Best Practices for Delivering Excellent Customer Service Across Channels

...... Best Practices to Boost Your CUSTOMER SERVICE ACROSS CHANNELS: SOCIAL MEDIA AND PHONE 93% 91% Executives who say improving the customer experience is one of their organization's top priorities Executives who want to be considered a customer experience leader in their industry REALITY CHECK Those who consider the Those who have a state of their customer 37% 20% formal customer service experience to be advanced experience plan WHAT SUPPORT CHANNELS ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS USING? THE SUPPORT CHANNELS PEOPLE PREFER TO USE 36% Phone 33% Live chat 25% Email 5% Online support portal 2% Social media WHAT FRUSTRATES CUSTOMERS MOST 22% 21% 18% Being passed between agents Having to contact a brand or organization multiple times for the same issue Not being able to reach a live person 17% 13% 9% Not being able to resolve an issue or find enough helpful information online Impolite customer service agents Being kept waiting on hold THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF A SATISFYING CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE 34% 29% 27% 10% Resolving the problem on first contact, no matter how long it takes Getting the issue resolved fast A friendly, knowledgeable agent Finding the information without help Social Media's Role in Customer Service Customers who engage with companies over social media are more loyal They spend up to 40 percent more with those companies than other customers When customers reach out to companies on social media, they expect a response 15%: in less than an hour 46%: in 24 hours or less 14%: in 48 hours or less 25%: never To improve your response times on social media, use tools to track mentions of your company online Google Alerts Google Sign in Alerts Monitor the web for interesting new Content Q Your Company How Often At most once a day Sources Automati Language Englsh Reglon Any Region How many Onlythe best results Enter Email Create Alert Hide Options A Mention mention Features Success stories Priking Blog Help Center Log in Sign Up Never miss a thing online Your email address Create your first alert for free You can also manage multiple social media accounts simultaneously from one dashboard so nothing falls through the cracks e buffer * Hootsuite" When Social Media Isn't Enough: How to Handle Common Customer Service Complaints Over the Phone When customers call your business, they expect To handle their issue quickly and effectively To speak to a person without jumping through hoops Professional and courteous agents Their problem will be solved correctly the first time "I keep getting transferred from person to person." PROBLEM SOLUTION: Try to answer the question where it was asked - Don't shuffle customers around by telling them to contact you another way - Frustrated customers or those with more complex problems should be helped over the phone or email 56% Customers who have to re-explain the problem Instead of cold transfers, use call center software with conference calling capabilities - Conference in a colleague, rather than transfer the call 1 If a transfer is still necessary, use a warm transfer "You have no idea what you're talking about." PROBLEM SOLUTION: Address recurring questions or comments with a more thorough response 1 Add the answer to the FAQ section of your website - Write a blog post customers can reference - Chronic problems may need to be addressed with in-house changes 50% Times that customer service failed to answer customers' questions Use call center software that integrates with your other databases " Always know the customer's entire interaction history "You were impatient and nasty to me." PROBLEM SOLUTION: Show you care 70% - Use phrases like "I hear you" or "I'm sorry" when communicating online - Make it personal by allowing the rep to use his or her name in the response - "Don't just listen; understand" Buying experiences that are based on how the customer feels they are being treated Engage in active listening - Allows for a better understanding of the customers' needs 1 Shows a willingness to help - How can you actively listen? - Allow the customer to talk without interruption I Reflect back their main question or concern - Ask clarifying questions when necessary 82% Customers who experienced bad customer service and were most frustrated by unfriendly or impolite agents Ensure the customer is aware you understood them Social media is a valuable tool for customer service teams, but it can't be the only one. Use it in conjunction with solid phone support to improve your customers' experience with your company, boost their loyalty, and increase your bottom line. Brought to you by: talkdēsk oracle.com paratureprod.blog.core.windows.net bain.com brandfailure.com gomoxie.com marketingcharts.com huffingtonpost.com deloitte.com helpscout.net marketingdonut.co.uk blog.kissmetrics.com hbr.org americanexpress.com blog.talkdesk.com