Customer service is arguably as important as business products or services. Whether before, during, or after completing a purchase, customers will likely get in touch with a company’s customer service department in some shape or form throughout the customer journey. Because of this, customer service can be considered one of the faces of an organisation in and of itself.
A great customer service experience can organically build rapport among potential and current customers. By contrast, mediocre service might drive away clients or even damage your organisation’s reputation entirely. It shows how important it is to continually improve your organisation’s customer service by asking for customer feedback, investing in customer service management courses, and thinking of ways to optimise the customer journey from start to finish.
In line with this, identifying current trends in customer service is essential to improving your organisation’s customer service capabilities. To give you an idea of what these trends are, here are some currently popular ones that will most likely persist in the years to come:
Emphasis on Accessibility
Gone are the days when customer service contact methods are limited to phone calls, snail mail, or walk-ins to the business address. Nowadays, these traditional modes of customer service have expanded to include chat-based systems that act as more accessible alternatives.
However, chat support isn’t necessarily limited to third-party instant messaging platforms. Many businesses often build and host their chat support system directly on their website, making it easy for customers to get the information they need all in one place. Furthermore, some businesses also employ live video-based support for their customer service representatives. It allows them to provide troubleshooting assistance, especially when a suggested resolution requires a visual guide or a live tutorial.
Also, with the ongoing social movements toward the accessibility of people with health issues and impairments in modern society, customer services are now becoming more accommodating. For instance, some organisations train employees in elementary sign language to serve deaf and hard-of-hearing customers better. This simple act of inclusion goes a long way to show that the business truly cares for all of its customers.
Utilising Automated Technologies
When inquiries do not necessarily require the attention of a live, human customer support representative, customer service departments now use automated responses via software instead. Indeed, there are now many software solutions that allow businesses to come up with various automated reply templates. While automated chat support is one of the more popular kinds of automated technologies today, some organisations implement automation in email responses as well.
Automation is particularly convenient in dealing with simple inquiries, such as business hours, product and service rates, and basic troubleshooting questions. It also allows organisations to provide the first line of customer support even outside their typical working hours and during holidays.
That said, automated support systems tend to be simplistic, at least at the moment. Live human assistance is still often needed, especially for more complex issues. Nonetheless, as automation and artificial intelligence continue to progress, technology will no doubt become a major player in the customer service industry in the years to come.
A Preference for Self-Service Support
Speaking of automated chat systems, many modern customers now prefer to try and solve the problem themselves before resorting to speaking with a live, human customer service representative. It is because doing so means they won’t have to deal with any waiting time, ticketing, or queueing, among other things.
In line with this, businesses now offer many resources to allow customers to pull this off. Such resources can come in the form of engaging infographics, comprehensive FAQ pages, and pre-recorded tutorials. In short, self-service support provides customers with instant and easy-to-implement solutions to easy-to-fix problems. If customers can solve their problems themselves, this can free up customer service representatives so that they can focus on more urgent or complex inquiries. A bonus benefit to implementing self-service support is that it can help build brand awareness, as these resources mostly have the business’s overall branding in mind.
Personalised Customer Service Experiences
As the name implies, customers are the main focus of customer service. It, therefore, makes sense to tailor each customer service experience to each customer whenever possible. It entails creating a service experience that focuses on an individual’s particular issues rather than generalising about a business’s overall customer base.
One-size-fits-all responses are inherently limited, meaning some issues, especially uncommon ones, are less likely to be solved by these solutions alone. They can even come across as uncaring when misused, causing customers to feel unheard and invalidated.
So, even with the advent of automated systems and self-service resources, personalised customer service experiences still reign supreme in terms of customer satisfaction. There’s still nothing quite as reassuring as speaking with an actual human representative, one that will address every concern they have in an accessible manner, no matter how seemingly minuscule these concerns may seem.
It may take more time and energy, but it’s worth the effort. Whether over the phone, a chat platform, email, or a publicly accessible forum, taking the time to listen to and make each customer heard by providing personalised solutions will go a long way for any business’s reputation.
High-quality customer service creates memorable, positive experiences for a business’s customers. Because of this, many organisations are always looking for new ways to improve their customer service departments, constantly raising the bar of customer satisfaction. Indeed, even if a business had the best products and services in a particular industry, it can still be overtaken by another company with similar offerings but better customer service. All in all, improving customer experience means building a lasting relationship with your customers, a relationship that moves your business forward.
Need more guidance on further developing the customer service quality of your business? Consider contacting us here at Priority Management, an organisation that provides top-of-the-line customer service training, among many other skills training we offer.