Technology can be a great blessing if used in an appropriate manner. But on the other hand, it can be disastrous if you don't know how to use it to your benefit. Technology helps businesses connect with people quickly, yet organizations that are unable to adapt can be left behind.
Many companies keep looking for ways to keep their customers happy and satisfied. Unfortunately, it is never enough. These days, unhappy customers take their issues to social platforms and look for answers on various social channels.
The Impact of Social Media on Customer Service
Social Media has completely changed the scope of customer service. Certain issues which once went unnoticed can easily create chaos these days. Unhappy and dissatisfied customers can voice their opinions on various social networking websites like Twitter or Facebook (News - Alert). People can severely damage a company's image by letting others know how they were treated.
The worst part is that thousands of people see a post on social channels in a short period of time. Moreover, this number can quickly increase exponentially. Irrespective of the kind of issues a customer faces, he or she can make a big deal of them to crumble a company's reputation to pieces.
The Best Solution to Customer Service
Today, people look for accurate and quick responses to their problems. However, this can prove to be quite costly for business organizations, as a lot of resources have to go into customer service. Customers don't want to hold the line for long; they want prompt responses from customer service representatives. The best way is to let customers find answers to problems on their own.
An IT manager needs to find a balance between cost-effectiveness and customer service. Thus, it is important to use a resource like WalkMe, a useful platform to guide your agents about resolving real-time problems in a quick and efficient manner. With it, customers don't have to wait before they speak to representatives, thereby reducing the number of customer issues.
There have been many incidents where customer service representatives have been unable to satisfy customers. According to various studies, it’s estimated around 68 percent of customers leave a company if they are not satisfied with customer service. This leads to significant negative public fallout, and can further lead to a shrinking customer database.
Many managers lose focus on existing customers and try to attract new ones. But this can be a misplaced idea; customer retention is critical for the success of every business.
Whether you are an IT manager or a marketing manager, it is absolutely clear that providing good customer service should be your top priority. Customer service is the key to both retaining customers and attracting new ones.
Due to increasing competition, business organizations that don't use social media properly will have to learn about its consequences the hard way. Social media channels can take your business to new heights. You need to give them the attention they deserve. Customer issues should be addressed in a timely manner, but a business should also provide certain tools to customers so they can find quick solutions on their own.
Stefanie Amini is the Marketing Director and Specialist in Customer Success at WalkMe, the world's first interactive online guidance system. She is chief writer and editor of I Want It Now, a blog for Customer Service Experts. Follow her @StefWalkMe