Tools That Can Improve Your Customer Service Online

In this digital age, you have to keep up or be left out and lose your customers. One way of measuring your efficiency as a business is through your responsiveness and presence in the online world.

Gone are the days when all that mattered is how customers are treated at your store or restaurant. People go online now for almost everything that concerns their daily lives. Even something as simple as grocery shopping is currently being done online.

Customer service and customer satisfaction are redefined. If you want to conquer the online world and develop your brand digitally, then you have to invest in tools that could help you in doing so.

Here are some of the tools that can help your online customer service:

1- Website

When people hear of a new product nowadays, they fire up their search engine and input your brand name. They expect to find a site for your products and services. If you don’t have one, they’ll move on to your competition. If these are returning customers, they’d like to reach you quickly. Your website is your frontline in the online world. If you don’t have one, then you have to decide to build a website for your business. You can hire a professional or do it yourself. Tutorials are readily available.

Your website has to contain FAQs. This is a way of empowering your customers while answering their basic queries. Other things to consider when creating a website include but aren’t limited to the following:

• Your website must be user-friendly or easy to navigate by the customers.
• It has to be mobile compatible so your customers can view it on their tablets or mobile phone.
• Your website must have must list the channels on which the customer can reach out to you, whether by email, phone, or chat.

2- Social Media

Your customers, especially the millennials, use social media platforms daily. The older ones use it now and then. Whatever the age group is, you can’t neglect the use of social media. Your well-planned and updated social media pages are powerful tools for you to be always accessible. Your social media account is not only for them to reach you; it’s for them to connect with other customers. Your loyal customers who are leaving good reviews on your social media page can help your prospective customers decide whether they’ll trust your brand or not.

Choose the best social media platform to saturate depending on your target market. According to studies, most adults use Facebook and YouTube, whereas the younger generation especially those between ages 16–24 are avid users of Snapchat and Instagram. Knowing these details will make sure your marketing funds won’t go to waste.

3- Live Support

If you have an e-commerce site, customers may have questions while doing the purchase that can’t be answered with the use of the software. They need the traditional human touch gone digital. Remember, though, that your live support is as good as the person operating it. Employ an efficient and professional live support agent. Your customer will get the best experience ever! Other tips when using live support include the following:

• Clearly set the schedule of availability of live support agents on your website.
• Integrate an auto-translator so the agents can understand customers using another language and their replies will be automatically translated, too.
• Set it as a rule that response time from the agents must be less than 60 seconds.

4- SMS Support

On-the-go customers may not have Internet connectivity all the time. Acquire the ability to receive and reply to SMS of your customers. This way, when your customers have an urgent concern regarding your product, they can reach out to you easily through SMS and get a quick response. When setting up SMS support, here are some things to remember:

• Know your customers so you would know which platform to use for your SMS support.
• Offer automated replies for technical issues.
• Inform your customers that they can opt-in for SMS support.

5- Customized Mobile App

This is a bit pricey but if you want to be in the lead, then investing in a mobile application is for a visionary like you. Often, customers will rely more on their mobile phones than on desktops or laptops when they check on something. An app for your customers where they can access their accounts to purchase your products, avail of your services, or submit feedback can help your business in significant ways.

This is a strong mark you’re creating for your brand. It doesn’t only improve your customer service, but it tells your customers that you’re worth their trust and that you mean real business. Their satisfaction is your utmost concern.

These are just some of the tools that you can take advantage of to ensure your customers’ satisfaction. Satisfied customers bring along others. There’s no greater marketing tool than a sincere recommendation from a highly pleased customer. Make every transaction count. Value each customer regardless of the transaction amount. This digital age has given you the opportunity to have the world as your marketplace. Capitalize on it!