Leaning On Tech: Why Customer Service is Going Digital

In recent years, customer service has gone digital. It's not uncommon for customers to tweet at a company about an issue they're having or have sent them an email through the website. The number of people reaching out to companies in this way is growing, and it's becoming more and more critical for businesses to respond quickly and efficiently when this happens. This blog post will cover some of the ways that customer service now goes digital and how you can leverage technology so that your team is prepared when dealing with these situations.

Why you should go digital How easy would it be to check your email or simply ask a question of someone in the office if you wanted to find out where your latest order is? It's much more convenient than picking up the phone and speaking with someone through an automated system. What's also great about digital customer service channels is they're fast. You don't have to wait on hold while you're on the phone. Sending an email means it won't bounce back and forth between you and a server, and figuring out what happened with your package can take minutes instead of hours. Digital customer service also allows customers access even when there isn't anyone available at the moment who could help them. This has become incredibly useful for companies that deal with high volume. Their support site can ensure that customers are directed to the right place when they're looking for help. This also lets them make sure even the most minor question is addressed promptly and doesn't slip through the cracks.

How to implement a successful digital customer service strategy The biggest reason why some businesses don't have a solid digital strategy in place is that they're worried it will cost them too much money or take up too much time. But this isn't the case, and there are plenty of ways to make everything work flawlessly. For example, if you already have Salesforce, simply adding an automated email response to your website that explains how you'll respond to customer questions and links the user through to a specific section on the site can be enough. It's also important to look at any other tools you already have in place and see if they can offer anything that will get you started. For example, if your website is hosted on WordPress, you can simply install the Automatic solution. If you don't currently use any of these programs, now might be a good time to look into them and see which one is right for you.

Tips for implementing a successful digital customer service strategy

- Be specific and welcoming. Make sure that the first few sentences of your automated responses let visitors know exactly who they're speaking with and that you'll be happy to help them figure out how to best get results. - Keep things personal. Saying "you" instead of "a visitor" or "an individual" can make customers feel like they're getting to know an actual person and not just a visitor on the website. - Keep things simple. Follow-up questions should be easy for you and your customer to work through, which means keeping them as simple as possible. - Make it worthwhile for customers. Mention that you'll respond quickly or provide discounts for their inconvenience, and make sure that you honor anything you say. - Be available in several channels. Just because your business is primarily digital doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to be reached if, for some reason, customers aren't able to contact you through an automated message on your website. - Don't limit yourself to automated responses. Nothing should pop up on your site if you aren't available to answer questions or provide assistance, and the same goes for other channels. - Speak with customers in a similar tone, no matter what channel they're using. If you don't have anyone explicitly designated to handle emails while someone else handles social media, then make sure you're handing things over to the right people when they need to be answered. - Have a team that is committed to making your digital customer service strategy a success. Once you've implemented your plan, then you'll be ready to focus on turning it into a true success. With the right tools, it's easy to get started with a solid digital customer service strategy and continue improving all areas of your business.

What the future holds for customer service and technology integration It's hard to say precisely what the future will hold for customer service and technology integration, but it seems safe to assume that there will be many changes shortly. For example, voice recognition software will likely become standard in all customer service departments. Speech-to-text technology will give representatives the ability to categorize customers' messages based on keywords. Another area of interest is virtual reality, with many researchers suggesting that offering customers a chance to "step into" your products or services can aid in sales and give customers a better understanding of what you have to offer. There will be continued growth in artificial intelligence, with AI-powered chatbots able to handle basic customer service queries even more quickly than humans. As new tools continue to appear on the market, you'll need to constantly be on the lookout for ways to offer your customers better experiences overall. The best way to do this is to test out new tools and figure out which ones can help you improve your customer service without making things any more complicated than they have to be. No matter how many advances are made in technology, one thing will always hold: happy customers are the most valid indicator of a business's success. As long as your company is dedicated to making customer service a priority, then you'll find that implementing new tools and technologies around you can only help you achieve that goal more quickly.

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