A Guest Post by Lilly Miller
As Bob Dylan cleverly put it, the times they are a-changin’, and as such, the world is in the constant process of change. And as a part of these global changes, we’ve experienced a significant shift in the business-customer relationship. Not only is the market constantly growing, but customer expectations are getting higher as well.
As the companies try their best to stay afloat and meet their audience needs for instant gratification, they have to aim at superior customer experience. Anything below that standard may result in your target audience taking their business elsewhere. With that being said, competition is stronger than ever and companies that want to attract and retain their clientele are rapidly turning to technology. Thanks to contemporary advances, technology can improve your customer satisfaction rates. And with so many businesses making the most out of the available tech, failing to jump on the same bandwagon may turn out to be a costly and even irreparable mistake.
AI-Powered 24/7 Chats
When you look into improved customer satisfaction strategies and solutions, consider this magic formula first – reduced hold times. Modern-day consumers are busy and have little patience to wait for hours and even days to get their reply from customer service. You don’t have to hire more people if your business budget can’t take it. In this case, you really can’t go wrong with an AI-powered chatbot.
For starters, chatbots act as customer service agents 24/7. In that respect, no existing or potential customer will have to wait to get their question answered almost immediately, regardless of what time of day (or night) it is.
It’s easy enough to program the chatbot with the necessary information about your products/services, FAQs, as well as other useful information. This way, they’ll have an answer ready for the majority of queries. You can further personalize your chatbots by giving them unique bot names, a certain tone of voice, and even a whole personality. And the best thing about chatbot technology is that it’s based on machine learning. The more they’re used, the more data they collect and learn about your target audience so that they can automatically adjust their voice and personality to the specific user.
IoT’s Data Gathering
Companies go to great lengths today to improve and elevate their marketing efforts. The thing is, the more data about customers a company has, the better their marketing is. This is precisely why more and more companies decide to utilize IoT (the Internet of Things) which uses sensors, software, and many other technologies to collect, analyze, and exchange data through various devices and online channels.
With this system in place, companies can use segmentation and personalization to create detailed profiles of their target audience that go far beyond simple demographics such as age, location, and budget. And with a huge amount of information at their disposal, it’s also possible for these companies to market to and target their audience in a more personal and customized way.
VoIP Business Phone System
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is another technological solution that boosts employee efficiency and customer satisfaction at the same time. Nowadays, many businesses (especially those with a remote setup) use cloud-based business phone systems to streamline their processes. Using an Internet connection to answer phone calls from customers keeps the line open and allows for the previously mentioned magical formula – reduced hold times.
Even with chatbots, there’ll be instances when customers will have to talk directly to a customer service agent to solve their issues. This is where using VoIP can make all the difference. The agent can answer the call with just one click while the customers don’t have to wait for traditional phone lines to open.
It’s also important to mention that VoIP supports CRM integration, meaning that your customer service agents can instantly access the information of the customer on the call. The fact that they don’t have to wait and can get straight to the point with their appointed agent turns the callers into loyal and happy customers.
Customer Self-Service
Today’s consumers have found the opportunity to take action on their own and they find it considerably more gratifying compared to waiting for customer support to take it for them. Actually, around 40% of customers today prefer the self-service option, and this number is constantly growing.
With a self-service option in place, users can use instructions, videos, guidelines, tutorials, etc. to solve their problems and deal with them efficiently, without having to rely on contacting customer service agents. Such a practice gives the customers a certain amount of control, which has shown to be a rather effective way to boost customer satisfaction rates. Not to mention that it’s rather profitable for the companies as well.
Cryptocurrency Payment
These days, customers are interested in smoother and more transparent payment solutions. While PayPal and credit cards are still largely used, there’s a growing number of customers who prefer to use cryptocurrency. As a company, you have nothing to lose but a lot to gain by adding bitcoin to your payment options. In that sense, setting up a blockchain for your transactions may end up increasing your body of happy customers and even attract a whole new demographic.
The above-mentioned technologies are easy to implement in any business model. That said, you can start working on improving your customer satisfaction rates right away. And at the same time, you’ll create a more productive environment for your employees. This practice is truly a win-win!
