Whether big or small, every business needs satisfied customers to prosper. Customer service is integral to your business because it increases customer loyalty, and generates positive word of mouth about your products and services. Technology has also transformed the market interaction between consumers and producers. Live chat and other software are changing the standard communication channels in the customer service sector. Chatbots have proven to be capable of intelligently interacting and assisting humans online.
These communication channels have transformed the everyday lives of support companies and the work of customer service agents that monitor them. In this article, we explore the different ways technology will shape the future of customer service for the better.
How will the evolution of technology affect the future of customer service?
The current evolution in technology affects the future of customer service as it creates alternative communication channels to answer and solve customer queries. This means the telephone waiting lines for customer service will drastically decrease since more options are available to customers.
When it comes to cost, adopting and implementing new technology, such as customer relationship management (CRM) tools or chatbots, is a one-time investment. Modern technology holds the future of the customer care sector due to its high convenience and changing customer habits.
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9 ways technology is going to transform customer service
Here are 10 ways technology is going to transform customer service:
- Online community
- Social media outreach
- Chatbox and chatbots
- Omnichannel service experience
- Remote work
- Voice of the Customer (VoC)
- Personalized customer service training
- Real-time messaging
- Data analytics influencing business decisions
1. Online Community
You can be certain that if your product or service is selling, there is an online community on the Internet that discusses it in-depth and shares feedback Whether it be a Twitter thread, a YouTube tutorial, or a forum like Reddit, these online resources often have the answer to problems customers may be experiencing with your product.
Using text-mining tools, it is now possible to find all the comments regarding your product and monitor the online community of your company. By analyzing customer feedback, you can identify recurring problems and solve them proactively.
3. Social Media Outreach
The advent of social media has dramatically revolutionized our world. With increasing people gaining access to Internet services worldwide, companies can now approach a larger segment of potential customers. In regards to customer service, social media is a channel of communication that can be used to answer the questions of customers.
If your online community found an innovative way of using your product or service, make sure to share it on your company’s feed! This promotes the activity of your online community and demonstrates to online visitors that there’s a real back and forward between your business and its customers.
4. Chatbots
Customer service departments have witnessed enhanced use of automated chatbots. More businesses are looking forward to deploying chatbots to meet customers’ expectations who desire real-time responses to their questions or problems. Chatbots are used to answer customer queries, and if a situation is beyond its capabilities, a customer service agent is notified to take charge. In upcoming years, bots will use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to interpret nuances of different languages and better understand the intent of a question.
5. Omnichannel Service Experience
The Internet has created new communication channels and windows of opportunity to sell products and services. This means that customer service is essential in-store, online, and on different platforms. The idea of an omnichannel service experience is to offer a personalized service regardless of the point of entry of the customer.
An example of this could be a customer’s request to buy something online, and choose whether they want to receive it by mail or pick it up in-store the same day. This improved customer experience requires more logistics, and better customer service at every level of the omnichannel to facilitate the customer’s journey.
6. Normalizing Remote Work
The future of the customer service sector will not only push customers online, but it will also move numerous customer service representatives on computers. Rather than being confined to call centers, customer service reps will have more tools to work from home. This practice has already been in a surge since the pandemic started, and it has proven to significantly reduce the running cost of businesses, while simultaneously boosting productivity. Customer service agents will soon be answering more emails, live chat, and cloud-based solutions than answering the phone.
7. Voice of the Customer (VoC)
Today, with the rise of connectivity, customer reviews and experiences with different brands are spreading faster than ever. To keep up with their expectations, brands and market leaders are increasingly investing in customer-oriented strategies such as Voice of the Customer (VoC) programs to understand the customer experience they offer.
After all, a successful business is a company that understands its customers and provides stellar customer service. VoC is often talked about in the context of customer experience or product/service experience, but it can also be employed to gather feedback on the quality of the customer service of your company.
8. Personalized Customer Service Training
Service training has traditionally been one-size-fits-all. Nevertheless, as sentiment analysis tools make it practical and easier to identify each customer rep’s weaknesses and strengths, training will become more tailored to each employee’s requirements.
Those who need more time to learn about the product will master its features, whereas more technically savvy employees will get training that builds their communication skills. To personalize your training, you’ll need to survey your team before, during, and after each task.
9. Real-Time Messaging
While there will always be customers who will approach you via email, a more significant percentage of people prefer real-time assistance. Facebook Messenger has been a real trailblazer in this regard. In addition to establishing communication between agents and customers, the platform also offers specific support metrics, such as average response times.
10. Data Analytics Will Aid in Decision Making
Whenever customers approach the customer support team, the interaction can be quantitatively measured for its effectiveness. This may be done through surveys after the issue is resolved. Surveys and other types of customer feedback tool help the support team understand their audience. If employees notice a pattern in survey answers, they can suggest changes in the services and the product. They can also guide the content development team to improve the Q&A section of the website.
Customer support plays a significant role for a business because it is generally the sector that deals with customers post-purchase. Across the globe, 96% of people say customer service is a vital factor for their choice of loyalty to a company or brand (source). The need to satisfy an increasingly demanding clientele has forced many organizations to reposition and strengthen their customer service resources and in this matter, technology has contributed a lot.
The inBe platform captures the voice of the customer in a highly secure environment with real-time access as consumers weigh in! As soon as responses are published, they are summarized in customized reports. Whether you’re curious to see the trends evolve as the number of respondents increases, or seek to optimize the quality of your customer service, you’ll have the data and report to achieve your goals