Today’s customers are in love with omnichannel customer service.
The reason?
Well, they are more knowledgeable, impatient and concerned about their convenience than ever before! All they demand is a seamless experience with a brand.
And guess what? An omnichannel customer service provides exactly what they desire. Whether a customer is looking for a replacement part, needs help to install software, or is questioning a surcharge, the impeccable service effectively does it all. Apart from this, there are a number of reasons that prove that an omnichannel service is surely the future of customer service. Read on to know.
Customer service will always be a game changer for every business, no matter what scale or size. So, it’s imperative that every business follows the latest customer service trends so as to keep up with the ever-rising customer expectations.
Realising the importance of an exceptional customer experience, every business strives hard to provide one.
But do all of them succeed in doing what that?
Well, not really!
The reason? They probably neglect one of the most important aspects of the customer experience improvement strategy- unrivalled customer service tools!
Strange but true!
Everything from customer retention to increased sales can be achieved if and only if the businesses invest in mandatory customer service tools. As 2018 begins, we have put up a list of the most advantageous customer support tools that every business should consider investing in!
It’s a no-brainer that every business around the globe needs to take good care of its customers in today’s customer-centric world! So, it’s imperative that they have well-trained, highly efficient customer service team.
But what if your company doesn’t have enough resources to accept new hires?
Emotional intelligence refers to the capability of individuals to recognize their own, and other people’s emotions so as to discern between different feelings and label them appropriately. It is the ability of individuals to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and to manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt environments or achieve one’s goals. Wondering what it has got to do with customer service? Read on.
It’s that smile on your customer’s face when he/ she receives what he actually asked for. It’s all about those brand mentions that your happy customers willingly make on social platforms. It’s the WOM that drives in new customers.
In other words, when you go that extra mile for your customers, they obviously feel valued and wish to appreciate your efforts. And they do it through brand loyalty, WOM marketing and so on.
But how do you push your limits to make all that happen? Read on to know.
SMS customer service is unaffected by the device type and the network.
In order to leverage all the benefits of SMS customer support, the service needs to be provided in a correct manner! There are a number of mistakes that the businesses often commit while providing this type of customer support. Here’s a list of what all doesn’t go well:
Chatbots for hotel websites- Truly a match made in heaven!
With a large section of the population going gaga over the messenger apps today, it has become a bit difficult for the businesses to reach out to their audience. That’s because privacy has become a major concern for the people nowadays. They no more wish to be bothered every now and then and do not feel like sharing huge chunks of personal information with just about anyone!
Not yet created a chatbot for your business? Not quite convinced about creating one? Well, we have some solid reasons to convince you about that!
But first! What exactly is a chatbot and what’s it meant for?
Well, a chatbot is basically a computer program that conducts a conversation via auditory or textual methods. It’s a method of fuelling up your live chat assistance. Easy to create, this highly efficacious program is the best thing you can strengthen your website with. Have a look at what all it can do for your website and business:
Online customer service communities are based gathering places where an exchange of valuable information and brainstorming of ideas takes place on a large scale. These communities consist of customers, experts, partners and others. Individuals gather and discuss specific problems and discover solutions. Thereafter, they come up with out of the box ideas to improve a company’s products and services.
A majority of the businesses around the globe rely on live chat services for providing an impeccable customer experience. But what about the rest? Well, they are probably clinging to the live chat myths that have been prevailing in their niche for quite a long time now!
Customer service is a tough profession to opt for. Being a customer support agent is quite challenging owing to the diversity of customers to be served every day. Of all the skills that a customer service representative needs to possessive, it’s a necessity to embrace a positive attitude towards your customers to serve them even better. Here’s how you can do that!
Self-service is the latest trend in customer service. Customers today, long for instant solutions which are not possible through the traditional methods of customer service. So, that’s where self-service comes into play. Self-service is all about providing the customers with the necessary tools that they’ll require in solving their queries. It ensures customer satisfaction, boosted sales and strengthened long-term customer relationships. This does not end here, read on to know what all it can do for your business:
Augmented reality refers to the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time. This technology uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it. Businesses, irrespective of their size can leverage AR to provide exceptional customer experience and differentiate themselves from their competitors. Have a look at the various benefits of AR:
Every business strives to provide an exceptional service to its customers. Organizations today, go above and beyond and come up with the best solutions so as to boost customer satisfaction levels. Customer service automation is also one of those solutions.
When used appropriately, an automated customer service is capable of saving your company a lot of time, money and employees as well. Here are the best practices to automate your customer service that’ll benefit your business like never before:
With the ever-increasing customer expectations, it becomes quite difficult for the small customer support teams to live up to customer’s expectations. With all the customers’ queries and complaints flooding in through different channels, providing timely responses becomes a daunting task. However, even the smaller teams can provide the expected level of service using the following strategies:
Automated customer service means that customers are enabled to solve their own problems and obtain the required information without speaking with an agent. Therefore, IVR systems simplify the customer service by automating it.
Automated customer support
2. It enables handling of large call volumes:
Companies are allowed to easily handle high call volumes with the help of IVR systems. By employing this technology, callers are automatically directed to the most appropriate agent or department or they have to wait in a queue when all agents are busy. Another solution for such instances is that the systems allow the caller the option of having an agent return their call rather than wait in a queue.
Large call volume
3. It helps keep customers happy:
Different customers have different preferences. For example, some would prefer to get the answers they need by interacting with a recording rather than speaking to a live person while others may insist on it. IVR systems let the customers have whatever they require, thus, keeping them happy.
Happy customers
4. It helps create a sense of professionalism:
In case of startups and smaller companies IVR technology can be used to make the company appear larger than it actually is. Moreover, IVR prompts can be configured so as to allow callers to talk to sales, support, marketing or technical support, etc. They will be routed to the person on your team assigned to answer all of the calls, regardless of the department they choose. In other words it helps create a sense of professionalism that can help impress the customers.
Improve company’s image
5. It reduces operational expenses:
IVR systems are very affordable as they replace a receptionist or a customer service agent who answers calls and directs calls to agents. This in return increases efficiency and reduces operational costs which further results in a huge ROI.
Showing customers how to utilize self service tools leads to the long term adoption of self service tools which is yet another benefit of co- browsing. It is extremely beneficial when:
i) a company is launching new online tools or updating existing tools or procedures
ii) when specific customer segments are having trouble using online tools
iii) when white-glove service can be provided to top-tier customers.
Utilization of self service tools
2. Differential customer service experience:
These days customers ask to co-browse when they contact an agent because they know co-browsing allows them to get help instantly and conveniently. In other words, co- browsing creates a differentiated customer service experience. This exempts the risk of losing customers and results in returning customers. Hence it improves your business performance.
Customer service experience
3. Customer service agent satisfaction:
There is a possibility of agents being frustrated when customers articulate issues and agents are required to verbally direct the customer to perform actions online. Thus, providing the agents with technologies such as co- browsing reduces this frustration and leads to an increased efficiency of customer support. Moreover, agents appreciate being given the tools they need to be more efficient and productive so they are able to meet their performance goals.
Contented agents
5. Reduced call handling time and improved efficiency of customer support system:
Co-browse technology helps in the reduction of call handling time. As a matter of fact, the less call-handling time agents will take, the more level of customer service they will provide. Thus, co- browsing promotes efficiency by enabling agents to handle issues more quickly and accurately. It can also be used as a real-time live training tool to help on board new agents and familiarize them with the customer experience quickly and efficaciously. The customers also get satisfied as they get faster resolution and the agents save their time.
Customers love discounts and stuff like that. Thus, rewarding your customers will help you build a solid base of loyal, long-term customers and it will entice people to shop more at your online store. Providing great customer service is crucial to the success of your business. These days offering a loyalty point system is a popular form of sales promotions.
In this case, the customer can gain points every time they buy and then use their points to get money off future purchases, or if they buy more, they save more.
Loyalty points
2. Give away freebies:
Giving away freebies not only gives potential customers the chance to test out your product but also entices people to buy your stuff!
Now, the question arises, what to give away as freebies? Well! Branded keychains, bumper stickers, magnets, pens etc. are some options. Customers will appreciate the gesture, feel valued and will think of you whenever they see their branded gift.
3. Add discount to your products:
Offering your products at a price lesser than the regular one is the most popular sales promotion strategy. Adding a discount to your products is possibly the best type of promotion. Customers love to grab a bargain, so it makes sense to offer discounts every now and then to boost your sales. Always consider your bottom line and be sure to not constantly have a sale, as people will just come to expect this as a norm of your business.
Discounts
4. Offer virtual coupons:
Offering digital or virtual coupons is an effective sales promotion technique that will make the promotion seem more exclusive and will give the customers more of a push to visit your online store. You should send coupons to loyal customers who have spent a certain amount. You could also consider sending coupons to visitors who have experienced bad customer service. This may help convert them back to happy customers!
Digital coupons
5. Lowest price guarantees:
Price match promise has become one of the most popular ways to promote your brand these days, particularly if you have a lot of competitors trying to leverage the lucrative market. It allows your customers to shop with you and will be safe in the knowledge that if they can get it cheaper somewhere else, you’ll refund the difference and keep your words. There’s nothing to lose for them and it means that you still get to keep a solid, long-term customer base.
