Contacting customer services often feels like a real chore. It’s something that we - in our roles as consumers – tend to avoid doing whenever possible. As a business owner, that’s not how you want your customers to feel about your company. You need to find a different way to approach customer service.
What if the service you offered could win customers over from your rivals? More than that, what if it could lead your customers to recommend you to friends and relatives? The fact is that customer service truly is that important to consumers.
(https://www.zendesk.com/blog/why-customer-service-is-so-important-to-online-shoppers/)
How, then, can you make your customer service a differentiator? How can you deliver a customer experience that sets you apart? The answer could be via unified communications. Put all communications under one unified umbrella, and you can offer customers a better end-to-end service.
There are many ways in which unified communications can boost customer service. We’re going to deal with three of the most significant below. First, though, let’s talk about precisely what the phrase ‘unified communications’ means.
Unified communications (UC) is one of those phrases that’s simpler than it first appears. UC is a new way to approach modern business communications. With a UC platform, a firm can bring together – or unify – all their different channels. You can blend all the ways you use to speak to customers, clients, and team members.
With UC, you don't juggle email accounts, phone lines, IM services, and other channels. Instead, everything gets brought together. A UC solution helps businesses manage all their channels more effectively. It also allows for enhanced integration of those channels. That means a broader scope for collaboration both within and beyond the organization.
The overriding purpose of UC is to enhance human-to-human contact. A unified platform makes it easier for a company to communicate effectively. Unified communications, as a result, can have a profound impact on customer service.
Effective communication is vital to customer service. Whoever your customers are, being able to interact with them efficiently is essential. UC platforms open a host of new avenues for your customer service provision. The following are three ways that UC can help you to deliver better customer service.
When a customer contacts you, they’re looking for a swift reaction. They want their questions answered or issues solved as quickly as possible. Unified communications better places you to provide precisely that kind of service. With a UC platform, you can offer better information, in far less time.
(http://customerthink.com/how-to-improve-your-customer-service-response-times/)
With a UC system, an agent can swiftly find an answer to any customer query. That might be by accessing order information. It could be by contacting an expert within or outside the organization. Either way, you can do it all in the same system, thanks to UC. No longer do customers have to suffer long hold times or wait for you to call them back.
That kind of efficient cross-organizational communication, too, helps you to provide better information. Your agents can share in-depth details via email or other channels while talking on the phone. They could even hand off a customer to a specialist with ease.
If you run an international firm or operate 24/7, you need to communicate via many channels. Customers abroad may not be able to reach you on the phone. Someone buying online in the early hours of the morning may need an answer before your office opens. UC solutions help you to communicate better with these customers.
The unified platform draws together communications from all channels. That makes it swift and straightforward to respond to out of hours queries. You might even be able to handle them with chatbots. It also means you can transfer specific questions to locations in different time zones if you have them.
What’s more, UC lets you deliver consistent service across channels and devices. Your staff will have quick access to all prior contact with a customer. Take, for example, if someone exchanges emails with your firm and then later calls you up. Your agent who answers the call can bring up the past email thread with ease via a UC platform.
UC platforms give you a broader range of ways in which to communicate with customers. You don’t have to only rely on phone conversations or email threads. You can introduce enhanced interactions to take your customer service to a new level.
Collaboration tools like screen-sharing or video conferencing are vital in this regard. They allow your staff to walk customers through solutions to their problems. Your agents can genuinely show them what they need to do to get products or services back on track. All those options are that their fingertips within the same system.
(https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-retention-strategies)
The impact of such personal and effective service is profound. It creates far stronger customer relationships. Your customers will view you as an organization that cares. They’ll know that you give as much attention to aftercare as you do to sales. That will make them far more likely to become loyal, repeat customers.
Superior customer service is about always doing your best for your customers. You need to deliver the same positive experience every time they reach out to you. That means offering accurate information quickly. It also means being able to do so wherever the customer is, and however they contact you.
Unified communication is a solution that lets any firm achieve that level of service. By integrating communication channels, you can always interact efficiently. You have the info and the tools at your fingertips to provide the service your customers deserve and demand.
What if the service you offered could win customers over from your rivals? More than that, what if it could lead your customers to recommend you to friends and relatives? The fact is that customer service truly is that important to consumers.
(https://www.zendesk.com/blog/why-customer-service-is-so-important-to-online-shoppers/)
How, then, can you make your customer service a differentiator? How can you deliver a customer experience that sets you apart? The answer could be via unified communications. Put all communications under one unified umbrella, and you can offer customers a better end-to-end service.
There are many ways in which unified communications can boost customer service. We’re going to deal with three of the most significant below. First, though, let’s talk about precisely what the phrase ‘unified communications’ means.
What Does Unified Communications Mean?
Unified communications (UC) is one of those phrases that’s simpler than it first appears. UC is a new way to approach modern business communications. With a UC platform, a firm can bring together – or unify – all their different channels. You can blend all the ways you use to speak to customers, clients, and team members.
With UC, you don't juggle email accounts, phone lines, IM services, and other channels. Instead, everything gets brought together. A UC solution helps businesses manage all their channels more effectively. It also allows for enhanced integration of those channels. That means a broader scope for collaboration both within and beyond the organization.
The overriding purpose of UC is to enhance human-to-human contact. A unified platform makes it easier for a company to communicate effectively. Unified communications, as a result, can have a profound impact on customer service.
Three Ways Unified Communications Can Help Your Customer Service
Effective communication is vital to customer service. Whoever your customers are, being able to interact with them efficiently is essential. UC platforms open a host of new avenues for your customer service provision. The following are three ways that UC can help you to deliver better customer service.
Provide Better Information, More Quickly
When a customer contacts you, they’re looking for a swift reaction. They want their questions answered or issues solved as quickly as possible. Unified communications better places you to provide precisely that kind of service. With a UC platform, you can offer better information, in far less time.
(http://customerthink.com/how-to-improve-your-customer-service-response-times/)
With a UC system, an agent can swiftly find an answer to any customer query. That might be by accessing order information. It could be by contacting an expert within or outside the organization. Either way, you can do it all in the same system, thanks to UC. No longer do customers have to suffer long hold times or wait for you to call them back.
That kind of efficient cross-organizational communication, too, helps you to provide better information. Your agents can share in-depth details via email or other channels while talking on the phone. They could even hand off a customer to a specialist with ease.
Be Available to All Customers at All Times
If you run an international firm or operate 24/7, you need to communicate via many channels. Customers abroad may not be able to reach you on the phone. Someone buying online in the early hours of the morning may need an answer before your office opens. UC solutions help you to communicate better with these customers.
The unified platform draws together communications from all channels. That makes it swift and straightforward to respond to out of hours queries. You might even be able to handle them with chatbots. It also means you can transfer specific questions to locations in different time zones if you have them.
What’s more, UC lets you deliver consistent service across channels and devices. Your staff will have quick access to all prior contact with a customer. Take, for example, if someone exchanges emails with your firm and then later calls you up. Your agent who answers the call can bring up the past email thread with ease via a UC platform.
Enhance Interactions & Strengthen Relationships
UC platforms give you a broader range of ways in which to communicate with customers. You don’t have to only rely on phone conversations or email threads. You can introduce enhanced interactions to take your customer service to a new level.
Collaboration tools like screen-sharing or video conferencing are vital in this regard. They allow your staff to walk customers through solutions to their problems. Your agents can genuinely show them what they need to do to get products or services back on track. All those options are that their fingertips within the same system.
(https://www.shopify.com/blog/customer-retention-strategies)
The impact of such personal and effective service is profound. It creates far stronger customer relationships. Your customers will view you as an organization that cares. They’ll know that you give as much attention to aftercare as you do to sales. That will make them far more likely to become loyal, repeat customers.
Customer Service Benefits from a Unified Approach to Communication
Superior customer service is about always doing your best for your customers. You need to deliver the same positive experience every time they reach out to you. That means offering accurate information quickly. It also means being able to do so wherever the customer is, and however they contact you.
Unified communication is a solution that lets any firm achieve that level of service. By integrating communication channels, you can always interact efficiently. You have the info and the tools at your fingertips to provide the service your customers deserve and demand.
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