Acquiring customers is one thing. Keeping them is another.
These days, every business needs to focus on creating loyal customers who will patronise their products or services, and are happy to promote their brand to the world, for free — in addition to getting new customers, too.
However, there are many challenges that stand in the way for brands in terms of customer service. In today’s article, let's discuss some of the most crucial challenges and how to overcome them with aplomb.
A poorly designed website
Your website is an extension of your customer service team, which means that you’ll want to keep an eye on it to ensure your web design meets users’ requirements.
When your site contains enough useful information, customers can then solve problems on their own. Consequently, this self-service approach means that less customers will need to actually pick up the phone to call, or email you.
Focus on making all your content clear, especially product listings and descriptions, as well as policies. Additionally, a good idea is to add an FAQ section as well. As such, making your website accessible to everyone according to web accessibility standards and laws will allow you to engage more customers.
Also, you should check that all buttons on your site are clickable and accessible from a keyboard, and the pages or categories are arranged in a logical, easy-to-navigate manner.
Miscommunication between customers and specialists
Not being able to solve customer problems can cost companies millions of dollars per year. $62.4 million, to be exact.
Miscommunication happens a lot when customers cannot clearly express their thoughts or hoping they get a different response from the company. It's triggered by a lack of context, hasty assumptions, the vagueness of a process, or too much communication.
Consider these techniques to avoid miscommunication between your team members and customers:
- Train employees to practice active listening.
- Create a culture that encourages two-way communication.
- Invest in product training.
- Create a simplified process for communication.
Using the wrong communication Tools
In this technology-savvy world, there is no shortage of communication tools that can be used by customer service teams. Over the years, technologies like chat and messaging services have made it easier and quicker for companies to communicate with their customers.
However, it's essential to choose the right tools for your business.
Some of the most reliable tools include:
- Call Center Software
Over 70% of customers still use voice customer service channels, so call center software remains a very important tool.
- Email Helpdesk
Email is the third most popular customer support channel. Helpdesk tools are a step up from regular emails because they come with features that support team collaboration, monitoring, and efficiency.
- Live Chat
Be sure to integrate live chat software as most customers appreciate real-time responses to their concerns and queries.
A lack of knowledge towards queries
Not providing a solution to a customer's problem is sure to be a major disappointment. It's also the biggest issue for clients, to boot.
Getting different answers from customer service representatives can be frustrating. It is a hindrance to building strong brand perception and customer relationships.
It's not enough that businesses focus on improving the customer interaction skills of their team members — they also need to invest in product knowledge training, as customer service representatives have the responsibility of understanding the company's offerings.
Plus, they should also be good at diagnosing common support issues, answering customer questions promptly and accurately, and resolving support requests on their own. Essentially, technical skills and consistency in delivering good responses are crucial to customer service.
Make sure to leverage your knowledge base. If you don't have one yet, you should build a knowledge base that can be used by both your customer service representatives and customers.
And finally, you should also provide easy access to experienced peers. Peer mentoring is a great way for customer service teams to solve customer concerns more quickly.
Conclusion
Customers are the lifeblood of every business. Consequently, companies need to make the extra effort to provide high quality service by ensuring that their concerns are resolved in a timely manner.
With that in mind, one of the best ways to take your business’ customer service to the next level is to use virtual business phone systems such as Omni Hotline. Thanks to cloud-based technologies and a wide range of useful features, you’ll see an increase in productivity, along with lower costs for your business.
With features such as a virtual receptionist, as well as automated voicemail-to-text transcriptions, intelligent call routing, and a local landline number, you’ll see overall improvements for your customer service, and your overall business with Omni Hotline — along with a work environment that will be completely stress-free.
Ready to make the switch? Check out Omni Hotline, a virtual business phone system that allows businesses of all sizes to stay in touch with customers who call in — directly from your smartphone.
You also get a local landline number from as low as RM69/month, while there’s no hardware required with everything managed via the web dashboard or Omni app. For more info, you can check out Omni’s website at omnihotline.my.
