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Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
“Strive to be a success but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein
Compliments of the new season!
The primary objective of customer service is to ensure that customers are satisfied with the products or services they receive.
Incorporating technology in customer service is not a new concept. However, the use of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in customer service is a relatively new concept that has not been explored to its full potential.
VAR is a technology that has been introduced in sports to assist referees in making accurate decisions.
The system has been implemented in football, rugby and cricket, among other sports.
On the other hand, in business, most organisations use video chat solutions.
However, the use of video chat solutions has replaced reactive customer support channels (phone and email) owing to the numerous benefits it offers.
By using video chat solutions, clients can directly connect with the customer service agents in real-time and get their queries solved quickly.
Nonetheless, the use of video chat solutions alone may not be sufficient to provide excellent customer service.
This is where the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system comes into play.
The VAR system can be used in customer service to support the decision-making process of customer service agents in four customer-changing situations: customer complaints, product returns, refunds, and exchanges. Throughout the customer service interaction, the video assistant referee team constantly checks for clear and obvious errors related to these four customer-changing situations. The VAR team communicates with the customer service agent only for clear and obvious mistakes or serious missed incidents.
Below is how VAR can be incorporated into customer service to enhance customer experience.
- Customer complaints
The VAR team can help customer service agents resolve customer complaints quickly and efficiently by providing them with all the information they need to make informed decisions. For example, if a customer complains about a product that they received, the VAR team can check the customer’s purchase history and provide the customer service agent with information about the product, such as its features, specifications and warranty information.
- Product returns
Customer service agents can be assisted by VAR team to process product returns quickly and efficiently by verifying customer information and checking the product’s condition. For instance, if a customer wants to return a product, the VAR team can verify the customer’s purchase history and check the product’s condition to ensure that it is eligible for return.
- Refunds
Refunds can be processed quickly and efficiently by verifying customer information and checking the product’s condition. For example, if a customer requests a refund, the VAR team can verify the customer’s purchase history and check the product’s condition to ensure that it is eligible for a refund.
- Exchanges
The VAR team can help customer service agents process exchanges quickly and efficiently by verifying customer information and checking the product’s condition. For example, if a customer wants an exchange, the VAR team can verify the customer’s purchase history and check the product’s condition to ensure that it is eligible for exchange.
In addition to the above four customer-changing situation, I will discuss how VAR can also provide real-time assistance to customer service representatives, monitor customer service interactions and provide personalised recommendations to customers. By leveraging VAR, companies can ensure that customers are satisfied with the products or services they receive.
- Real-time assistance
VAR can provide real-time assistance to customer service representatives. For instance, if a customer is experiencing difficulty with a product, the customer service representative can use VAR to access the customer’s device remotely and provide assistance.
- Monitoring customer service interactions
VAR can be used to monitor customer service and tailor their interactions based on their preferences, purchase history and communication preferences. By analysing customer service interactions, VAR can identify areas where customer service representatives need improvement. This can help build stronger relationships with customers and improve customer satisfaction.
- Personalised recommendations
VAR can provide personalised recommendations to customers. By analysing customer data, VAR can identify products or services that are likely to be of interest to a particular customer. The agents can use this information to recommend products and services that suit the customer’s preferences.
- Improving customer satisfaction
VAR helps customer service agents to make better decisions, reduce the time taken to resolve customer complaints and improve customer satisfaction.
By using VAR, customer service agents can have access to all the information they need to make informed decisions.
This can help them resolve customer complaints and take proactive measures to prevent similar complaints from occurring in the future.
Finally, the use of VAR in customer service can help customer service agents make better decisions, reduce the time taken to resolve customer complaints and improve customer satisfaction.
As technology continues to evolve, it is important for businesses to explore new ways to use technology to improve customer service and stay ahead of the competition.
* 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, 0719 978 335
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