Second-rate customer support is going to tarnish your company’s reputation, drive away clients, and damage your bottom-line. No matter what type of industry you are in, you want to be absolutely sure that your clients can easily contact you to discuss all of their needs and concerns. Here is a closer look at four challenges that many customer support departments face and some steps that can be taken to overcome those issues.
Data Errors
When employees manually enter data from different channels, time logs and documents, data-entry errors are inevitable. One of the most effective ways to limit data-entry errors is to establish a company-wide ticketing system that all employees adhere to. An online ticketing system is going to streamline how you communicate with customers while increasing brand loyalty. It will also allow you to prioritize requests so that you can focus on urgent problems.
Inadequate Collaboration Between Departments
If your various departments can’t effectively communicate with one another, then your customer support is going to suffer. One study revealed that 39 percent of employees don’t believe that their organizations collaborate enough. Having internal communication tools will allow your customer support representatives to quickly contact an IT technician or the sales department when they have questions.
Limited Communication Tools for Customers
Customers want convenience, and many people will never even consider buying from you again if they have a tough time reaching your support department. Traditional phone lines are a great start, but you should also use cutting-edge technology to your advantage. Adding a built-in chat program to your website will give your customers the ability to communicate with you in a matter of seconds.
No One is Following Up with Customers
Once your support team has assisted a customer, that individual should be contacted within the next few days to make sure that all of their needs have been met. Following up with a customer is a great way to improve your retention rates and limit unnecessary complaints. Many companies focus on follow-up emails, but you might want to think about investing in a text-based service as well. After a customer has been helped, one of those programs can send them a short text that asks them if they have any more questions or concerns.
Every time that you make a sale, your primary goal should be to turn that one-time customer into a lifelong client. Having a world-class customer support department is going to build brand loyalty and keep your customers coming back time and time again.
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