Customers want the best. Is it enough to simply be there for customers when they need you?
Increasingly, organisations must anticipate customer needs and deliver what they want, even if that means prioritising satisfaction over sales or profits in the short term.
If you want to succeed in today’s market, you need an omnichannel customer service program that works across all your available communication channels: email, phone calls, social media, chatbots and more.
Here are seven ways you can deliver first-class customer service…
1. Be consistent.
As you’re building your omnichannel customer service strategy, it’s important to keep consistency in mind. If your customers can’t find the same information on different platforms or if they are confused by how their questions are answered, they’ll be less likely to come back and make purchases from you in the future.
It’s also important for your brand as a whole, including tone and language to be consistent across platforms.
Your company may use an informal tone on its website but opt for a more formal approach when answering emails through social media channels like Twitter or Facebook Messenger (or even phone calls). This doesn’t mean that every time someone tweets at you they need an entirely different response than if they emailed; it just means that there should be a connection between all three ways of reaching out.
We should ensure customers don’t feel like they’re talking to an entirely different company, depending on the platform they use to communicate with us.
2. Be quick.
We all want a response within 24 hours of an initial inquiry (or even faster, where possible). Make sure you respond within five minutes of receiving the question. The faster your team can resolve issues and answer questions from customers, the more likely they will be satisfied with your service and return in the future.
If live chat isn’t an option for your company, or if you don’t have enough resources to handle customer inquiries in real-time, consider using a call centre instead – but only if doing so makes sense for both sides!
For example: if most people contact you via phone because they prefer speaking over texting or emailing (and vice versa), then having someone available always might make sense.
3. Be authentic.
When communicating with customers across multiple channels it’s important to write copy the same as you would speak it. Consistent language and tone should be used across all channels so that customers don’t get confused about what kind of business you are and what kind of service they can expect from you.
Remember:
Avoid using slang on one channel and formal language on another. If you have different departments within your company or if there are different regions in which the company operates, make sure that everyone uses the same type of language when speaking with customers.
4. Use social.
Social media is a great way to connect with your customers and get feedback.
It’s also a great place to respond to customer queries and promote dynamic specials.
For example: if you’re running an online sale on Black Friday, it would be helpful if you could use Facebook Messenger or Twitter Direct Messages (DMs) to let people know about the sale. They could then click on a link in their DM that takes them directly through checkout.
Social media helps build brand awareness too. When a customer sees something they like on social media, they may want more information. This creates opportunities for engagement down the line.
5. Use analytics.
You can use analytics to identify issues, measure customer satisfaction and improve customer service.
Analytics help you determine the best way to communicate with your customers based on their behaviour. They also allow you to see if there are any gaps or areas where communication could be improved.
6. Sign-post contact.
You want your customers to be able to easily contact you. That’s why you should:
Build a good website. Highlight as high on the page as possible ways people can contact you, whether through phone, email or chat support.
Display contact numbers where relevant so customers can call if they don’t want to use other forms of communication. The same goes for providing an email address as well as chat support options.
7. Deliver value.
The key to good customer service is consistently closing queries across all communication channels so that customers know what to expect no matter how they contact you.
Positive conclusions will help ensure that your business reputation remains positive and doesn’t suffer from bad word-of-mouth or negative reviews on social media.
If every interaction is different from the last it becomes a challenge not only as a user experience, but for potential brand loyalists who want to advocate the business they love.
High expectations, but not impossible to deliver…
Customers expect a seamless experience across channels. Whether they’re contacting you by phone or email, they want to receive the same level of service no matter what device they use or where they are located.
This can be challenging for any business looking to implement an omnichannel strategy. As a leading Contact Centre specialist, Brook Street is familiar with these changing demands and work with employers to ensure their workforces continuously meet customers’ needs effectively and efficiently.
How do we stay ahead?
Technology has had a revolutionary impact on the contact centre space and is set to only continue modernising the industry.
To learn how we are working with clients to identify skills needed for contact centres today, and how you can improve your processes to utilise the latest technological offerings.
