Over the past year, many amazing heroes have risen up to help others navigate or even survive these tough times. From health care workers and teachers all the way to those who would go out on our behalf to shop our groceries and then deliver them on time, right to our door.
Among the heroes who continue to touch our lives and should be celebrated are all the customers service agents who have helped us along the way. These customer service superheroes have fixed our problems and calmed our nerves, all while managing a surge of calls from a population on edge.
What makes a customer service superhero?
How many times have you contacted customer service during the past year? How many times have you anxiously waited for a customer service agent to answer a question, concern or just help you track an order? Probably more times than you can count, right?
2020 put the spotlight on customer service as businesses dealt with spikes in service demand and dramatically different consumer patterns. After a tumultuous year, what are the customer service trends to watch in 2021?
In a world where what is true today might not be true tomorrow, customer service agents have had to manage an overwhelming number of service requests. They’re also challenged with handling each and every interaction in the most empathetic way. If they don’t, not only will customers become upset and frustrated, but it will significantly impact the health of the organizations they represent.
Customer service agents are not only our heroes, but they are also the heroes of the businesses they represent. They’re the lifeblood of these organizations as they play a crucial role in customer satisfaction, customer retention, and customer lifetime value.
If customers don’t receive the level of service they expect, they may just decide to walk away. No brand can afford that.
Today more than ever, customers expect timely, effortless, and empathetic customer service experiences. Empowering your customer service agents to deliver service excellence will enable your organization to better navigate disruption while improving customer loyalty and boosting business growth.
Great customer service is more important than ever for brand success. Here are five examples of companies that know how to please customers.
How is your organization helping customer service agents meet the increasing demands of customers? Make sure you provide the right support and tools to activate these powers to create a team of customer service superheroes.
Telepathy is a common superpower in the superhero universe (Emma Frost, Legion, Professor X, to name a few). Aside from hiring a bunch of clairvoyants, what can you do to help your customer service agents know right away exactly what a customer needs?
Give customer service agents access to a 360- degree view of customers so they can easily scan all relevant customer data from a single and “smart” agent desktop.
By having access to customer profiles, order history and service history, customer service agents will be able to provide personalized service and quick resolutions. Customers won’t get frustrated having to repeat themselves when they call for support, they’ll get the answers they need, and loyalty will soar.
Gifted with the power of speed, there isn’t much a superhero like Quicksilver can’t do. How can you support your agents to work at light speed?
Data from outside industries, up-and-coming technologies, and innovation are all elements necessary to create the best customer service experience.
Here’s where AI technologies play a role. Advanced technologies can enable your customer service agents to provide the quick resolutions and fast answers customers need. With AI-driven service intelligence, you can automatically categorize tickets, route them to the best agent- and then present the agent with automated solution recommendations and email template responses so they can provide super speedy service.
Okay, so we know you can’t give your customer service agents the power to self-multiply like Marvel’s Jamie Madrox (aka Multiple Man). But you do want them to manage like a superhero when calls for support skyrocket.
A social media customer service strategy can boost customer engagement, loyalty, and trust by being there when - and where - your customers need you.
One way to do this is by helping customer service agents focus. By giving customers self-service options, you can free up your agents to focus on more complex issues that build customer relationships and increase customer loyalty. This can be accomplished with intelligent bots and/or a knowledge base that provide customers with easy access to information and with the ability to serve themselves.
Activate these superpowers and more by investing in your people. By providing customer service agents with the right resources and tools, you’re helping them to be more successful. The benefits then multiple. Agents who are more successful will be more motivated, engaged, and better positioned to deliver empathetic service.
Whether you’re part of a customer service organization, leading a service team, or a customer who understands the value of good customer service, let’s celebrate and be grateful for these everyday heroes.
