Great customer service is not optional. If you don’t look after your customers, they will not stay loyal to your brand. It really is that simple. A 2013 American Express survey discovered that 53% of customers experienced similar feelings to being in love when they received great customer service. In the same year, 66% of customers switched to a different brand when they received poor customer service.
With so much choice available, customers are all too happy to go elsewhere for their products and services. Improving customer service is now a priority and brands are investing billions in tech solutions to keep their customers on-board and happy. Brands can’t afford to pay lip service any longer, so let’s take a look at the future of customer service technology.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has become mainstream in recent years. We haven’t quite reached the stage where robots greet us with a hot meal when we return home at night, but most people are comfortable with smaller AI gadgets such as Amazon’s Alexa and iPhone’s Siri.
Brands are also waking up to the power of AI and chatbots are an increasingly used weapon in the war against bad customer service. Click on any large e-commerce website and you’ll be greeted with a host of options if you need help with an order or you have a question. If you select the Live Chat option, you might assume you are talking to a human being, but in practice, the advisor is probably an AI chatbot.
Chatbots are the first tier of customer service for future-thinking brands. Stackbear is an excellent example of how to implement AI chatbot services in your business. Chatbot programs can deal with simple inquiries, harvest useful information, and escalate the issue if the problem can’t be solved. Chatbots are happy to work 24/7 and they don’t demand a decent salary plus benefits. Even smaller companies are realizing the usefulness of installing chatbot programs on their site.
Dynamic Business Practices
There’s a lot of data that comes with any type of business, and things are constantly changing. You need systems that can dynamically react to these. We have extensively discussed automated solutions and what AI can do, but there is no substitute for boots on the ground, with humans handling Business Development Centers such as BDC automotive, industrial and even customer services. At its core, development is ongoing with goals towards reaching out to customers and expanding the base with a superior experience at every level, whole streamlining inbound lead generation.
POS Systems
There was a time when customers had to pay for their goods or services at a central checkout. When a store was busy, queues were commonplace. In today’s world, people want the convenience of shop and go. The same applies when they go out for a meal or hit a bar for after-work drinks. It’s a lot more convenient using contactless cards and a touchscreen self-service checkout or swiping a card at the table to pay for food and drinks.
Lavu iPad POS technology is being readily embraced by retailers and businesses in the hospitality sector. The advantages of using POS systems are huge. POS technology cuts down on time, makes upselling easier, and updates inventory in real-time. But, what is even more important is that POS technology improves the customer’s experience.
Data Harvesting
Data is a powerful tool. The problem is that there is so much raw data out there. Smaller businesses don’t have the resources to trawl through millions of gigabytes of data each day in search of a few useful snippets of information.
Computers can take care of this job for us – and they do a much better job. Harvesting data means customers have a better experience when they contact your brand. Instead of being kept waiting while a customer service operator finds their order details, data solutions leverage analytics to help your brand offer a personalized experience. All your advisor has to do is connect to the customer’s account via a CRM system and then offer personalized advice based on previous orders. There is nothing a customer loves more than being served by someone who can read their mind.
Lastly, let’s not forget about social media. Twitter has seen a 250% increase in customer service interactions in the last two years. If you don’t have a social media account, you are in danger of being left behind.
