Saturday, September 24, 2011

Multichannel Approach Can Improve Customer Service


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By: Martin Hofschroer

Organisations must provide consumer support across multiple channels if they want to improve customer service.

An Econsultancy report revealed that consumers thought the telephone was the most frustrating customer service channel which demonstrates the importance to businesses of being available through other methods.

One third of people surveyed said that they preferred to use the phone when contacting a business but nearly half said it was more exasperating than email or live chat through the internet.

Organisations can improve customer service over the telephone by having contact centres that are staffed with knowledgeable employees who can help people promptly and effectively.

Avoiding call queues and asking people to choose multiple options before reaching an agent can help a company stand out from the crowd as this demonstrates a commitment to customer service.

Organisations cannot rely on contact centres alone as it was reported that most people prefer to get in touch with a business via email so it is vital to have an online communication facility.

Urgent queries will nearly always result in a customer picking up the phone but for all other questions most people are content to use email because it avoids the hassle of calling a contact centre.

Email communication can benefit a business because it allows them time to investigate a complaint or query before responding to the customer who is not expecting an immediate reply.

Unfortunately, a lot of email customer service is below standard due to the proliferation of online contact forms which can prove almost as frustrating as automated contact centre agents.

Social media has become the new way for customers to interact with a business and an increasing number of people are turning to these networks in an attempt to have their complaints resolved.

Many organisations are uncertain about the benefits of social media but it is essential to have a presence, however, any business must have a strategy in place before they enter the online world.

Utilising social media is a great way for an organisation to proactively engage with their client base but they must select the most appropriate channel as some issues may be too complex to be resolved by a Tweet.

Performance improvement consulting professionals can help organisations improve customer service by using cutting-edge methodologies such as systems thinking theory to redesign and enhance processes.

Applying systems thinking enables businesses to view their organisational processes from the customer's perspective which helps them to improve the overall interaction experience.

Author Resource:->??Himsworth Consultancy is a leading Management Consultancy firm of senior business and peformance improvement consulting professionals that can improve customer service through systems thinking. Click the links to discover more.

Article From Next Level Articles

Source: http://www.nextlevelarticles.com/Art/411871/24/Multichannel-Approach-Can-Improve-Customer-Service.html

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