn’t limited to someone sitting at a desk waiting for the phone to ring. In the case of the two emails I received this week, the customer service came in the form of videos.
The videos were Q&A: Zeroing Your Rifle with a Suppressor from Silencer Central, and Real Avid Master Series: A Complete Guide to…, a series covering just about everything related to riflescopes.
It’s easy to look at a company’s video and write it off as part of its social media strategy. But just because it’s on YouTube doesn’t make it social media.
The two emails were all about providing customers with the information they need. They stand out in the flurry of year-end announcements and emails, most of which are laser focused on Black Friday promotions to sell you stuff.
Both Silencer Central and Real Avid push sales of their products—all companies do—but helping customers better understand how to use those products isn’t always a common practice.
Many companies see videos like these as nice to have but ultimately an added expense. And if they’re going to spend the money, they want the message to be “buy, buy, buy.”
That mindset is particularly common among companies struggling to make it through the current downturn, which is a shame.
A lot of companies miss not just the brand-building value of videos like these, but the trust-building value as well. The payoff comes when consumers decide to purchase—whether a suppressor or a riflescope—and already see the company as a subject-matter expert.
Silencer Central has already well-established itself as one of the top suppressor brands, thanks to its work in revolutionizing the suppressor-buying process. Videos like this further build trust with end users. As someone very new to suppressors, their video answered key questions and set expectations when it comes to zeroing a suppressed rifle.
Having not gone through that process myself, I now have a much better understanding of what to expect. Setting reasonable expectations with the customer takes a lot of pressure off of customer service.
Many customers never want to admit that something went wrong because of their own mistake. If you’ve ever worked in a company in this or any other industry, you know this to be true. Companies that provide clear, direct instructions on how to install, use, and maintain their products save their customer service staff a ton of headaches.
The added benefit comes when that one customer launches a one-man social media flame war, only to be rebutted by other customers who know and trust your brand. Nothing makes a company happier than seeing another customer ‘enter the chat’ with something like, “Well, did you watch their video?”
I’ve seen this happen more than once.
In the case of Real Avid, their 16-video Master Series helps demystify riflescopes for those new to mounted long-range optics. The series covers everything from reticles and first vs second focal plane scopes to turret features and, of course, mounting.
As somebody who needs to double-check their own work when mounting a scope, I appreciate watching someone go step-by-step through the process…a whole lot.
YouTube is now the go-to resource for information. Want to learn about a new product? Find the best price or place to shop? See how to assemble or install your new purchase? You’ll find it on YouTube.
Companies that invest their time and money in videos like the ones above will find their customers struggling less—and their customer service call volume declining.
Video does kill the customer service call. If you don’t produce your own videos, you’ll find others on YouTube doing it for you—and since those people are likely not real experts in your products, you can expect a few calls. That, too, is something I’ve seen firsthand.
– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network