24/7 Support Can Help You Get Back on Track with Customer Service
Starting a business is a huge achievement for many entrepreneurs, but maintaining one is a huge challenge. There are many challenges every business must face, whether small or large. These challenges include building the brand, hiring the right people, lack of funds, money management, developing a customer base, and finding amazing customer service, among others. Running customer service and 24/7 support can seem costly. Most small businesses would consider it a major hurdle. However, not doing so can even be costlier because you could lose potential customers. So, as a small business, how can you offer excellent customer service while sticking to your budget?
You can train your agents to offer impeccable support, integrate your communication channels for efficient support, utilize self-service for immediate issue resolution, and use an AI-powered chatbot for 24/7 support, among others. Good customer service gives your small business various benefits, such as customer satisfaction, improved customer loyalty, and repeat purchases. Customers are more willing to pay more for your product or service.
This article explains everything about getting on track with customer service and 24/7 support.
How to Get Your Customer Service Back on Track
Quality customer service and 24/7 support can significantly impact your small business success. A low customer satisfaction level implies your customer loyalty and retention levels will probably be low as well, and it’s also an indication of bad customer service. This huge issue is costing businesses up to $62 billion annually. So, how do you get your customer service back on track?
Respond to Customer Inquiries ASAP
Clients who bump into an issue with your products or services or enquire about your brand expect you to offer a fast and decent response. Presently, people are always busy and lack a lot of free time. Therefore, spending even thirty minutes handling customers can gravely reduce customer satisfaction. So, the faster you respond to your customers, the better. You can set alerts or reminders to contact customers in case you forget.
Craft Appropriate and Thoughtful Messages
You must always be appropriate when emailing customers back and always proofread your emails before sending them. You can also read aloud to confirm the emails are collaborative instead of combative. You can do this by sending personalized replies as they improve customer relationships.
Make the Most of Your Time with Customers
When contacting your customers, always get to the root of the problem, understand what they want, and ensure the issue is addressed. Avoid assumptions as they can limit customer service pros from being completely effective since they won’t completely understand the situation, narrowing the range of remedies to consider.
Another pro tip when handling customers is to ask for their input, especially in an escalating customer scenario. Always focus on what you want to understand and how to use that information to correct the situation. Moreover, actively ask customers for feedback or input.
Jot Down Notes
After dealing with customers, it’s always important to jot down notes to refresh your memory for the future. You can either use your notebook or use a CRM. This will also allow you to recall the tiny details of your clients’ lives, creating more personalized interactions in the future.
Use a To-Do List
Always remember to make a to-do list because it is perfectly human to make an error. Sometimes, you can forget to get organized when running a small business. A to-do list helps you avoid forgetting simple but important tasks. So, remembering the correct details can make a huge difference to your customers.
How 24/7 Support Can Help Improve Customer Service
We live in a world where virtually everything is available on demand. For instance, if you want a pizza at 3 AM, you simply take out your phone and order from your favorite delivery service app. So, ensuring that your customers can resolve their issues no matter the time of the day improves customer satisfaction, turning them into loyal, repeat customers. The usual 24/7 customer support channels include chatbots, social media, live chats, and self-help knowledge bases.
Benefits of 24/7 Support for Small Businesses
The rise of globalization and millennials implies businesses must operate 24/7 to remain competitive. Below are the benefits of 24/7 support for small businesses and how it can help improve customer service.
Increase Customer Satisfaction
Nowadays, customers want to be able to purchase products and services at all times of the day. So, offering your customers 24/7 customer service will significantly improve customer satisfaction. Customers want to know that someone is always available to resolve any minor issues they may have with your products and services. Therefore, 24/7 customer service shows that customers can trust your business.
Improve Customer Loyalty
A satisfied client is likelier to become a loyal customer than someone with a bad experience. By providing customers with 24/7 customer service, they’ll reward you with their loyalty. Impeccable customer service indicates you not only care about your customer’s wallets but also care about them.
Improve Sales
By creating a 24/7 customer service channel, you also open another sales channel. Each time a customer contacts you create an opportunity to make a sale. Customers’ main concern is having their immediate questions or problems handled efficiently. With qualified customer service professionals, you can turn the conversation from the customer’s issue to one about how other services or products could meet the customer’s demand or even fix the initial issue.
Company Reputation
A company is only as good as its clients see them to be, which is why 24/7 customer service is crucial to developing your company’s reputation. For instance, past customers who had a positive experience with your customer service are more likely to refer or recommend your business to others. 24/7 customer service helps your company gain a reputation for being reliable, professional, and caring about your customers.
Stand Out From the Crowd
With all hours of 24/7 customer service, your business is ahead of the competition. This is especially important when people frequently use instant messaging services like Snapchat and WhatsApp. So, people are increasingly conditioned to expect responses throughout the day when they need them most.
The Best Ways to Provide 24/7 Support
You don’t need to break the bank to offer 24/7 customer support. There are several ways to offer the service efficiently and affordably. These include the following:
- Creating a self-help knowledge center
- Employing automation
- Getting the entire company involved
- Offering multichannel support
- Having a proactive support culture
Get 24/7 Support with a Virtual Receptionist
Virtual receptionists focus on taking messages, handling inbound calls, and scheduling appointments. They operate 24/7 to answer calls and respond to messages even when your office is closed. This is perfect for small businesses operating in different time zones or those receiving a large volume of after-hours calls and messages.
In most cases, virtual receptionists are affordable, have a reduced opportunity cost, and don’t require training, making them ideal for small businesses. Click here to learn more about how a virtual receptionist can help improve your customer service with 24/7 support. If you want more details or to try it, click here to contact us and get started.