The customer is the King. And if you want a happy King, then you must serve them well. Companies across the globe know this fact well. And that’s why they are coming up with novel ways to offer top-notch customer services.
However, the pandemic has made life difficult for entrepreneurs. According to Statista, around 56% of the customers have higher expectations about customer service standards than last year. This means that offering the best customer services in this tough pandemic-hit time is an effective way to sustain and grow your business. And to do that, you must be aware of the top customer service trends of 2021.
If you aren’t aware, don’t worry, as we will discuss the top 6 customer service trends that you should follow for your business’s growth.
6 Customers Trends You Should Know in 2021
Omnichannel Support
According to Accenture, 89% of customers experience frustration when they have to repeat their queries to multiple customer service representatives. This stat alone shows how important the omnichannel support trend has become.
Omnichannel support enables the customer to contact the support agent via multiple channels like phone, live chat, SMS, social media, etc. Most importantly, it supports these multiple channels within a single interaction. Thus, helping the customer to get rid of repeating their queries.
Adopting an omnichannel support strategy can empower your business to:
- Resolve issues quickly
- Deliver personalized experiences
- Provide real-time assistance via multiple channels
- Identify opportunities to satisfy customers in a better way
Personalization
Personalization is all set to take center stage for customer service in 2021. Data supports that customers value and expect personalized customer services from the businesses. Personalization is also known to drive customer retention, thus driving the business’s growth.
To personalize your customer service, you need to:
Make Data Accessible
The first step is to unify all the data. It will ensure that all your customer support agents can seamlessly access all the data.
Segment Your Customer Base
Divide your customers into different segments and tailor information for each segment. Keep in mind that customers can jump from one segment to another quickly.
Use Analytics
Get insights that help you to upscale personalization for your customers.
Automated Self-Service
“A self-service solution does not mean you don’t offer customer service. On the contrary, self-service is a way to enhance.”– Shep Hyken.
Today’s customers are independent and prefer to resolve their problems themselves. They want to avoid interaction with the support team. According to Statista, 88% of customers expect businesses to have an automated self-service portal. Having an automated self-service portal can suffice the needs of these customers. An online self-service portal stores information like FAQs, knowledge bases, discussion forums, videos, etc. Self-service customer portals have emerged as a dedicated knowledge base that acts as a catalyst for your customer service processes.
Automation with AI Chatbots
We all have interacted with chatbots. And you shouldn’t be surprised that these interactions increase. It’s because AI chatbots are one of the hottest customer service trends of 2021. Businesses use them to offer round-the-clock support to their customers. They also utilize FAQs and customer data to resolve customers’ issues.
Chatbots can identify different forms of the same question and share relevant information in seconds. This does a tremendous amount of service for your customer service representatives, who often get irritated answering the same question repeatedly. It is also known for cutting costs. According to CNBC reports, chatbots are expected to reduce business costs by $8 billion by the year 2022.
Improve Agent Experience
We all know customer experience and its significance. But, solely focusing on customer experience will not give you results. It’s because to offer a better customer experience, it’s crucial that the agents who deal with customers are happy and satisfied. It’s crucial to view agent experience as a part of the overall customer experience strategy.
Agent experience is nothing but a measure of how empowered, effective, and efficient a company’s customer service agents are. You can offer rich agent experience by using advanced tools and software. For example, you can use an online ticketing system to empower agents to manage customers’ queries efficiently. You can train your agents to offer rich customer service.
Customer Service Tools
Customer Service Tools are means to achieve your customer service objectives. That’s why you must choose the right combination of tools that can help you to achieve those objectives quickly. No matter how good your customer service representatives are, in the absence of advanced customer service tools, you won’t achieve the level of customer experience you’re aiming for. These tools are known to help agents to streamline their conversations with customers. Many such tools are available, like help desk software, customer portal, self-service sites, live chats, etc.
Conclusion
Customer service is evolving rapidly. And if you don’t adopt the latest customer service trends, then your business might suffer. I hope the customer service trends mentioned in this article help your businesses to stay ahead of the competition. By implementing the trends mentioned above, you can make your business customer success-driven. Most importantly, you can make your customer service experience your USP.
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