Customer service is the support you offer your customers — both before and after they buy and use your products or services — that helps them have an easy, enjoyable experience with your brand. But customer service is more than solving a customer’s problems and closing tickets. Today, customer service means delivering proactive and immediate support to customers anytime on the channel of their choice: phone, email, text, chat, and more.
Why is customer service important?
In one word: retention. Happier customers are more likely to continue doing business with you. This helps your bottom line since it’s less expensive to keep current customers than to attract new ones.
Customer service is also a key differentiator that sets your brand apart from competitors offering similar products or services. Service teams not only answer questions; they make each experience personalized to the customer. 88% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services.
On the flip side, subpar customer experiences contribute to churn. For example, 80% of shoppers will abandon a retailer after three bad experiences. Great customer service also bolsters your brand reputation. Negative experiences are quickly shared online, potentially damaging your brand’s credibility.
The seven pillars of great customer service
And with customer loyalty at stake, service managers must become masters of the art of superb customer service. These 7 tips will allow you to leverage suitable technologies, build and inspire a team, and respond to rapidly changing consumer needs.
1. Connect customer service to the broader organization
Eighty-five percent of customers expect consistent interactions across departments. Whether they’re on self-service channels or chatting with a sales rep, customers want continuity — not redirects to another team or having to repeat information.
The solution is to connect the service to your customer relationship management (CRM) system. A CRM provides a complete view of a customer’s interactions with your company. When a customer reaches out, agents have all relevant data on a single screen — demographics, order history, preferences, and more. They can also pull in colleagues from other departments to resolve issues seamlessly.
2. Offer support on every channel
Today, great customer service happens across multiple channels. Customers expect fast, convenient, and high-quality support. Here are the key channels to scale your service efforts:
– Voice: Phone support remains vital for complex issues. By integrating cloud telephony with your CRM, agents can view call details instantly and focus on the customer, with AI transcribing calls in real time.
– Mobile messaging: With 70% of service organizations using messaging apps and 68% using mobile apps, these channels enable asynchronous communication, allowing customers and agents to continue conversations over time.
– Social media: Social platforms account for 71% of customer service interactions. By integrating marketing and service data, teams can collaborate effectively and resolve issues promptly.
– Email: Email is convenient and allows customers to maintain a record of correspondence. Advanced tools can automatically convert emails into cases and route them to the appropriate team members.
– Self-service channels: Help centers, customer portals, and communities provide quick answers to common questions. With 59% of customers preferring self-service for simple issues, these channels reduce reliance on high-touch support.
– Chatbots: AI-powered chatbots handle routine queries quickly and route complex cases to human agents when necessary. Currently, 70% of decision-makers report using chatbots.
– Video support: Video allows for face-to-face interactions when troubleshooting equipment or replacing parts. With 66% of service organizations using video, visual remote assistance improves customer satisfaction.
Tip: Contact center software like Sprinklr Service plays a critical role in unifying all these channels, ensuring smooth interactions and seamless transitions between touchpoints.
3. Leverage data for a seamless customer experience
Connecting customer data across departments ensures a comprehensive view of the customer journey. Eighty-two percent of high-performing organizations use the same CRM platform across all departments, up from 62% two years ago. This unified approach allows teams to share insights and maintain trust through secure data practices.
4. Implement self-service as a competitive advantage
Self-service tools, such as knowledge bases and chatbots, empower customers to resolve simple issues on their own. This frees agents to focus on complex and high-value interactions. High-performing organizations prioritize these tools, enabling agents to balance speed and quality effectively.
5. Embrace conversational AI for proactive support
Proactive service is essential for meeting customers’ high expectations. With conversational AI, companies can provide personalized, relevant answers, improve resolution times, and even complete routine tasks autonomously. Ninety-five percent of decision-makers report that AI delivers cost and time savings while enhancing customer satisfaction.
6. Empower field teams with advanced tools
Field service technologies, such as intelligent scheduling and route optimization, enhance productivity and safety. AI-powered tools allow field agents to access asset conditions and maintenance history, enabling proactive service. Customers benefit from features like intelligent appointment scheduling and real-time technician tracking.
7. Track metrics linked to business outcomes
Service organizations are becoming more and more recognized as revenue producers instead of cost centers. Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as revenue generation and customer retention helps businesses align service goals with broader organizational objectives. For instance, the share of service teams tracking revenue has nearly doubled since 2018.
5 Customer service trends to watch in 2024
- 1. Service as a revenue generator: Eighty-five percent of decision-makers expect service to contribute more to revenue. High-performing organizations are leveraging data and AI to meet this goal while cutting costs.
- Self-service dominance: Empowering customers with self-service tools creates a competitive edge, freeing agents to handle complex tasks.
- Connected data for better experiences: Unified data systems ensure consistent and efficient service. Privacy and security are becoming significant competitive advantages.
- Conversational AI advancements: AI assistants deliver proactive, personalized service, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. Incorporating advanced AI tools for customer service ensures that conversational AI becomes smarter, more context-aware, and able to address customer needs with precision.
- Enhanced field productivity: Augmented reality and intelligent scheduling technologies support field team activity, enhancing both service team performance and customer experiences.
Final thoughts
Service that is truly great is not limited to problem resolution, service that is truly great is what creates trust, as well as loyalty, and then sets your brand apart. Just by adopting these seven pillars and by being ahead of the curve, you can achieve customer experiences that are unique and will lead to lasting success.
