tawandamusarurwa
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
“Customer service is just day in, day out ongoing, never-ending, unremitting, persevering, compassionate, type of activity” Leon Gorman, CEO at L.L. Bean.
Having a customer service department is one thing, and providing real customer service delight is exceptional.
With only a few days left for us to step into 2022, organisations need to pull up their stockings and brace for another competitive year.
One thing they should keep in mind is that today’s customer is emotional and spoilt of choice, since he or she can obtain information and entertainment at the spur of the moment.
Products, services and even organisations’ performance reviews are a click away, and it takes delightful customer service to stay and compete in the game.
Here are some ways organisations can play that customer service game in 2022:
1. First Call Response – When customers make a call to your organisation – it can be physical or online – their issue must be attended at the first call. Assisting them at the very first call is also known as the ‘first call resolution’. I have had incidences with my mobile service provider, whenever I have a problem and I contact them through the phone, it is a struggle to get through to their customer service, and they never respond at the first call. The call may get answered, and you are told to hold on for more than twenty minutes or longer, and along the way the call may cut and other attempts to get hold of them are complete nightmares. If you are lucky to get someone on the line, you have to repeat the same problem to the new agent on the line. So, basically if you lose your call five times then you have to repeat your story the same number of times to five different agents who would have picked your call.
Although this service provider is one of the biggest mobile service providers in Zimbabwe, their customer service over the phone is pretty awful services. Organisations must make sure that they have high Key Performance Indicators (KPI), since these are a reflection that customers wait at the shortest possible time to have their issues resolved. It also means that their customers do not have to make multiple calls to the same organisation, get answered by different agents regarding one issue as this is quite irritating to repeat the same issue over a dozen times.
Different organisations use different methods to measure first call response. Some may use phone calls only, while others prefer live chat. In order for organisations to perform better on first call response they must invest in a strong CRM or call centre software solution that has all the customer information and history at hand. Agents should be able to quickly retrieve all the information regarding any customer who might contact the organisation. Regular training on how to serve customers better and quickly are a must. Action should also be taken on agents that fail to conform.
2. Avail Self Service – In this digital age, it is just normal for customers to have a platform to serve themselves though self-service portals. Issues can be resolved online wherever and at any time, in the comfort of the customer’s space. Organisations should make sure that there are user-friendly tools and resources on these portals, such that even customers with limited technological knowledge are able to use and solve different issues. Frequently asked questions option is also included on self-service customer platforms, while in other instances, animated tutorials, illustrated guides, chat-bots and community forums are also included. Customer service agents that serve an organisation that has an up-to-date self-service portal have less pressure, while their customers tend to enjoy an improved customer experience.
3. Provide Quick Response through Optimisation – Every customer wants a quick response when they raise an issue or enquiry with an organisation. For instance, when I send my request via social media or live chat, my expectations of a response are that it should be either in real time or within five minutes of sending it through. However, the response time varies with the channel being used by the customer.
The organisation’s representatives can adjust the speed at which they respond to customers, and they can do that only if they are fully capacitated with skills and information necessary to execute their duties. Customers have always preferred dealing with representatives that are knowledgeable, confident and who respond quickly. Do not allow company representatives to have a burnout at the office, as this has an effect on their first response time. Allow them to recharge their batteries by taking time off, offer competitive benefits and packages and always show them gratitude for their efforts to the organisation.
4. Offer Omnichannel Customer Service – No single channel is universal for all customers. Different customers prefer different communication channels when dealing with different organisations. Customers communicate by phone, video, social media, live chat, and electronic mail, hence, there is need for organisations to be able to offer a variety of these channels. ‘Omnichannel’ simply means more channels, and when these are at the customers’ disposal it is easy to for them to reach the organisation without any hiccups.
Organisations must be reachable to their target market, and it is even better when they are able to see their customers’ streamlined conversation history on whatever channel is used at any time. What it means is that the customer can either use any channel without having to repeat themselves over and over. This also allows the customer to reach out to the organisation using a preferred channel, and this will result in a more personalised customer experience. For instance, I prefer contacting service providers on Twitter since I always get responses quickly compared to any other channel.
*Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer service. For comments, suggestions and training, she can be reached on [email protected] or on 0712 979 461
Online Reporter