A huge number of companies are now prioritizing service above everything else to win over their customers. And rightfully so. Here are some statistics that prove the extent of its importance:
Thanks to the combination of software systems, tools and strategies, gaining customer loyalty and retaining clients through high quality service is now more possible than ever.In this article, we share trends which will help you exceed customer expectations, meet all their needs, and improve your business as a result. Get to know these trends so you can stay "up to date" with all the latest in customer service.
Defining Trends in Customer Service
Customer service trends cover the ever-changing technologies and systems that play a major role in today's service delivery. An example of such are software Call Center solutions with multi-channel communication and many useful features, as well as IVR and AI technologies, chatbots, etc.
The new trends in service are completely customer-oriented. The consumers control how, when and where they interact with customer service representatives and companies. The latter need to stay on top of the latest trends to deliver a successful first-class customer experience. It is what encourages clients to stay.
Why is It Important to Follow These Trends?
Service plays a key role in how customers perceive a brand or company. Customers expect their needs to be heard and their cases to be resolved.
Providing high-quality service leads to customer loyalty and retention, which is the foundation of a successful business.
Following these trends also improves the overall customer experience, keeping you up to date with customer expectations, which you can meet and even exceed if you use modern technology and software solutions that, in addition to increasing customer satisfaction, will also make work easier to your employees.
Here are the TOP 5 Customer Service Trends we highly recommend you dig into and start following if you haven't already.
1. Self-Service Reaches Its Peak
Part of good customer service is entrusting some of it to the users themselves. Why? As many as 69% of customers prefer to find the necessary information or to solve their cases by themselves before contacting the Customer Service Department.
Customers often use Google for this purpose, therefore, making FAQ and Knowledgebase articles easily available to your customers is especially helpful.
Another self-service method is the use of chatbots. Chatbots "communicate" with customers based on predefined responses and dialogue scenarios.
IVR technology is also a common way of self-service. Similar to chatbots, its service is available 24/7, and customers use their phone's keyboard to perform passive operations such as account verification, business hours, etc., as well as active operations such as card blocking and change PIN code.
2. Everything is Simpler and Faster with Integrations and Automations
Integrations are essential for improving the quality of customer service. In order to take advantage of their benefits, the software solution your team works with must allow WEB & API integrations with external ERP, Billing, booking and other systems.
Other important features are the ability to import databases with customer data, as well as the integration of the main communication channels - Phone, Email, Web Chat, and Viber, so the distribution of customer inquiries among employees in your team can become fully automated. This results in a timely and adequate processing of the inquiries.
Automating processes make employees more efficient and productive, which reflects positively on the quality of service and customer satisfaction. An example of such automation in Call Center systems are the Automatic Call Distribution functionalities for automatic forwarding to the most suitable operator and Missed Call Distribution for processing missed calls, distributed evenly among agents. Both contribute to fast and high-quality service.
After you have secured the integrations with external systems and the communication channels, the modules for defining automatic actions are what follows. The latter are usually conditioned by the occurrence of a Trigger Event, and a subsequent action, which the system should perform fully automatically.
3. A Communication Channel for Every Taste
Multichannel or Omnichannel communication is a must for any contact center that puts customer service first. Above we shared that it is important that the system allows the integration of different communication channels... at least the mandatory Phone and Email. Why do you need more than two? The modern customer likes to have a choice tailored to his tastes and preferences, and each communication channel has its individual advantages.
Make sure you provide most, if not all, options for your customers to contact you. They will appreciate the choice of options and pick the communication channel or channels according to their time, needs and requirements.
While some prefer the live connection of the phone, others find it easier and less demanding to send an email, or prefer a real-time Web Chat, which both gives them direct contact with the business, but does not take their full attention during the correspondence. Turns out that the latter are a trend in themselves…
4. Chat Applications Are Gaining Popularity
Chat applications, messages in social network messengers, Viber, Live Web Chat on business websites... all these communication channels are becoming more and more popular with users every day. Here are some statistics that demonstrate it:
Many of these customer preferences relate to faster response times, the ability to send media, a history of correspondence that is saved on user devices, and last but not least, receiving a more personalized service.
5. Where Self-Service Meets Automations
This "hybrid" trend made it into our top 5 due to two main factors - speed and time. Time is extremely valuable to customers, and they expect a large part of the interactions and processes with the given business to be fully automated.
From taking requests and solving common problems to transferring calls from one agent to another and evaluating customer satisfaction, customer service processes are filled with activities that quickly become tedious for users.
Customers expect a lot of these actions to be automated – to be able to check the status of their orders and their account balance or to file a complaint without having to contact the business directly. All this is possible by choosing a multifunctional software system with the right set of tools.
Here are 5 Additional Customer Service Trends you can apply to your business:
- Companies Are Increasingly Investing in Improving Customer Service - 63% of businesses have invested more time, money and resources in improving customer service. The top 3 investments are software solutions, regular staff training and self-service options.
- Customers Demand More Personalized Service - In the age of self-service, users are increasingly demanding of support teams. When they look for them, they do not want to be served by "robotic" people, but expect a personalized approach, knowledge of their needs and consideration of their requirements.
- Customer Expect Empathy - Consumers want empathy from service agents when handling a case, not a negative "we can't do anything" attitude or rude behavior that discourages them and pushes them away from the brand.
- Face-to-Face Video Calls with Service Department - There are now customers who are not satisfied with just calling, sending an email or looking for you on Viber. They insist on video calls so they can see the eyes of the person servicing them.
- Transparency in Gathering Customer Information - Detailed customer information is important for providing personalized service, but consumers want transparency in the collection, use and sharing of their data and are willing to switch brands instantly if their information is being misused.
The elaborate software solution InfoServ CRM has the complete toolkit of useful and practical functionalities which contribute to the application of these current and important trends - multi-channel communication, including integration of Phone, Email, Web Chat and Viber, Interactive Voice Response for Self-Service; WEB & API integration with external systems; a powerful arsenal of automated processes and much more…
Request a free demo to see for yourself the amazing capabilities of the system and find out how using its full potential will take your business to another level.