While any company can market themselves and grow a following, only those that offer quality products and good customer service will continue to thrive and grow. People underestimate the importance of customer service and what it means for the buyer. If they are made to feel valued during the process, they are much more likely to not only purchase from the company but become loyal to them and even advertise via word of mouth. Here are seven ways that technology will affect customer service.
Social Media Connectivity
As technology continues to improve, so does social media. There are now billions of people around the world connected via these platforms. As a business, it is a great way to provide great customer service and build up a strong customer base. How can you utilize social media for this? The experts at Bundle Digital state that having a social media presence and communicating with your customers will help them feel more valued. They will also identify with you on a much more personal level because of this.
Take the time to speak with your customers on these platforms and get their feedback. The more you make their opinion and voice matter, the better the result will be for you and your company. It can be simple things as replies to tweets or posts, or can even go into direct messaging to speak with a customer privately. The more active you are on these platforms, the better you and your business will do.
Face to Face Video Communication
Although phones allow you to speak to someone directly, they can be very impersonal, and hard to identify the root of the problem. With apps like Zoom skyrocketing in popularity due to the pandemic, the future is shifting towards video calls for plenty of businesses. If a customer calls in and has a problem, consider scheduling a video call with them. Not only will they be that much more personal, but they might even be able to physically show the issue that they are having on camera.
Real-Time Messaging Vs. Emails
Companies are already beginning to switch over from emails towards live chat support. While emails can convey plenty of information, they are a slow form of communication generally spanning across a few days. This can be frustrating for any customer looking for a quick answer and solution to a problem. Real-time messaging will allow them to express these issues but also get a much quicker response.
Remote Work
Call centers are also beginning to die out as studies are showing that people who work at home are much more productive than they would be at the centers. There are more tools being invented to work remotely and connect to the business database instead of having to go right in. Along with that, there is also technology allowing technicians to take control of a customer’s computer, allowing them to fix a tech problem without having to travel out to the home.
Streamlining Bots
Bots will never replace humans completely, as it can be impossible to program them to truly respond to everything and grasp what is being said. However, bots can be used to streamline individuals into the right support brackets. Before speaking to a live representative, a direct message conversation with a bot can help narrow down your issue, allowing you to speak with an expert on the matter. This will save both you and the company time as it will get you to someone who can solve your problem instantly.
Data Analysis of Customer Service
Everything in the business world is being analyzed and optimized to be as efficient as possible. The same thing will be done for customer service. The analysis will be done to see how happy customers are with the service they are being provided, and methods and strategies will be employed to improve this. As technology improves, a lot of this will be automated, and data will be collected automatically to be studied.
Personalized Support
As technology improves, so does the way companies can gather data about us and our tendencies. They can use this to provide the best possible experience for us when we visit them online or contact them. They will have a database of each person, allowing representatives to learn about the customer before they have even spoken to them. This will give each interaction an added bit of personalization, which will greatly improve the company.
All of these are ways that you can expect to see technology impact the customer service industry. The industry will continue to grow as its importance continues to increase with each passing year. How do you plan on using technology to help improve your customer service?
