In 2020 businesses had to adapt at unprecedented speed to the new reality of a global pandemic, lockdown, social distancing, working from home and more.
As we enter 2021, we are all bracing ourselves for more significant changes.
With vaccine rollouts accelerating around the world, we are all hoping that  2021 will be the year business sales begin their return to pre-pandemic levels, and customers return with vigour. Ensuring that your business has the best people, the best processes and the best product/service possible will ensure you stand out and thrive.
Customer Support is a fundamental element of a successful business. Now, more than ever, consumers expect a positive experience when making a purchase of a new product or service. When their experience is negative they have the ability to immediately tarnish the reputation of a business, with reviews and social media posts.
The Temkin Group found that companies that earn ÂŁ1 billion annually can expect to earn, on average, an additional ÂŁ700 million within 3 years of investing in customer experience.
For SaaS companies in particular, they can expect to increase revenue by ÂŁ1 billion.
That’s why optimising your customer support offering to enhance your customers’ experience is crucial in 2021.
‍
Today the vast majority of consumers are more comfortable communicating via written methods. For example via email or over live chat.
Having multiple channels for your customer to reach you via means they can contact you at their convenience, via the channel of their choice.
Live chat can save your customer support team time, as they can chat to multiple customers at once, meaning more customers are serviced in an efficient manner.
Emails also allow customers to have a record of all interactions with your business, protecting yours and their interests.
Having a variety of channels signals to your customers that their preference is important to your business and that you are listening to their needs.
‍
Another advantage of using live chat is the fact you can utilise AI-powered solutions, such as chatbots and CRM integrations, to reduce your agents’ effort and time. Before a query is passed to a support agent, AI can determine the nature of the query and potentially offer information that will answer the question.
This means your agents are only passed more detailed questions, which they have more time to focus on.
Efficient, 24/7 availability, a quicker response time, and expertise can give your customer service the competitive edge that traditional methods can’t offer.
‍
A strong social media presence offers your customers the opportunity to easily engage with your business on a public platform.
An active and engaging social media presence will keep your business and product at the forefront of your consumer's mind.
‍
For potential customers it is crucial they can assess your product/ service by gathering information about your organisation via social media, along with seeing how you respond to existing customer queries.
With the latest trends, you can watch the data, read customer feedback and openly communicate with your customers.
This insight offers a huge amount of perspective on what is working for your customers, and where things could be improved.
Rather than all engagements with your customers being reactive, this real-time information offers your business the opportunity to proactively fix and revise aspects of your product/service before they become an issue.
Another opportunity is to create a self-service knowledge base on your website or app; creating a bank of information about your products, services, and offerings. This will allow your customers an efficient and positive user experience, and save your business valuable time and money.
‍
Get customer support right, and you’ll enjoy sky-high retention rates and a long-lasting competitive advantage. Get it wrong, though, and you’ll quickly be overtaken.
But help is at hand. At The SaaSy People, we’re experts in customer service — and we’re ready to take the weight off your shoulders. Our team can provide exceptional customer support experiences for each and every one of your customers.
Get in touch with The SaaSy People today, and start exploring a more efficient way of delivering an unbeatable customer experience!
‍