The quality of customer experience that a business provides to its customer base determines its success or failure. Companies must adopt a holistic approach to ensure faster service and support in order to meet customer expectations and maintain a positive reputation. This entails promptly responding to common queries and complex issues, while also delivering timely assistance that aligns with their needs.
There are many communication channels available today that have advanced features. These channels give faster response times to meet business goals on time, while also providing a great customer experience. Apart from quick response times, the standout feature of these communication channels is the 24/7 customer support.
Discover the advantages of 24/7 customer support in this article, and elevate your customer service game to new heights. Be one of the top business leaders offering exceptional customer service and enjoy a higher customer satisfaction rating. Let’s explore the benefits of round-the-clock customer support to take your business to the next level.
Definition
24/7 customer support refers to the availability of customer support solutions beyond regular business hours. Customers now have the convenience of contacting companies anytime, from the comfort of their homes, to resolve any issues they may have with products or services.
Customer support like this improves a company’s customer care. Most real-time customer service channels feature a regularly updated knowledge base and contact centers that customers can access at any time of day. Besides the channels facilitated by customer support agents, companies also offer self-service options to shorten resolution time and give a more empowering experience for customers.
What are the most common types of 24/7 customer support channels?
As a startup owner, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the commonly used channels that successful businesses employ, especially if you have not yet determined the approach to customer service that you intend to establish. These channels play a pivotal role in ensuring your business thrives.
Email continues to be the preferred communication channel for companies, even with the existence of newer and more advanced options. Companies use email to adapt to customer demands and to connect with potential customers when introducing new products and services.
This customer support channel is highly essential for business success, as 91% of consumers use it daily. So regardless of your customer service model, using email to resolve customer complaints is a great decision.
Forums and Message Boards
You can always give your customers the option to enjoy a fun customer support experience through forums and message boards. Facilitating a customer community serves the purpose of uncovering shared customer queries, closely monitoring customer feedback, and identifying effective long-term solutions to tackle critical concerns faced by the company.
Social Networks
Did you know that there are currently over 4.88 billion social media users around the world? That’s 60.6 percent of the total global population.
The beauty of a social network site lies in its simple yet highly customizable interface. Added to these impressive factors is the fact that most social media channels come in mobile apps. This means that messaging channels and contact centers can be accessed by customers 24/7. If there are no customer service representatives available to respond, AI-powered chatbots are utilized to answer common questions and resolve simple issues.
There are plenty of social media channels offering easy integration between different platforms, free online chat features, and personalized responses for every customer concern.
Phone
Who says that phone calls are no longer a thing nowadays? One of the more traditional contact services methods, receiving and responding to inquiries via phone is still considered effective even in this digital age. In fact, 68% of support interactions take place via phone calls.
This is especially true for large companies that handle hundreds and thousands of inquiries and complaints on a daily basis. If you have a large scale business, and you want to take your customer support to the next level, consider outsourcing your customer support team.
Digital Minds BPO provides cost-effective contact center services and customer support solutions to help local and international business owners enhance their operations. A versatile team of call center representatives will handle all inbound and outbound calls to streamline all your business processes, wherever you are.
Self-Service Knowledge Base
You might be surprised to know that there’s a huge majority of people who prefer self-service to human interaction. According to a study, 70% of consumers expect every company website to include a self-service support option. Why is that? The main reason for this is that the majority of individuals desire quick answers to their inquiries, and they perceive it as more convenient to resolve their concerns independently rather than seeking assistance from customer support representatives.
To avoid being overwhelmed by countless customer service requests, it is much more efficient and convenient to maintain regularly updated knowledge bases. This ensures that your valued customers do not have to wait in long queues to have their concerns addressed.
On-Page Support Widgets
They are small, simple, and powerful. Support widgets lead customers to the ideal actions to their inquiry: Submit a question or request via email.
Customer service software usually includes widgets that provide direct access to knowledge base articles. Keeping them updated makes it easier to answer customer service questions in no time.
Live Chat
The continuous improvement in the craftsmanship of mobile phones has paved the way to faster internet connectivity and a smooth browsing experience. Live chat serves as one of the fastest options that play a critical role in real-time customer support systems.
Live chat is becoming increasingly popular among business owners who are committed to providing real-time customer support. 44% of online consumers expressed their preference for receiving answers to their questions directly from a real person. Live chat remains a popular choice for business owners because it offers a sense of relatability and sincerity that most AI bots cannot provide.
What are the benefits of having a consistent customer support channel?
1. Superb level of support for different time zones.
Having happy customers living in different areas of the world is such a rewarding experience for every business. Expanding services across different time zones can be challenging for companies. It might affect customer service quality.
Having a stable and reliable customer support team that can handle and resolve customer issues on time can improve customer experience. This business decision can also make it a lot easier for you to operate under different time zones and serve a larger target market.
2. Excellent compliance with the changing preferences and demands of customers.
Customer service teams must stay updated on market trends while addressing customer concerns and inquiries. By doing so, you can produce products and services that match your client base’s wants and needs. Real-time contact services not only allow you to effortlessly reach out to customers from different locations but also enable you to understand their unique preferences and purchasing patterns.
3. Increased customer satisfaction.
With a shorter average response time, 24/7 customer support makes issue resolution better than ever. This also means shorter waiting and holding times for your customers, and higher customer satisfaction rates for your business. A win-win situation, for real.
4. Enhanced customer retention and loyalty.
Customers stay loyal to a brand when they feel like their feedback is valued. More than the usual business to customer interactions, customers appreciate quick responses and personalized solutions to their problems. If there’s an experienced support team present to do this task, customers tend to stay and some are even willing to advocate for your business.
In fact, 68% of customers share that they are willing to become brand ambassadors of certain products and services after a fantastic experience. This could increase brand awareness and improve the reputation of your business.
5. Improvements in brand awareness and reputation.
Branding and reputation go hand in hand in helping businesses thrive along with the stern competition in the market. To secure a niche in the industry, established companies invest in real-time customer support. This is to ensure a positive brand recall and maintain an outstanding reputation for both existing clients and potential customers.
6. Better conversion rates.
Contact centers exist as the first point of contact between customers and the business for minor concerns. Shopping cart abandonment is a common issue for business owners without a quick and reliable customer support system. Around 60% of customers are more likely to buy products in their carts during their first visit when there is a support channel available. Your support channel for your e-commerce site can come in the form of live chat, widget, customer service chatbot, or knowledge base. Prioritizing this factor leads to better conversion rates and better revenue for your business. Who doesn’t want both?
What makes an excellent customer support system?
Signing up for a customer support software subscription sounds like an easy task, but maintaining it still requires a lot of hard work. Whether you’re hiring an in-house team or outsourcing customer service reps for 24/7 support, it’s important to know what can make your customer support system stand out.
Responsiveness
The standout feature of any CRM platform or software is its incredible responsiveness. So you need to make sure that your team will be attentive to customer inquiries and concerns. The purpose of establishing round-the-clock customer support is to ensure that all inquiries and issues are promptly attended to and resolved. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the responsiveness of your support channels.
Speed and Efficiency
Managing a customer support channel comes with a variety of metrics and key performance indicators to become effective and customer-friendly. An excellent customer support channel should be quick and efficient, and no customer should be left waiting.
Product and Service Knowledge
Your average response time may be short, but if you lack knowledge about the product or service, it can still have a negative effect on your relationship with your customers.
To prevent customer dissatisfaction, it is necessary for you and your support team to possess advanced product knowledge. If you wish to offer self-service customer support, your knowledge base solutions should be updated and relevant to the needs of your clients.
Consistency
Make every customer journey remarkable by giving them the assistance that they need from the start to the end of the transaction. Providing equal assistance regardless of the size of the issue is an effective approach to delivering quick, direct, and consistent customer support.
Service-focused Etiquette
To achieve long-term customer loyalty, it is essential to exhibit service-focused etiquette at all times. A service-focused etiquette can be highlighted through the following:
- Giving the proper salutations and greetings to customers
- Applying the LEAP method – Listen, Empathize, Apologize, and Provide Solution
- Not giving “false promises” to customers.
- Asking customers if they need further assistance after resolving an issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does 24-hour customer service cost?
A 24-hour customer service price may vary depending on the type of channel that you want to use for your business. With call centers being the most popular choice for companies, fees could range from $7 to $15 per agent.
If you want to create a live chat or customer service chatbot for your business, there are plenty of software and apps available that can easily integrate with your website and multiple support channels.
Read more: 10 Best Live Chat Apps and Software to Help You Connect with Your Clients 24/7
What industries need 24/7 customer service the most?
Almost every industry can benefit from having a real-time customer support channel. Here are the industries that need it the most:
- Travel and accommodation (Hospitality)
- Ecommerce
- Finance
- Sales and marketing
- Healthcare
- Police/Rescue Units
- Telecommunication
What is the fastest option for a reliable customer support system?
Live chat is considered the best customer support channel in terms of speed, accuracy, and convenience.
Is an AI agent better than a human agent?
The answer to this question depends on the goal that you want to achieve for your business. If you are aiming for quantity, and you need to hit a specific quota every business day, AI can provide the speed that you need. But if you want more accurate outputs and a more personalized response to your client base, hiring human agents is still a better decision.
How many agents should handle a company’s customer support desk?
There is no fixed rule for determining the number of agents a business should have for its customer support desk. However, there are factors that you should consider when deciding how many staff members to hire for your support desk:
- Type of product/service you sell or offer
- Size of your company
- Expected number of customers per day
- Your growth forecasts
Takeaways
Having strong, reliable, and easily accessible customer support can propel your company to success. In this era of remarkable technological advancements, it is important to remember your company can be established effectively through dedication, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to providing unparalleled service to your customers.
Start your 24/7 customer service journey with us by choosing our affordable customer support services made possible by our dedicated and competent agents! We can’t wait to guide you towards a more modernized and genuine customer care solutions with the best staff to back your business up.
Contact us today and get ready to build your dreams with Digital Minds BPO.
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