This is a guest post by Stefanie Amini, Marketing Director, WalkMe
Customer care can turn out to be quite expensive in the long run, but fortunately, you can significantly reduce the costs by taking several simple yet effective measures. Did you know that more than half of the customer care costs go to the call center workforce and that nine out of ten customers would not use your company again if they find the customer care to be ineffective or unprofessional?
As you may already know, customer service is essential for the success of every company and you do not need to invest a fortune to make it work. Here are several useful tips and hints that can help you lower the costs without making any compromise in terms of service quality:
1. Keep The Customer Service Specialists Happy And Satisfied
A happy and satisfied customer care specialist is an agent that will give the best every day – this way, you will also reduce the general turnover rate. Simply pay attention to what the agents have to say, consider their suggestions, invest in training programs and team-building activities, and enhance the employment mechanism.
2. Use Social Media To The Fullest
Social media channels (like Twitter or Facebook) are no longer aimed exclusively at social networking – now, some of the world’s most renowned brands and corporations use social media websites to promote their business and products and to keep in touch with their customers.
Moreover, they can also help you consolidate the brand identity and to improve customer service. It is highly recommended to reply to all messages on social media, and statistics reveal that approximately one out of three customer messages get a response. Using social media to boost the quality and effectiveness of customer service is a smart, efficient, and cost-effective way to keep your customers informed and satisfied.
3. Invest In Agent Training
The quality and efficacy of the customer service are directly linked to the training level of the agents – whatever you do, do not skimp on training. At the same time, a great way to reduce the costs is to boost the productivity of the agents by giving them the most suitable software solution for customer support.
There are plenty of programs designed to facilitate the work of the agents, so make sure to use the right ones. This will considerably reduce the number of e-mails and calls from customers, and it will also reduce the amount of stress the agent is subjected to on a daily basis.
4. Offer Real-Time Customer Service
Nowadays, most websites offer a comprehensive FAQ section where the customers can find answers to the most commonly asked questions – this will help you save a lot of money. On the other hand, so will the live chat feature – this basically connects the user with a customer service agent in a fast, efficient, and affordable manner.
5. Use Self-Service Programs
Last, but not least, self-service programs are extremely useful when it comes to providing customer service. Basically, these programs are guidance systems that are designed to help customers find the answers they are seeking or the support they need when installing a program.
WalkMe is such a program, and it can be implemented as a strong self-service strategy. Easy to use and highly functional, this can turn out to be a great investment for every company that is trying to reduce the costs associated with customer care without lowering the quality of the support services.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, the secret to saving money on customer service is to rely on either free or cost-effective tools and communication options that will help you replace the classic contact means.
Stefanie Amini is the Marketing Director and Specialist in Customer Success at WalkMe, the world’s first interactive online guidance system. She is the Chief writer and editor of I Want It Now, a blog for Customer Service Experts, and a regular contributor to the leading customer service magazine ICMI. Follow her on Twitter @StefWalkMe
