Newegg’s recent announcement that it would begin offering customer support through Facebook Messenger caught attention. While businesses have embraced social media as a way to provide customer service, few have used their built-in messaging services to communicate with customers.
Today’s tech-savvy customers have their own personal preferences when it comes to communicating with brands. If they have a complaint or need assistance, they may not want to pick up the phone, preferring instead to send an email or text message. By expanding your customer support options, you can give your customers the opportunity to contact you using their preferred method. Here are three new ways to provide service to your customer base.
In-App Support
More consumers than ever are using apps instead of websites for information and entertainment. When problems arise with those apps, however, the last thing a customer wants to do is make a phone call to a toll-free help line, especially if it means waiting on hold for an extended period of time. Assistance should be available directly within the app through a service such as live chat, which will allow your team to repair the issue before it escalates. You can also use this process to gather feedback on your app and use that information to fix bugs and improve the user experience.
Social Media
Businesses often use social media to reach out to new customers, hoping they can boost sales. But social media has increasingly become a tool for interacting with customers through various platforms. Using one of the many tech tools available, you can set up alerts for mentions of your company or product name, as well as mentions of competitors. Through timely notification, you can learn right away when a customer posts a complaint, which allows you to take immediate action to resolve the customer’s issue. It also helps you turn an unhappy customer into a brand loyalist, especially if you provide swift, top-quality service when resolving the issue.
Text Messaging
Experts have named text messaging as one of the top new channels for customer support, offering a more contemporary alternative to phone-based help lines. While customers are comfortable with this method, businesses still aren’t prepared. Invest in a help desk solution that will allow you to accept SMS-based customer service requests and assign employees to respond to those messages. Since text messages often get immediate responses, you can expect a much more interactive exchange than through a channel like email or website ticket. You may find many of your customers don’t take advantage of it, but the fact that the option is available will likely be appreciated.
Customer support gives your brand the opportunity to show your customers the commitment you have to providing the best possible service. When you offer multiple options for getting in touch, especially when those options use the latest technology, you create a user-friendly experience that strengthens your relationships and creates long-term loyal customers.