In this digital age, where customers want everything and they want it now, businesses are having to completely rethink their customer service functions. The old saying, ‘the customer is always right’ is truer today then it was a decade ago and even five years ago.

Think about the power consumers have in today’s environment. Leading global brands have fallen to their knees under the weight of customer reviews or backlashes. Companies, regardless of size, can no longer afford to provide subpar customer service, instead, they need to actively manage and improve their customer service offerings.

Today, businesses have a number of tools that are available to them to completely reshape how they offer this service. Such as new communication technology, AI, detailed customer data and the ability to build remote customer service team.

It is no longer good enough for businesses to brush customer service off as an insignificant task. If your business wants to set itself apart from its competitors, follow the below advice and your customers will be with you for years.

Give it a fair go

For a number of business owners, one of the most common pitfalls they find themselves in is focusing too much on customer acquisition and forgetting about customer retention. Businesses spend heavily on tools and functions that will communicate directly with potential customers. But, what about your existing, loyal customers?

Failing to invest resources into your current customer base has the potential to alienate them and potentially drive them to your competitors. Remember, it is easier to sell to an existing customer, than a new one. However, many businesses overlook this point.

Your customers do not want to feel like a reference or booking number, they want to feel like a human. But, as consumer expectations have changed, many businesses have fallen short. While it may take a decent investment, your business will need to change their perception of customer service and give it its fair dues.

Set your staff up for success

A large part of changing your business’ perception of customer service is giving your employees the ability and resources to make a difference. Customers know what great service feels and looks like. They want someone who understands their issue and has the tools available to fix it, are you providing your team with those tools?

Initially, start by instilling your team with a customer first mindset. After this, you need to provide your team with the tools and leeway that will allow them to actually fix your customers issues. This does not mean providing them with a script to read off. It means giving them the technology and data to understand the customer and their needs, then encouraging them to do everything they can to ensure the customer leaves satisfied.  

Invest in the technology

In today’s environment, great customer service requires a balance between the human touch, technology and comprehensive data insights. Technology and data can completely transform your entire customer service process.

Whether it is providing a complete picture of a customers history, tracking and identifying internal issues or even handling basic communications, your business must invest in technology.

One of the fastest growing trends in customer-facing technology is providing a smart and consistent system that handles customer inquiries without having to speak to a human. In the past, this probably meant spending ages on the phone with an automated voice machine, as we know, this is highly frustrating.

However, chatbots have become a businesses best customer service tool. Simply placed on their website or social media accounts, it allows customers to have their basic questions answered in real-time without needing to wait on the phone or schedule a meeting. Not only streamlining a businesses customer service tasks but also ensuring the customer is seen to there and then.

Build a remote team

Businesses are starting to realise that customer service is not simply an afterthought. Now that many are starting to shift their approach to it, they are starting to investigate ways to ensure their customer services functions are top-notch.

The best way to achieve this is by building a remote offshore customer service team. Through trusted partners, like Deployed, businesses are able to build a highly scalable and experienced team of customer services professionals. Not only ensuring that they never fall short on quality customer service but also accessing it at a fraction of the cost of hiring a team locally. It truly is the best way to satisfy this critical business process.

Businesses can no longer afford to neglect their customer service functions. With consumers expecting more and more from businesses, you must keep up. Making this change will require a company-wide shift in how you approach your current customer base and meeting their needs. But, if you want to be competitive within your market, you must act now.

At Deployed, we have a great track record of building successful customer service teams for Australian and New Zealand businesses. If you would like to discuss the options available, get in touch today.