IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR BETTER CUSTOMER RETENTION


Customer retention is a major part of increasing profits. It is common sense that customers who keep coming back will keep spending money with you, but the truth is that repeat customers actually spend more on each individual transaction as well, further multiplying their value to your company. When you compare the cost of procuring a new customer versus reaching out to a repeat customer, it becomes obvious that customer retention should always be a priority.

KNOWING HOW YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT TO COMMUNICATE

More studies arrive each day showing us that Millennials are simply not interested in waiting on hold for customer service. Instead, they prefer immediate answers, even if those answers are not the best solution for their problem. They prefer online resources they can access on their own, such as FAQs, and chat or email support so that they can multitask without having their phones to their ears as they wait. Customers are even willing to pay more each month for your service if it means they have more options for contacting you conveniently.

QUEUES, CALL BACKS AND RESPONSE WINDOWS

Given that Millennials really want fast answers, how do you cope when you have a line of callers waiting? The answer is simpler than it seems. Millennials want a fast response, even if it's not the perfect response. Many companies send back an immediate response, which simply acknowledges that their query was received. Some phone systems allow callers to choose a call back option, so they can retain their place in line, but hang up and wait for you to call them back. Email often takes 24-48 hours for a real response, but customers are usually happy to wait as long as they get something back from you saying you have received their mail.

Online customer service like live chat support can move much faster. More than likely the Millennials have already researched their problem online, tried troubleshooting on their own, and have a busy life to keep up while they're waiting for your assistance. You can make this easier for them by providing online customer service in the form of searchable FAQs so that they can find a solution to simple problems on their own.

LOGISTICS

It may seem challenging to add so many customer service avenues at once without multiplying your staff. However, most companies who choose to include chat and email support on their websites find that they do not need to increase their customer service staff at all. In fact, you may be able to reduce your staff as the team becomes more familiar with the interface and more efficient. It is now possible to route emails and chat tickets to your service team in between calls. Imagine how easy it would be for one of your team members to hang up from one phone call, then answer two or three emails, answer a quick chat query, and then pick up another phone call. Adding more paths for customers to contact you doesn't multiply the number of tickets you get each day; it simply redirects them to the fastest possible resolution.

Online customer service is becoming a major part of nearly every industry. It can be used to improve the overall customer service experience and reduce the stress of customer interactions. Often, after callers have been forced to wait on hold for more than ten minutes, they are less receptive to solutions and their frustration hurts their willingness to return in the future. Chat and email support diffuses the situation and provides a more positive outcome with long-term potential.

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