Both customer journeys and ways of contact have changed drastically in recent years. Previously, they traded their goods in a physical store. If you had a question about a product you talked to the store staff or you called the store. Today it looks completely different. With online shopping, chats, bots and social media, customers expect completely different things from companies today than they did before. Companies can no longer just be places where transactions take place. Now they are expected to be present in the customer’s everyday life on a completely different level.
Statistics show that 89% of customers leave companies due to poor customer service. With this knowledge at hand, we can establish that every interaction with the customer is equally important. A rather stressful idea when, as an entrepreneur, you want to meet your customers needs at every stage.
So what do customers want when it comes to customer service? The company Intrado did a big survey around this where many consumers answered what they wanted from a customer service.
Speed is an important factor
Probably, no one is particularly surprised when you read that speed is an important factor when it comes to customer service. Customers want answers quickly and they want quick solutions to their problems. 77% had replied that a fast solution time was the best proof of good service. Note that speed was a more important factor than convenience.
Be personal and not too frequent with emails
When it came to mailing to customers, such as information emails, etc., 45% of consumers had unsubscribed because the information came too often. 25% also said they had unsubscribed from information because messages were too long, difficult to read or felt impersonal.
The lesson here is to keep in touch with the customer on a personal level. Keep the information short and concise and instead open up avenues for customers who want to know more. In addition, be selective with which customers receive what information, so that those who receive the emails are actually affected by the information.
SMS best for notifications
Many companies have different types of notifications, for example when the goods are ready to be collected, when the case is resolved or when it is time for delivery. Figures showed that most customers would prefer to receive an SMS when notified. 49% preferred a text message over getting an email or being called.
This is probably because the customer wants this type of information as soon as possible and SMS are very immediate. The customer sees immediately when the text message arrives. An email inbox is checked less frequently, especially if it is a private email address. Furthermore, this type of mail can easily be lost in the noise and be mistaken for advertising mail.
Emails when it comes to managing booked times and data breaches
Email was instead more popular when it came to a different type of information. When it came to booked times, consumers preferred to handle this by mail. This may have to do with the fact that you want your schedules written down and that many also have their calendar linked to their email.
According to the survey, consumers also wanted to be contacted via email when it came to being informed about, for example, data breaches and such.
Self-service portals and guides primarily when it came to troubleshooting
When it comes to simpler cases, many consumers are very self-sufficient. The survey showed that when it came to troubleshooting a problem, consumers primarily wanted to search for answers on a website or check out a guide. 51% of respondents chose to look for answers on a website while only 31% chose to call a representative.
Many services to improve customer service
We at Dstny have developed several services that will help companies take their customer service to a new level. If that is a thing that you might be interested in, you can read more about a selection of these services here:
https://www.Dstny.com/services/addon-services/customer-service/