Ring in the Changes to Improve Customer Service in the New Year

According to HubSpot, 9 out of 10 business leaders in 2021 stated that customer service expectations are higher than ever. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 consumers now demand an immediate response to customer service questions, and for 6 of those consumers, that means in 10 minutes or less.
Companies today must continually improve customer service or risk losing ground. Fortunately, the supportyourapp.com team compiled this list of best practices to help you overhaul your support department.

How to Improve Customer Support in 5 Easy Steps

Respond to Customer Feedback
As the end-users, your clients are among the best equipped to tell you what they want and need. Moreover, many are willing to do so if you act on their recommendations. So your company must take constructive criticism seriously and work toward correcting issues cropping up.

Offer 24/7 Omnichannel Support
This tip depends on your client base and which platforms they are most comfortable using. However, offering only telephonic support during office hours in the digital age paints your company as outdated.
Chatbot technology makes it simple to provide instant answers across several platforms. While the bots can only handle basic queries, they act as a touchpoint showing clients you are available.
You can then ramp up support with human consultants. If you do not have the employee capacity to handle 24/7 support, outsourcing this function is a cost-effective solution.

Monitor Your Results
It’s easy to assume that you are doing the right thing, but unless you are at ground level, it’s easy to make errors. Today’s CRM systems have impressive data-gathering capabilities, so take advantage of these to gain meaningful insights into customer satisfaction and behavior.

Optimize Self-Service Solutions
More and more clients are willing to look for the answers they require on their own. Make this as simple as possible by creating solutions that make finding solutions simple. A well-organized knowledge base is a perfect place to start.
Content marketing frequently asked questions, and well-timed content updates provide a solid base of information from which clients can draw. As an ancillary benefit, your knowledge basis offers a vital reference point for consultants within your organization and strengthens your web presence.

Use Automation Wisely
The recent uproar over ChatGPT and similar services have made many business owners rethink the question of providing live customer support. ChatGPT represents a significant leap forward in AI capabilities regarding providing valuable answers.
However, it is still a long way from perfect, and not all clients wish to use automated solutions. Therefore, the savvy company will give consumers a choice in their contact method instead of forcing them to select one solution over another. Not doing so runs the risk of alienating clients.
For example, Paypal has the annoying habit of referring clients to its online knowledge base when they reach out through instant chat. As a result, consumers with more complex queries must go through several frustrating steps to speak to a human.
However, when the option to speak to a consultant comes up, Paypal advises clients that it will take several hours for someone to respond. This message comes up even during regular office hours when clients can call the company directly.
To make clients jump through hoops in this nonsensical manner is insane, considering how high customer expectations are at the moment. Therefore, the Support Your App team recommends planning automated services very carefully before replacing live personnel.

In Conclusion
Improving customer service is no longer a luxury that businesses cannot afford. Today’s consumer is highly sophisticated and demanding and requires a more deft touch.