Customer service is considered as the core of business but it was not always like this. Just a few years ago, only big companies were offering customer service, mainly because it was far too expensive for small companies to have a dedicated customer service department. Moreover, customer service was completely an onsite business. If you have any issue or want to report a problem, you are required to visit the company headquarter.
Fast forward to today, we see small companies excelling on the base of top-notch customer service. Now companies no longer see customer service as a side project or an after service, instead, they see it as a potential marketing process that will not only help them attract more customers but also ensure that their customers enjoy an improved service.
So, how have we come to this? Was it an intentional decision or just another unplanned evolution? If you are thinking the same, let us dive into the different factors that shaped customer service as we see it today.
Top 5 Factors That Contributed To Customer Service Progression
- Tech Involvement
Tech was the first industry to fully weaponize the concept of customer service and turn it into what we see today. Big companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Apple shaped the idea of customer service by bringing it online. While in-store customer service was considered a dominant method of customer service, these tech companies revolutionized customer service fully by setting the foundation for online customer service.
Today, more and more brands are offering online customer service and distancing themselves from the traditional in-store style customer service. Now, both small businesses like Beiler’s Bakery (a home bakery in Pennsylvania) have their own customer service team. They are learning to keep up with big companies like Xfinity that have their dedicated Spectrum customer service lines for serving their customers.
The idea of online customer service has now become so common that most companies are no longer offering in-store or on-site customer service. Moreover, tech companies are using customer service not just for helping and guiding customers but also as a way of advertising and marketing their brand.
- Internet Accessibility
Internet accessibility is one of the most noteworthy progress that has singlehandedly shaped the course of customer service.
For a very long time, customer service was limited to in-call or on-site service. If you have an issue or you need something fixed, you need to bring it on-site. In case you do not want to travel, the second best option was to ring up the company and get into the long waiting line. The overall process was so hectic that companies would rely on issuing tickets and the follow-up would take more than a week.
Now, all thanks to the easy and affordable accessibility of internet brands have shifted things online. Even small companies that were considered low-budget are now offering customer service like never before. Tech experts believe that small companies are now personalizing customer service, which is not just helping the users but it is building a very strong foundation of one-on-one customer-company relations. This will help to fortify customer loyalty. In contrast to the older times, now more customers are willing to buy and stick to small brands just because of their effective customer service strategy.
- Use of Tools
Remember the time when maintaining and building customer service would cost an arm and leg? Well, now thanks to the availability of simple tools, establishing customer service is easier than ever.
From a complete customer management tool that will help you track each customer to scheduling follow-up and recording customer interaction with the company, you can find tools for everything. Now small companies with limited budgets can run their whole customer in pennies.
While these tools are helping companies to chop off the extra expenditure, it is also helping small brands to get on the level playing field. Tech experts are now seeing these tools as a great equalizer that will help small businesses get on the same level or even grow at the same potential as any big brand. These tools are not just affordable but also they help in improving the overall progress as well as reducing the risk of human error.
- Outsourcing
Since everything has shifted online, brands are now outsourcing their customer service. Even big brands that have established a reputation for offering top-notch service have their customer service department in other countries.
Since most of the countries famous for outsourcing have a weaker currency, businesses are benefiting from this currency difference. Now, thanks to outsourcing, even small businesses are able to offer 24/7 customer service without overspending.
While most people focus on the financial benefit of outsourcing, it is very important to also take other benefits into account like diversity and inclusivity. When companies outsource locals for customer service, they benefit from bilingual customer service agents who are well-versed in cultural changes. For instance, Xfinity offers customer service for their Spanish customers. The Spanish customer service agents do not just speak Spanish, they are well versed technically and they have a higher chance of understanding the needs of the customers.
- Complete Automation
AI is all the hype right now so it is no surprise that it has finally entered the customer service realm as well. Most brands have already started automation processes for their customer service; however, this is not the end. It is expected that within just a few years, most brands will fully shift to 100% automated customer service.
This complete automation will not just help the companies to cut costs and improve the response time, but it will also save the users from the hassle of waiting and will further reduce the chance of human error.
Currently, communication channels like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter are offering free automation for brands however, for onsite automation; brands need to invest in bot integration.
Wrap Up
Simply put, customer service is improving as we speak and it is now important more than ever for brands to upgrade. The above-mentioned features will help brands to learn more about the customer’s expectations so they can reshape their brands.
