These days, your customer relations count for more than ever. Whether you’re working on improving your customer service offerings or you’re simply trying to generate more brand loyalty, it’s not enough to coast by. More and more, potential leads are looking for that elusive high-quality customer experience. While it’s still important to have a quality product or service on offer, you need to do more to connect with your target audience.
Between offering simple surveys to gain customer feedback and implementing a virtual call center platform to help address high inbound call and outbound call volumes, you need the right tools to ensure that you’re doing the most for each and every one of your customers.
Take a new approach to customer service.
If you’re still running a traditional call center or contact center, it’s likely that you often struggle with missed calls, outbound calls going directly to voicemail, and difficulties with proper call routing. Not only can it dampen the customer journey but it can also have a negative impact on your call center agents. As such, it’s important that you implement a call center solution that makes it easier for you to facilitate two-way connections with your customers. It’s not only a quality business practice but it does more to foster general brand and business loyalty.
So, what do modern call centers have to offer that the contact centers of the past can’t match? First, there are technological advancements. From interactive voice response (IVR) to speed dialers, it’s easier than ever for you to ensure that no call goes unanswered. On top of this, many contact center software platforms allow you to integrate the tools with your existing CRM of choice. When you connect your call center solution with a CRM, you’re more likely to hit key metrics and KPIs while encouraging conversions. When you factor this in alongside omnichannel communications such as live chat and social media, it’s apparent that call center software has a great deal to offer a brand that needs assistance with customer relations.
On top of this, best practices like call recording, routing, CRM integration, analytics, and mobile app integration are beneficial to customer support and omnichannel routing efforts. They can improve each and every customer interaction and ensure that you leverage more communication channels than simple phone support. Your contact center solution is an ideal way to boost customer satisfaction.
Beyond that, it’s incredibly likely that artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to impact the customer service industry. AI makes call routing simpler and can handle larger call volumes more effectively than a customer service agent could. This not only benefits the consumer but your agents as well. Since call center software solutions don’t require you to allocate space for a phone bank or contact center department, your agents can work remotely. This has a positive impact on morale which then turns into customer service that goes above and beyond.
Track your assets more effectively.
With a large number of customers relying on easy, convenient access to goods and services that they’ve purchased online, asset tracking has only grown in importance. Asset management is critical for any business that handles physical products as it makes it easier to use location data to determine where goods are and where they should be. When you’re working with a supply chain and a distribution network, it’s unreasonable to assume that you’ll constantly have your eyes on your products. This even goes for IT assets as well as physical assets. As such, you won’t always be able to scan a barcode or check inventory levels. While you should still have a barcode scanner on hand, asset management systems go far beyond this.
If you’re using a public asset management system, for instance, it’ll give you a better idea of how assets are moving through your network and allow you to make adjustments to your workflows and operations as necessary. Asset tracking helps you ensure that none of your goods go unaccounted for and that you’re making the most of your inventory levels while reducing leakage that can damage your bottom line. For many businesses that work with tangible assets and even services, asset management software can reshape your approach to product and asset tracking. Asset inventory tracking can benefit your sales team, phone system, and service team. By tracking capital assets, infrastructure assets, and other products through your asset management program, you’re more likely to see cost savings. Asset management is beneficial for almost any vendor, distributor, or supply chain.
Listen to your consumers.
If you’re not listening to the voice of the customer, you’re doing your brand a disservice. Customer feedback is absolutely critical for developing stronger relations. You need to ensure that you use feedback and analytics to determine what is and isn’t working within the scope of your business. Otherwise, you could lose valuable customers to competitors who are keener on applying criticisms and feedback. If you’re wondering how you acquire customer feedback, it often starts with surveys. While some brands may think customer surveys are outdated, they still have their place in your marketing and outreach efforts.
In this case, incentives work. Whether you use surveys for money that offer extra cash or even a drawing for a product like a laptop, you’re more likely to get respondents with a bit of incentivization. To make it easier and boost efficiency, consider an online survey function. Have the customer enter their phone number and email address into their profile so you can use this in your small business development efforts. Several survey companies streamline this and offer a great customer experience. It’s even better if you offer surveys that can be done on a smartphone. Just avoid developing complete surveys that may look like a scam. Online survey sites often offer products like Amazon gift cards and sample offers that give customers a preview of your goods and services.
Once you’ve gathered the proper customer feedback, you also need to apply it in an intuitive way. Commonly, this will start with a bit of analysis. When you have a solid sample size of responses, look for ongoing themes and commonalities. If you start to spot the same complaints across multiple surveys, it’s a sure sign that you need to make some key adjustments. Likewise, if certain aspects of your business are subject to regular praise, reinforce those and make them staples of your customer service efforts. While a simple survey may not seem like a lot, it can have a greater impact on your business than you might think. It’s a great way to determine the right time to add advanced features and make key changes to your business.
A combination of tools is ideal.
No matter your preferred delivery or how your service team works, it’s important to incorporate several tools to boost your success rates. From CRM software to cloud contact center programs, the options are nearly endless. When you’re juggling a call center system, market research, a survey website, and a support team, it can seem overwhelming. However, with advancements like predictive dialing, preventive maintenance, and real-time analytics, it’s easier than ever to ensure the customer experience is a positive one.
