Everyone knows the importance of customer service to any business. Satisfied customers are return customers. As times have changed and technology has improved, customer service has had to evolve to meet the needs of customers. There are always new and innovative ways to deliver quality customer service. Businesses are using the latest technology to keep customers happy and make sure their problems are resolved quickly and satisfactorily.
The Internet is the Way Forward for Quality Customer Service
It goes without saying that the Internet is now the primary way that customer service is offered. But just having a website is not enough. In fact, one of the best ways to improve customer service is to have numerous channels through which customers can interact with the business. Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, What’s App, and other Internet options can be combined with a company website to provide a plethora of ways customers can use to voice their concerns. Traditional means of contact, such as regular mail and phone lines, are important, too. Not everyone is tech-savvy, and many people are more comfortable with the older ways.
A company website needs to be up-to-date and easy to navigate. Nothing frustrates a customer more than not being able to quickly find out how to contact a company. Most companies are proactive in placing an easily accessed FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page that can often answer many questions without the need for any interaction with customer service representatives. Going further, links to pages that describe products or services, or provide important documents like assembly instructions or technical specifications, are a great way to allow users to find the information they need on their own. These resources cannot replace actual company representatives, but are valuable to that segment of the populace that likes to find answers on their own.
Customer service now needs to be a 24-hour operation. Making customers wait until regular business hours to have their concerns addressed is simply not acceptable now. Allowing customers to register a question or complaint with a “ticket” (basically a form that the customer can fill out to be answered by a service representative as soon as one is available) is vital. Even if the consumer needs to wait for an answer, they at least know that they registered their concern with the company.
New Ideas to Make the Customer Service Experience Better
Normally customer service is handled by lower-level employees. But what about getting the CEO involved in customer service? A response from the top person in the company emphasizes the importance that company puts on keeping its customers happy. Obviously, the CEO is not able to be a full-time customer service representative, but the occasional direct email from the top, especially in response to a particularly upset consumer, conveys the impression that someone at the top is actually listening and cares enough to engage with customers.
Personal touch
The personal touch in customer service goes a long way to making people feel that they are more than just a source of revenue for the company. Many companies have users enter their birthdays when registering on the firm’s website. This is a great opportunity for sending along birthday greeting emails along with a special discount or offer to celebrate. This can also be done for holidays in general. It requires very little effort but goes a long way to making people feel that the company cares about them. Related to this idea is training customer service reps to refer to consumers by their names when engaging with a caller or when responding to an email or text. Doing so creates an environment of familiarity and puts the customer at ease. It also reinforces the idea that the company is listening to its customers and cares about them as human beings.
Automated chatbots
The best way to provide customer service is by having actual people interact with the customers. This is not always possible, though, and so the use of automated chatbots is a great way to engage easily with visitors to a company’s website. Chatbots are animated reps that often appear on websites and allow users to ask questions or request information. They are especially useful in guiding customers to the right area of the website to meet their needs. They are great at handling standard inquiries and if the customer has a problem that is more difficult a chatbot can collect the customer’s information and inquiry and save it for a follow up by a human customer service representative. Customers are beginning to expect the chatbot feature, as it saves them time and lets them get answers any time of the day. Chatbots cannot replace the human touch in customer service, but they are good at easily and efficiently interacting with website visitors.