super20star.pngAs a cost-cutting measure but sadly not all of them ensure that the external agents have access to everything they need to keep the customers happy.

Online CRM solutions mean external customer service agents can deliver the service your customers expect as your data is central, secure and available for them to access no matter where they are located.

asset-14.pngCustomer service has changed!

Social media and digital marketing mean that:

  • Data needs to be captured from lots of different places.
  • Responses to feedback and queries have to be given in multiple new formats.
  • Customers expect everyone they speak to at the company to know exactly what interaction they’ve already had and how to resolve their problems.

It’s been recognised that Cloud CRM solutions are needed to improve customer service as they are continually developed to take advantage of the Big Data explosion. Cloud CRM can:

  • Help businesses to achieve better performance by using customer data and behaviour patterns to identify opportunities or churn.
  • Allocate leads for further nurturing or sales follow-up, dependent on the prospect’s behaviour.
  • Enable faster provisioning and better scalability.
  • Deliver significant cost efficiencies.
  • Keep track of all the different touch points a customer has, ensuring consistency of messaging and service.

But make no mistake. Success in customer service today is not just about technology; it’s about people. Your entire organisation needs to ensure that it really delivers in these key areas:

1. Apologise

Knowing when to say sorry for an issue is vital. Even if the customer isn’t always right, they should always feel like they are. So if they feel something has gone wrong, apologise for it.

2. Communicate

Keeping in touch and nurturing customers converts them more easily. Track every communication to make sure you don’t overdo it, and analyse the results to personalise the service in line with your customer’s engagements.

3. Listen

Without good listening skills, agents won’t deliver good service as they won’t have a clue what the customer said.

4. Anticipate

Customers don’t just buy products or services, they buy good feelings, good relationships and solutions to problems. By anticipating what their behaviour and problems reveal, you can deliver the right solutions.

5. Appreciate

Making the customer feel like you appreciate their business will keep them coming back for more. Customers that don’t feel appreciated will definitely be hot-footing it over to your competitors.

6. Learn

Seek feedback on all customer touch points to identify what’s working for your customers and what’s not, then change it. As without your customers you don’t have a business.

7. Educate

Help your customers to understand your products and services – if they feel unsure or confused about any element of it, they’ll be slow to invest and quick to complain. Deliver the collateral and conversations they need to get what you do.

8. Agree

Does a customer have a reasonable recommendation on how your products and services could be improved? Is the idea achievable and able to deliver more benefits? Then say yes to doing it! Customers that feel they can influence product development are the happiest kind.