Your customers want to have access to your support and expect faster connection than ever before. It’s fair to say smartphones have changed the way we do business and expect communication to take place. Phone and email are very much still useful tools, but more and more customers are turning to social media and messaging apps.
These daily activities have changed how people are connecting with companies too.
Customers want to be able to contact your business on familiar apps and faster platforms. They don’t want to wait for hours while on hold or waiting for an email response. They definitely don’t want to be confined to reaching out during business hours. Phone and email support alone will no longer be enough to keep your customers happy with your service.
And when your customers are unhappy, they will spread the word. If word-of-mouth recommendations are one of the most powerful ways to earn a good reputation and new business, then the opposite holds true as well. As people talk about their dissatisfaction, your company name is dragged through the mud and their friends and family will take note. Word-of-mouth influences 83% of people in their purchase decisions. So you want to increase your online support to give your brand the edge when it comes to spreading the word.
Does this mean phone and email are dead? No. There is still a desire for customers to be able to get on the phone and talk to a real person when they need support during business hours. Most customers prefer a choice when it comes to contacting companies, and that includes chat, email, phone and social media.
- Gartner predicts that nearly all companies (89%) are competing mostly on their customer experience capabilities.
- All over the world, Microsoft has reported the majorities of customers (a whopping 96%) say customer service is a key factor in choosing brand loyalties.
- Excellent customer service is the number one thing that impacts a customer’s level of trust with a company (Zendesk) and customers in the US will pay 17% more to do business with a company that offers a great customer service reputation (American Express).
Phone Support is Key
While it is important to offer chat and email, phone support is a key service that customers expect. Sometimes the phone offers the most direct way to talk to your company and that is what a customer wants. When a big issue arises or something complex occurs and a customer needs more in-depth support, they will want to talk to a knowledgeable rep.
In some cases, typing is cumbersome and unhelpful for complex issues. Trying to convey problems via chat or email might be extremely hard. So, while these options are helpful for providing support outside of business hours (email) or faster (chat), they aren’t ideal modes of communication for some issues.
And this comes at a price for companies, since phone reps take time and cost a pretty penny. Phone agents can only hold conversations with one customer at a time. Solving support issues on social media or by email costs far less than most phone calls because of the speed and convenience for the reps.
Saving Money with Combinations
If phone is more expensive, but often needed, it cannot be removed as a customer support option. Companies can cut costs by establishing messaging apps so customers can start out with chat before considering a phone option. There are already tech giants doing this—even requiring you to start with messaging services before calling in some cases.
Messaging apps can start out as bots. They can be set up to respond with certain helpful data to common customer queries. Most customer service reps report spending the majority of their time (90%) on the same questions and problems. With messaging apps, it is far easier to automate some of these answers and use links to provide data to answer others. If the problem is more complex, screenshots or a phone call can be made to help clarify.
Saving Time with Technology Solutions
Utilizing messaging bots will help free up time for agents to deal with more complicated tasks. This reduces your wait time, offers customers more contact options and improves the experience of those customers that need support.
Automated intelligence can even be used to help determine which reps should be sent which customer support cases. The more you are able to break down the issues before giving control to the reps, the more they will be able to enter the scene with an idea of the issue at hand.
Modernizing Customer Service Made Easy
It can feel overwhelming when you realize just how quickly the customer service climate is changing. The expectations today are nothing like yesterday and it can be hard to keep up with the demand. You need professionals in your corner, helping you make the changes.
Extended Office Systems can help you keep up with the latest trends and expectations of your customers. Call us today to talk about how our solutions can make your customers happier and your business running smoothly. We can help your team work more productively as you make customers loyal to your brand. Call us or chat with us today to get your quote!
