Imagine a world without technology. The ease and convenience we enjoy today would be a fantasy. Businesses are thriving and defiling geographical boundaries because of it. One area that has enjoyed enormous benefits of technology is customer service.
Not too long ago, we had to move around with cash to make payments for everything. But all that has changed. Thanks to technology, we can benefit from a cashless society. Organizations give their customers the opportunity to make payments seamlessly at their convenience.
But there’s more.
A Gartner report predicts that customer experience will be given more priority than product and price by 2020. And there’s no doubt that technology will play a major part in enhancing the customer experience.
According to Accenture, companies in the United States lose $1.6 trillion when customers change supplier due to poor customer service. You can leverage technology to get and retain customers by adopting customer support tools.
The Key is Using the right technology
Every organization seeks the most competent employees to serve their customers. But there’s only so much the best support agents can do. Technology further empowers businesses to be great by helping frontline employees perform their support duties.
1. Offer proactive support
When you walk into a well-organized physical store to shop, a sales representative walks up to you almost immediately to assist you with your shopping. They make you feel at home, and literally guide you through your shopping. This single act reduces the chances of you getting confused and leaving without buying anything
It shouldn’t be different online.
Don’t wait for customers to get stranded before you offer support. Bear in mind that they’ll always need help. If it isn’t made available immediately, they’ll find their way out, adding to the 75.6% cart abandonment rate in ecommerce.
Be quick to offer support to visitors on your website. Let them be the ones to turn it down if they don’t need it. Think of live chat as the online version of the efficient sales representative mentioned above. Effective live chat software is programmed to reach out to customers the minute they arrive on a website, offering to help them with anything they need. A visitor who needs assistance will gladly connect. By addressing their concerns, you prevent them from leaving empty handed.
2. Think out of the box
Technology improves customer service by empowering businesses to be proactive. It takes it further by empowering them to resolve customer issues in innovative ways. Providing a half-solution to a problem doesn’t solve it. Your goal should be to put a broad smile on the customer’s face with a 100% solution.
Forrester found that 45% of consumers in the U.S. will abandon their online transactions if their concerns aren’t completely resolved. Sometimes, communicating with the customer via live chat isn’t adequate. For instance, if the customer is having a problem navigating through your site, no matter how much they try to explain it to you, you may not fully understand because you can’t see it.
This is where technologies like co-browsing come in. It allows you to share the same screen with the customer. What this means is, you have access to the exact page where the problem lies. With enabled-control on your end, you help the customer to cross the bridge yourself.
3. Automate workflow
Automation keeps business operations in steady motion with minimal human input. Manual processes are set on autopilot, maintaining high-quality standards and increasing productivity.
Overworking your customer support agents is counterproductive. Having them work long hours is to no-one’s advantage. According to the law of diminishing returns, employees are not productive when they reach their limits.
Don’t jeopardize your business with substandard customer service. Automate your customer support activities with the use of chatbot. Through artificial intelligence, it’s able to collate customer data, interpret it and interacting with customers.
One of the pet peeves of customers is waiting in line. When you automate your system, they don’t have to wait anymore. Their inquiries will be taken immediately. Chatbot engages multiple customers simultaneously and drives conversations until the need for human input arises. You can offer 24/7 support to customers without worrying about having humans intervene.
4. Be visible
A Glance study found that 70% of unhappy customers whose concerns are resolved don’t mind shopping with the same business again. Speaking to an agent about an issue gives customers the assurance that they are in safe hands. It gets even more assuring when they can’t only hear but see the agent.
Video calls put a face to support agents, winning the trust of customers. By seeing the agent on video, a customer is able to express their challenges better with non-verbal signs. In turn, the support agent gets a grasp of the situation and uses various visual elements to proffer a resolution.
Combining technology with the right skillset doesn’t only increase productivity but also creates consistency in quality standards. Continually providing excellent service to customers is a recipe for sustainable growth. When you prioritize customer satisfaction, your organizational goals fall in place. You’ll always have a large clientele to cater to, and this increases business revenue.
