To the 21st century brand, customer service is vital.
But in today’s digital world, traditional types of customer service just doesn’t cut the mustard. Instead, the modern customer expects an omnichannel customer service model, being able to reach you through the method most convenient to them.
That’s why, today, we’re exploring the key ingredients for a complete 360° customer service model. Offering up six different types of customer service, we’re providing you with some omnichannel customer service tips to ensure your brand continues to build a community of loyal customers.
Self-serve support
As a brand, your primary purpose is to provide worthwhile solutions to customer problems – that’s business 101.
While this solution is ultimately the product or service you provide, the modern day brand isn’t driven purely by sales. It also serves as an informational resource and a community hub.
As such, it’s likely you’re already producing engaging and authoritative content full of relevant news, opinions and tips for marketing purposes (and, if not, you can learn why you should be right here). But when done correctly, these resources can also be a super effective customer service tool.
From how-to guides to FAQs, create resource hubs on community platforms where users can find solutions to common customer questions themselves. Not only does this help to produce a seamless customer service experience, but it will also go a long way towards asserting your brand as an authority in your field.
Live chat support
For customers looking for a speedy service, live chat support is your go-to tool.
In a world of same-day deliveries and knowledge at the touch of a button, the contemporary customer expects rapid turnaround times. Installing a live chat option on your website enables you to provide this, with site visitors able to kick off a conversation instantly by simply typing in their message.
When it comes to the type of live chat tool you implement, you have two main options.
The first is to have members of your customer service team manually control the live chat service, being on hand to answer customer queries in minutes, if not seconds. This is undoubtedly your best option if your customers tend to have more complex problems that require specific solutions.
Alternatively, if your customer service team find themselves answering the same simple customer questions day in, day out, a live chat bot may be your best bet. This will enable automated responses that can be programmed to identify and solve frequent customer requests in, quite literally, the blink of an eye.
Social media support
It’s 2020 – every man and his dog is on social media.
Alright, maybe not every man and his dog – but with 3.96 billion social media users worldwide, the point remains the same (statistics on how many dogs are on social media are currently unavailable).
This means that your social media channels should play a vital role in your customer service strategy. Given the popularity of these channels, we recommend having a team member dedicated solely to resolving social media queries.
From DMs to comments, reviews to mentions, customers will vary their method of communication on socials. For this reason, we recommend using social media monitoring software to ensure no notifications are missed.
Email support
Email support is one of the most tried and tested customer service types for a reason.
This method is ideal for those customers who need to contact your team without the need for:
- An instant report
- Direct human interaction
The advantages here are twofold.
First, it allows you time to ponder more complex queries, which can be invaluable in particularly difficult situations. More so, though, it also enables you to provide a more thorough and detailed solution by allowing your customer service professional to construct and review their response without the pressure of immediacy.
Of course, in order to do this, you’ll need your customers to be able to email you with ease, so always ensure your email address is easily identifiable on your website, or you have an easy-to-use contact form feature.
Phone support
Taking it ol’ school, you simply can’t overlook the important role phone support plays in your customer service model.
While this isn’t the most efficient or effective way to provide customer service, it nonetheless remains a popular means of contact for many customers. And remember: the ultimate 360° customer service model is one tailored to the customer.
That’s not to say there aren’t benefits to including phone support in your customer service model.
On the contrary, in many ways, the phone is the most versatile customer service solution – everyone has one and everyone knows how to use it.
Interactive voice response
Interactive voice response, or IVR, can get a bad rap. At some point, we’ve all been victim to this often outdated and futile system.
“Please stay on the line. Your call is very important to us.” *Shudders*
But it doesn’t have to be like this.
When used correctly, IVR can be an extremely effective weapon in any customer service arsenal. How? By optimising your phone support channel.
For example, perhaps not every customer service rep is suited to every customer question. By utilising IVR, you can find out about the general topic of each customer’s query before they’ve come into contact with a human rep, allowing you to redirect the call to the most relevant person and provide the most effective solution as a result.
Better yet, IVR typically reduces hold times by minimising the number of times a customer is redirected. The result? A more efficient and more effective phone service that keeps your customers happy.
Omnichannel communication is no longer a customer desire – it’s now a customer expectation. This means that, if you’re not covering all channels, you’re not providing your customers with the optimal service experience, which could very well hinder you in the long run.
Luckily, here at Six Circles, we know a thing or two about making customers happy. To learn more about how we can help you keep customers engaged, why not get in touch with us today?
