BY Amanda Levin
Customers can be needy, but at the end of the day your business is dead without them. Customer service is critical to your success, and, like all things, it is ever changing. To keep ahead of the curve (and to keep your customers), there are several key customer service trends making an impact this year.
According to Drew Hendricks of Smallbiztrends.com, the customer service trends impacting 2016 expand on emerging technologies and how those technologies change the way companies interact with customers. In his article, he discusses 7 trends. Here are 3 to get you started.
Mobile – With mobile device use now exceeding that of PCs, it is CRITICAL that you are able to connect with your customers via mobile. More and more companies are building customer service capabilities into their mobile apps and taking advantage of the touch-screen capabilities of these devices to streamline the process.
Data Analytics – In this digitally entrenched world, companies have an enormous amount of customer data at their fingertips. All this data allows you to personalize your service to each customer. From a special message on their birthday to knowing how each customer prefers to interact with your company (ex. Website vs. mobile), you can tailor each customer experience to be completely unique.
Self-Service Tools – Have you given your customers the ability to search for the help they need or do they have to contact you to get help? Having a searchable database of solutions for customers is becoming a trend as customers want an answer and they want it now. These databases give customers a quick, easy way to get help without having to deal with waiting on the phone for a rep or playing phone tag with their contact. And, giving them the tools to help themselves empowers them, makes them feel more comfortable and in control, and increases customer loyalty through brand transparency.
Take a look at your customer service model. You want to keep your current customers happy while drawing in new customers. Implementing these, and Hendricks' other 4 customer service trends, can help you do just that.
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