The times when customers could contact a company on a single channel are long gone, paving the way to a multi-channel customer service. With a growing number of mobile users, there are even more avenues for interacting with customers. As with growth and development, there are several challenges that may come up and may require consultations with the customer care professionals. So, how can you choose the right channels for customer service?
The Dos
1. Give Customers Choices
In some situations, a customer may initiate a conversation on email, follow up on social media, and later call via phone for additional help. Your customer care should accommodate such situations. If you have separate teams for each channel, provide a feasible way for the teams to identify customers that use different channels to get help on a particular issue. For an ultimate customer and business experience, don’t force customers to use only one channel.
2. Consider the Channels that Your Customers Want
Customers usually want a convenient way to interact with a company that uses options they already have or know. A simple survey can help you identify all the channels that they prefer. Nowadays, the most commonly used channels include email, phone, and social media. There are also more options such as self-service, help desk, and live-chat that some customers would want to use. Consider your industry, market, and demographic when deciding which of these six channels will offer customers the options that they would use when contacting your business.
The Don’ts
1. Don’t Tie Agents to One Channel
One of the aims of customer service training and seminars is to ensure agents have adept knowledge and skills about the different channels. This allows them to switch whenever it is necessary. Therefore, avoid tying agents to one channel as this may lead to monotony, resulting in poor customer service. Having agents that understand all the channels helps to keep your service steady even when one is absent.
2. Avoid Channels You’re Not Good At
Offering quality customer care service does not necessarily mean being found on all channels. It is wise to have a few channels that allow you to ensure consistent and reliable customer care. Then again, there are those channels that can be time-consuming and hard to use. The best approach is to begin with the lighter channels and work your way up to the robust channels.
It is advisable to start with options where most of your customers can reach you easily. Then, you can integrate more options into your support as your grow. Be sure to take advantage of customer service training to equip your support agents with the right skills and expertise they need to deliver proper service.