12/04/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/04/2023 08:21
When customers contact your service team, they want help fast. How fast? According to our research, 81% of customers expect faster service as technology advances. You need a customer support strategy that can help you keep up.
Customer support plays a major role in customer retention. Provide a pleasant, smooth experience, and you'll build your brand reputation and foster loyalty. Get it wrong, and you may lose customers. Here's what to know about why customer support matters, plus five things you can do to deliver excellent service.
Modernize your contact center
The right mix of customer service channels and tools can help you become more efficient and improve customer satisfaction. Our guide reveals how high-performing service orgs make it happen.
Customer support vs. customer service: How are they different?
Customer support and customer service might sound similar, but they serve two distinct functions.
Customer support is all about helping customers solve problems and get back on track as quickly as possible.
Customer service is more about the overall customer experience. The principles of customer service include building relationships with customers, making them feel valued, and providing them with a positive experience from start to finish.
Why is customer support important?
Customer support is where relationships are built and loyalty is nurtured. With a solid customer support strategy in place, you can:
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5 strategies for improving customer support
Great support isn't just a nice-to-have. Our research shows that 80% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. Here are five ways to deliver on those expectations:
Around-the-clock support, through channels like phone, email, live chat, or social media, is a way to meet customers wherever and whenever they need help. But if staffing live agents 24/7 isn't realistic, a chatbot or good self-service site can go a long way toward helping customers with frequently asked questions during off hours.
Customers often use multiple channels to start and complete a transaction. The key is for your agents to see all of a customer's interactions with your business - no matter which channels were used - so customers don't have to repeat themselves. The right customer relationship management software can help you get there.
One of the most important elements of a smooth customer service experience is speed. Automation can help you deliver faster service at scale. It offloads repetitive, manual tasks so agents have time to focus on more complex service issues.
Predictive AI has been a part of customer service for a long time (for example, many early chatbots were powered by predictive AI). But now generative AI is opening up new ways to support your agents and improve the customer service experience. Here's how:
Analytics can help you see what's happening in your contact center. Do customers have to wait on hold too long? Do agents need training on a particular issue? With the right data at your fingertips, you can turn customer interactions into insights for improving your service operations.
What should I consider when selecting customer support software?
While human agents are the foundation of any service team, customer support software plays a major supporting role. The right software helps agents deliver quality service at scale. Here are some questions to consider as you review the options on the market:
You likely want a platform that offers these features:
With a solid grasp of why customer support software is important, you can begin to identify criteria for making a good selection. Be sure to work with a broad range of stakeholders - including service agents and leadership - to come up with a list of requirements for your customer support software. From there, it's a process of learning what various vendors have to offer, and comparing that to your needs.