Why Exceptional Customer Support Is Necessary For The Enterprise
By Lyudmila Andersen, Ciklum
In today’s business ecosystem, there’s a formula for providing stellar (and consistent) customer experience that’s not always as simple as it may seem. Yet, it’s important. While your organization may offer an incredible product, platform, product or service, your solution is not viable if there is no one buying into it.
So, what keeps a customer coming back for more? Perhaps your company offers an incredible product or service, a best-in-class choice that users seek out above all others. It could be a matter of convenience if your solutions are widely available for customers to access. Or maybe your customer service allows users to conveniently connect with your organization to make a purchase or address an issue.
Many of these possibilities can apply to any company because they speak to a universal theme: the customer experience. The proper customer experience will leave customers satisfied by making it easy for them to engage with your business. These customers will place their trust in your organization and walk away with a positive impression that keeps them returning. But a bad customer experience — riddled with long wait times, unresponsiveness and a rigid mindset that doesn’t seek new and creative ways of solving a particular problem — can have the opposite effect, turning customers off from your business entirely.
If you’re looking to enhance your client's experience and deliver exceptional customer support, there are five key aspects every organization should incorporate to keep its users satisfied and engaged.
Think 24/7/365 Availability
Great customer experiences start with the ability to assist customers when they need help most. Advances in technology and communications allow customers from around the world to speak to representatives who can offer assistance in solving their problems. Internet-based support has made it easy to engage customers online or over the phone, offering an easy-to-access touchpoint to sell, troubleshoot and discuss any related issues with a product.
A report from Salesforce, revealed 64 percent of consumers and 80 percent of business buyers said they expect companies to respond to and interact with them in real-time. In fact, in order to be ready to handle your customers’ needs, you must offer 24/7/365 convenience. Consistently providing customers with the option to have their problems solved quickly creates an ideal experience for users needing assistance. Additionally, this means your company is ready to address issues anywhere in the globe regardless of weekends, holidays and varied time zones.
Focus On Fast Response Times
This might sound simple but being available to offer a great customer experience means being able to provide help as soon as a customer requests it. Telephone, chat-based and email support are all great options to offer customers looking to reach you so they can choose whichever method is most convenient for them.
However, the promise of around-the-clock service means your organization needs manpower in order to back up that guarantee.
If you tell customers you’re ready to help, they’ll think your business offers support whenever they need it. But if a user reaches out and is placed on hold, added to a long queue or simply doesn’t get a response, this leaves them wondering if they reached somebody in the first place. In many ways, companies that promise the availability of customer support and fail to follow through can be more frustrating than companies that don’t offer any promises at all.
Cover All Bases
Offering a great customer experience isn’t just a matter of being able to troubleshoot technical issues, resolve billing disputes or get products to work properly: It’s positioning your organization to truly address a customer’s underlying needs. If a customer reaches out with a particular business need or inquiry you’re not able to assist with, you’re disappointing the user and squandering a potential opportunity to get new business.
Finding ways to creatively support a customer’s needs, will allow you to establish your business as a trusted and reliable partner that places customer satisfaction above all else.
Emphasize Content Management And Moderation
When you’re running any sort of digital operation, content is often front and center. Whether it’s through a blog, a photo gallery, an e-commerce store or a message board, or other types of user communities, content must be available for users to access in order to provide a quality experience. A website that’s littered with inaccurate product descriptions, outdated pictures or inappropriate user-generated content can make a company look unprofessional, untrustworthy and not worth a customer’s business.
Employing content management and moderation services make it easy to keep your operation fresh and up to date. Whether your company is dealing with a large set of digital assets or has an engaged online userbase that needs to be maintained, proper content management ensures your customers can rely on your site for accurate information.
Hire Top-Notch Talent
To provide superior customer experience, your organization needs top-notch employees. The weakest link in a chain can often cause the most damage, and by depending on employees who don’t have your business’s best interests at heart, you risk leaving your customers with the impression that your company simply doesn’t care or doesn’t have the right abilities to get the job done.
In our current competitive market, the stakes are high and businesses cannot ignore one of its most important stakeholders: its customers. Countless studies and industry research have proven that providing great customer service is an advantageous investment for any business. These tips provide a framework that will not only satisfy your existing client base but also aid in growing your organization.
About The Author
As Head of Managed Services for Ciklum, Liudmyla leads the team in designing and launching new services for Ciklum customers. With more than 10 years of experience in the IT service industry, Liudmyla maintains a highly collaborative approach in working with clients to help resolve complex issues that have a huge impact on their organizations. Along with her successful delivery of 70+ projects in the area of Customer Success and Technical Support services Liudmyla also holds a master’s degree from Kyiv University of Tourism, Economics and Law.
About Ciklum
Ciklum is a global digital solutions company for Fortune 500 and fast-growing organizations alike around the world. Since 2002, Ciklum is inspiring businesses to bring innovative ideas to life. Our 3,500+ developers located in the delivery centers across the globe, provide our clients with a range of services including Enterprise App Development, Quality Assurance, DevOps, R&D, Big Data & Analytics.