1. Time-Bound Customer Service Communication
Customer engagement can be a key differentiator for companies, particularly small-
medium sized businesses for whom “personalized service” helps to lure customers away
from the bigger fish. But companies must have a smart strategy in place for engaging with
customers. Inefficient communication tactics bleed resources. It is important to implement
a customer communication strategy that is both time-bound and keeps customers happy in
the long run.
First, determine whom customer communication channels affect. Often businesses view
customer service as a standalone role, but that is rarely the case. Customer communication
processes affect developers, sales staff and even designers. So, take the time to review
recorded employee activities to get an accurate view into which staff members will be
affected by customer communication activities.
You should also consider how much time needs to be spent on direct communications each
day. In terms of customer service, many businesses feature “always on” communication
avenues, but this is not always the most efficient means of cataloguing and addressing
customer issues. For instance, if you have only a few customer service representatives, or if
other employees have a dual customer service role, then boasting immediate, direct access
will quickly result in a buildup of complaints. It is far better to implement an organized
system for addressing customer complaints. Perhaps the primary communication channel
should be email or web-forms that allow you to prioritize or even batch similar problems
together to service multiple complaints at once.
Finally, and regardless of which strategy you choose, customers need to be assured that
their voices are heard. Even if you simply schedule time at the end of the day to send
response emails, there should be some level of customer acknowledgement. The key is
order, not ignorance, so be sure that your well-organized backlog doesn’t become a pileup.
You can also treat many customer issues as projects in their own right, and track employee
time and resources to specific complaints (and customers) to determine how much time
each customer is costing you.
In the end, communication should always be a priority for businesses that want to keep
customers happy. That being said, you need to communicate on your terms both for the
sake of your company and to ensure customer needs are addressed in the most efficient
manner possible.
Reference Link: http://journyx.com/node/2086