Customer Service in the Digital Age: What You Need to Know
In a world where businesses are taking the digital route to expand their footprint, know how it affects the Customer Service vertical. Know what you need to change in your organization, what training, skills and tools you would need to onboard to overhaul your Customer Service in the Digital Age.
It's no secret that more and more aspects of businesses are becoming digitalized. There are many reasons for this – it's often cheaper, quicker, and easier to do things digitally.
One aspect that is becoming digitalized is the customer service industry. Of course, you will always need to have real people working with customers as well, since people like to connect with other people, but there's no denying that customer service can also benefit from technology and the internet.
If you are making the switch from old-school customer service to online or digital customer service, there are a few things you need to know to help you adjust. This post is here to share them.You need to manage the department correctly
You might think that, if you digitalize your customer service, you don't have to play as active a role in managing the department. However, the opposite is in fact true.
While you might have fewer employees to manage, there are many different aspects to online customer service, and you need to manage them correctly so that they work well together. Have a look at customer service management (CSM) to learn more about this. Your employees will need to be trained
Many people assume that, if employees have been trained to work in customer relations, they will be able to make the switch to online and digital customer care without any additional training.
In reality, however, dealing with customers in person or over the phone is quite different from dealing with them in a digital space. It, therefore, makes sense that your employees will need some training to help them adjust.
You might also find it helpful to write up a standard operating procedure (also known as an SOP) to help them know which steps to follow when they are helping a customer online. You will still need face-to-face customer service
In an ideal world, you would be able to completely digitalize your customer care. Of course, you can do this if you think it's a good idea.
You should, however, keep in mind that not all customers will feel comfortable with your digital platforms and that they might prefer a face-to-face consultation. This is especially true for older customers who may struggle with technology. On top of that, customers like to feel special, and having someone take the time to talk to them often achieves this. You should have various options
While you will likely have a dedicated email address for customer queries and complaints, you need to accept the fact that not everyone will use this email address.
Some customers may use a different email address, or even try to contact you via social media if they have a complaint or query. You should have a system in place that redirects the customer to the right contact details so that they can reach someone who can help them.
It's also a good idea to start a website and have a frequently asked questions section on it so that customers can try to find an answer to their question without having to contact you.