If you’re in any kind of business, customer service is an important part of your team’s daily responsibilities. And in today’s demanding market, answering the phone is no longer enough. Businesses are expected to communicate on every level, from extensive informational content on their website to responsive social media.
Trend-Spotting
Taking your customer service way above and beyond calls for fast, intuitive response to questions and issues, and that means knowing what they’re thinking before they even think to ask. One way to predict what your customers will ask is to analyze your data and find questions customers have already asked.
Predictive analysis is great for customers stalled in your sales pipeline as well. If leads hit a certain point and drop out, you’re failing to provide what they need to make the decision to buy. To figure out what you lack, look at what customers consistently ask. If your staff is well trained in CRM use, a keyword search should turn up all the information you need to fix the problem – and plug the hole in your funnel.
Trends can include anything from seasonal buying patterns, related items, or the desire for updates to existing products. Learning from your customers requires two things: staff who are well-trained to record and tag input from customers, and the ability to retrieve and use the data to your advantage.
With Insightly’s custom reporting features and built-in search functions, gathering the data you want is easy. Then all you have to do is figure out how to use the information. The answer might be in providing additional information on your website, allocating targeted web ad spend, or sending a timely email with the information that will land the sale or anticipate a complaint.
For example, let’s say you’re selling a software with a learning curve, and your data shows that customers inquire about more features 90 days from purchase. That probably indicates it takes 90 days to get comfortable with basic operation, and after that, they are ready to learn more advanced use.
- Adequate customer service is training your staff to walk customers through the features when they call.
- Good customer service is a tutorial on your site.
- Great customer service is a video or interactive slideshow delivered to their inbox 90 days after purchase. Hit it just right, and you’ve delivered exactly what they want, exactly when they want it.
Be Everywhere Your Customers Are
Part of stellar customer service is fast responsiveness. Whether they have a problem, a random question, a request, or a compliment or comment, they want a fast answer. Social media helps you connect with your customers and answer every mention as fast as they are posted.
The key to efficient social media is not trying to be everywhere, it’s being where your customers are. Using their emails, Insightly attaches links to your customers’ social media profiles into their customer records, making it easy for you to determine how many customers you have on each of the major platforms. With that information, you can decide where you need the most active presence.
Personalize Your Contact
Before CRM and the web, personalization was almost impossible. Now you can send out emails with the customer’s name and a personal message – maybe a happy birthday and a special gift or deep discount. Who doesn’t like to get an email that says “Happy Birthday, Lisa! Since you recently bought a stand mixer, we’d like to help you celebrate with a cheerful set of rainbow mixing bowls. Click here to collect your free gift.”?
You can also personalize your customer service calls with knowledge of past history and last contact. With information stored in your CRM, your CSRs can say, “I see the last time you called, you had trouble logging into your account. Did we resolve that for you?” or “Looks like you haven’t had an update in a while. Have you heard about our new services?”
CRM integration lets you carry on a conversation right where it left off, even if a call is dropped and another rep picks up the callback. Everybody hates having to repeat a story. Comprehensive CRM records save your customers from telling their story again when they are transferred to a manager or another department.
Passive customer service just doesn’t cut it anymore. You no longer have the luxury of expecting your customer to call in and leave a message, then getting back to them when you feel like it. You have to be available, responsive, and proactive to stand out from your competitors. Your growth depends on your brand reputation…and your brand reputation depends on what customers say about you.
Check out Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial of the best CRM around.
