Why You Need to Provide 24/7 Customer Support
In the modern world, 24/7 customer support is mandatory for every business to survive. According to research by KPMG, 58% of customers say being able to shop around the clock is the main reason they shop online. Most online businesses have international customer bases that are always online, meaning that many customers will only be satisfied if they can get help during off-hours.
However, your business can only harness the benefits of 24/7 customer service with the correct technology. On average, 96% of customers say customer support dictates whether they’ll do business with you.
This guide explains what 24/7 customer support is and the benefits it brings to your business.
What is 24/7 Customer Support?
24/7 customer support, also known as 24/7 customer service, implies that customers can get answers in real time as soon as they come up. It’s a model where consumers can resolve their issues whenever they need assistance. Support is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
When consumers are happy and satisfied with the level of support they get, they’re more likely to stay loyal and less likely to switch brands. A 24/7support team is equipped to handle support issues quicker than a conventional 9–5 support team, resulting in drops in first response time and the average resolution time KPIs.
Below are the main questions to ask when determining if 24/7 support is right for you:
- Are your services or products time-sensitive?
- Do you provide services or products that somebody should be able to address, no matter the time?
- Has your business scaled so much that your in-house team can no longer answer every query within standard working hours?
- Do your clients require support past regular business hours?
- Do you have clients that belong to different time zones or geographical locations?
- Do you provide services or products internationally?
When you answer yes to any of the above questions, your business could leverage the services of 24/7 customer support and help your business continue to scale.
Benefits of Providing 24/7 Customer Support
Implementing 24/7 customer support can be a massive financial investment, and being hesitant at first is okay. You must hire and train more support representatives, which requires more upfront financial investment before reaping the benefits of having a 24/7 support team. However, if you’re looking to scale up and stand out from the crowd, providing round-the-clock support is a must.
Below are some of the advantages of doing so.
Fulfill Customers' Expectations
Customers hate waiting several hours for a response from a customer support team on an urgent concern. A 24/7 customer support team that’s well-trained at handling and resolving client issues, such as answering tickets faster and more efficiently, is crucial to your business. It shows a positive commitment to your clients.
The benefit is that happy customers who are satisfied increase and decrease your customer effort score (CSR). CES is a single-item metric measuring how much effort a client puts into getting an issue handled, a request fulfilled, a question answered, or a product purchased or returned. Because 24/7 support is a customer-centered model catering to the needs of your consumers, it increases every aspect of your customer service.
Gives You a Competitive Advantage
Providing round-the-clock support when your competitors do not imply more clients will come for your business for convenience, increasing your revenue. According to customer experience guru Ruby Newell-Legner, it takes 12 positive customer experiences to cover a negative experience. When clients require immediate support and your agents aren’t available, they’ll have to wait hours for agents to reach them. Clients will remember this negative experience, affecting their perception of your business.
Relieves the Pressure Off Your 9–5 Team
Suppose your in-house team is overwhelmed with support requests. In that case, it cuts back on their time to handle other support responsibilities and manage customer acquisition rather than customer retention. A 24/7 customer support team helps maintain customer loyalty and keep your current customer base returning. This gives your 9–5 team ample time to focus on a growth mentality in their efforts to keep on scaling your business.
24/7 Customer Support Allows You to Serve a Global Audience
Depending on your goods and services, you may need both inbound and outbound call centers. You must also consider your client base and if you’ll require bilingual support staff or call centers in different countries. Global expansion is an excellent opportunity for your business that shows success in scaling and providing your services and products in international regions, and 24/7 customer support makes global expansion a reality.
Improves Your ROI
Excellent customer service directly translates into a higher ROI for your business. Most clients are willing to keep working with companies with excellent customer service. This implies that they’ll spend more with businesses that offer personalized customer experience centers, providing resolutions to their queries quickly. You can use automation technology that offers 24/7 customer support for increased return on investment.
Tips on How to Offer 24/7 Support to Your Customers
Depending on your client’s needs, you can provide several support types.
- 24/7 Outsourcing
- Thinking global from the outset
- Offering live chat support
- Optimizing self-service
- Considering phone support
- Helpdesk support
- Community forums
Steps to Provide 24/7 Customer Support
So, how can you maximize your customer support processes?
- Tailor to the genuine needs of your clients
- Complete real-time and self-service assistance
- Hire remote teams based on time zones
- Create FAQ pages, help guides, and a knowledge base to give customers
- Leverage on Omni channel contact centers
- Collaborate or outsource with partner call centers
- Use and improve your support operation
- Extend hours beyond 9–5
- Provide self-service options
- Automate as much as you can
- Focus on the channels that matter the most
- Ask your support team for feedback
- Offering employee training
- Considering innovative approaches
- Using an all-in-one help desk system
What Type of 24/7 Customer Support Can You Outsource to MyReceptionist?
Consider several customer support solutions depending on your specific business needs. We offer a variety of solutions, including the following:
- Technical support
- E-commerce support
- Outsourced sales teams
- Live chat support
- Enterprise call centers
Are You Ready to Offer 24/7 Customer Support?
Clients want quick responses, and 24/7 customer support can help your business thrive. However, building an effective 24/7 support strategy is complex and requires a substantial financial investment. 24/7 customer support is a model where clients can have their issues resolved any time they need assistance.
When your business can contact customers anytime by adopting digital channels such as chatbots and a self-service knowledge base, it provides 24/7 customer support. Customers are always happy when they get help right when they want it, which is how they react to customer service.
Customers hate waiting, and they expect quick responses in the modern world. When customers are happy and satisfied with the level of support they get, they’re more likely to stay loyal to your brand and less likely to switch brands. It also helps fulfill their expectations, improve sales conversions, increase client satisfaction, foster consumer loyalty, acquire a competitive edge, serve your global customers, and improve ROI, among other benefits. Interested in using a virtual receptionist for 24/7 customer support services? Click here to learn more, or contact us to get started.