Tech-Based Ways to Streamline Customer Service

Customer service is a crucial component of every business. The inability to provide customers with consistently adequate assistance regarding questions, concerns, and problems is an easy way to condemn your enterprise to failure.

With that said, business owners know the high costs associated with maintaining a comprehensive customer service apparatus. It seems like the only practical solution is to cut back to save money. Unfortunately, the result is a world where so-called customer service is confined to clunky automation, insufficient human resources, and dissatisfaction.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Believe it or not, it’s possible to provide adequate customer service without going out of business. The solution comes in the form of technology.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at six tech-based ways to streamline customer service:

Virtual receptionist

When was the last time you called a business and were immediately connected to a representative? Chances are you can’t remember. But that trend is changing thanks to the use of virtual receptionist service options. These services provide companies with a cost-effective way to ensure customers are able to speak to a knowledgeable professional. Utilizing a virtual receptionist could be the difference between making dozens of sales or losing out on them because nobody answered the phone.

Also read: Top 10 Cold Calling Services for Business

Online self-service

When it comes to troubleshooting, most people will look for answers online before attempting to reach the customer service department. Give them what they want! Make a point to provide comprehensive technical documentation available online. Customers should be able to enter a question into Google related to your product or service and receive promising leads taking them directly to your website. While online self-service will not address all concerns and grievances, it will provide an effective solution for the majority of customer concerns.

Mobile app

Does your company have its own app? While it might have been indulgent 10 years ago, mobile apps are an affordable option for even the most modestly sized startups. An app can help streamline customer service by providing customers with an easily accessible, all-in-one portal for managing virtually every concern they may have. Purchases, refunds, status updates, sales updates, and troubleshooting can all be handled through a mobile app.

Chatbots

Though limited, chatbots remain a cost-effective resource to use as a way to streamline your customer service apparatus. Even if chatbots only help solve 1/10th of customer concerns, that’s a significant weight lifted off your customer service shoulders. While today’s chatbots are oftentimes clunky and hit-or-miss, the technology is improving every year. Before long, business chatbots will be so lifelike in terms of responsiveness that the typical customer will fail to notice the difference.

AI-driven agent assistance

The typical ratio between customers and customer service agents is exceptionally disproportionate. To expect every agent to have detailed knowledge about each customer is a lot to ask to say the least. That’s where AI-driven agent assistance enters the picture. Such systems provide auto-filled information in real-time, giving your representatives the ability to converse with clients in a friendly and familiar way. Consider it an augmented tool for your agents that lets them worry less about winning over customers and focus on solving their problems.

Also read: How AI is Improve the Service Desk Management

CRM software

It’s no surprise that using customer relationship management software leads to better customer service. Even better, it does this without costing a fortune. These benefits boil down to having an all-in-one resource for customer information, down to every last detail. Such a resource allows companies to address customer service concerns with unprecedented precision.

Are you a business owner who finds comprehensive customer service impossible to provide without spending a small fortune? If so, take a step back and consider your options. Chances are you’ve overlooked one or more ways to streamline customer service and save money in the process.