Importance of real-time information in customer service

by Carolina Ortega, Teams Management at Xtendo Group

Companies that invest in their customer service have stellar results that allow them to accelerate their business exponentially, as reflected in the data published in The State of CX Maturity 2021 .

After the abrupt presence of the pandemic, there is a sector that, together with technology, is gaining more and more strength from digital consumers: customer service. A sector that requests more customization and efficiency to solve needs. 

In this article we will explain the importance of customer service in post-pandemic times and how good management helps to expand a business. Join us!

What is customer service?

It consists of the interrelated activities that a business offers to its customers in order to solve some need. The objective is that the service is accompanied by the attraction, conquest and loyalty of customers; but, to achieve this, it is necessary for companies to activate agility mechanisms and technology to be able to meet expectations. 

Times have changed because, with the arrival of the pandemic, consumers are more demanding when it comes to receiving a response. They expect an efficient service where messaging is more personal and immediate. However, a service such as customer service needs resources, technical and financial materials and, most importantly, human capital that is willing to guarantee the success of the business.  

Advantages of good customer service

Customer service is key to business growth, that is proven. For this reason, we bring you benefits that good communication with users brings to companies, based on studies of organizations from different parts of the world:

1. Helps brand reputation. Yes, poor customer service can lead to customer desertion. Remember that the intention is not to go to the competition; that is why, it is better to retain it than to let it go. According to the US company Zendesk , 40% of customers start buying from a competitor because of their excellent customer service. Do not let him go!
2. There is no better advertising than word of mouth. When customers have good service, they are able to recommend and become the best ambassadors of a brand, ensuring that the conversion is followed and loyalty is more forceful. According to Zendesk, 87% of customers share good experiences with other people.
3. It represents a competitive advantage for the company. Keep in mind that customer service is the only contact between the brand and the customer; in that sense, it can be a factor that differentiates and determines the conversion process. 77% of organizations are choosing to increase their service and advice team in the next 12 months, as reflected in a study by the consulting firm Deloitte . 
4. Good service matters more than the price of the product or service. 86% of consumers are willing to pay up to 25% more for a better experience, according to the RightNow document . The objective of the users is to satisfy their needs, they will not have problems with paying a percentage.
5. Reduce problems and returns. Companies do not work perfectly, we know that, none is far from suffering problems at some point, but it is essential to take care of customers. The important thing is to manage clear communication, without friction so that unforeseen events do not happen along the way. An investigation by the company RightNow ensures that 73% of consumers are able to fall in love with a company because of the treatment received in customer service. 

The idea is to build trust so that a brand’s reputation increases. Otherwise, it can have repercussions that negatively affect the company. Therefore, offering an efficient service will help make a brand known positively on any platform that develops its strategy. 

The personalization of companies: past and future

If there is one thing that companies have to recognize, it is that, regardless of their size and business model, they must focus on customer service. Although they consider that it may be a reason for investment, over time they will see the results because it satisfies customer needs immediately and efficiently. 

Likewise, when there is good care and the results are what is desired, the environment within the organizations improves considerably and business relationships with customers change. 

That is why many are not only injecting potential in this area, but are also customizing it to achieve a better experience, which means that the strategy works. So, companies that want to grow must understand and bet on improving this service. 

Technology is advancing rapidly and so is digital media, so closer interactions with consumers will help address the demands that are being added to their products and overall shopping experiences every day. We are going to show how customer service has developed in the past and what it looks like for the future:

1. In the past:

The technology had a negative impact on the experience. Hours of operation are reduced from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. The interaction with the client was controlled solely by the company. There was a high volume of unresolved emails and the customer was constantly repeating their issue however they communicated. And if a product had to be repaired, it was the customer who took the initiative. 

2. In the future it is expected:

• That technology continues to show a positive impact on the experience. 
• That the assistance schedule is 24 hours, every day.
• That the client decides where he wants to interact (mail, social networks, mobile devices, etc).
• That the interactions and volumes of mails are resolved in real time. 
• That the initiatives to solve problems with the products come from the companies.
• That customer information is centralized in a single system. 

The change towards the transformation and digitization of spaces must be considered a priority where customer service is an efficient tool so that real-time communication is effective and guarantees the changes that are expected. 

Real-time metrics 

All the actions that companies decide to undertake, especially on digital platforms, must be measured in real time so that operations are more efficient and manage to optimize and improve business profitability. 

For this, it is necessary to strengthen the skills of the work teams in conjunction with the technological channels so that customer service is a strong link in the company, but to improve every day more it has to be measured. Here we leave you four metrics that you should pay attention to if you are part of an organization and want to promote this area:

1. Service level. It is responsible for measuring the performance of the team, comparing it with the previous day, week or month. 
2. Average response time. Evaluate the average time it takes to respond through the different channels. 
3. Average response time vs. contact volume metric. It is the one that helps compare the response time of each representative with the number of service requests received. 
4. Average response time via chat vs. chat volume. Show data for a specific channel like chat. 

Why is it important to measure in real time?

With the arrival of the pandemic, companies have seen the need to speed up their processes, so much so that technology has become a fundamental link for growth because it helps to better manage the information of their consumers and thus solve their needs as quickly as possible. as fast as possible.

But, if you still have doubts about why companies should manage their processes in real time, we leave you four reasons so that you have it clearer: 

• greater opportunity

When information is instantly available, companies can better react to opportunities. This, clearly, will depend on the points of view that they have as an organization, but it does facilitate the analysis and understanding of some impacts on brands.

• They help prevention

The data helps to improve a strategy along the way, guarantee improvements and visualize the impact it has on the business.

• promote change

Companies are able to respond more quickly when they have information in real time. Their dynamic changes because they can face and react to situations effectively.

• It allows to measure the operations

Technology brings with it a series of data that, when analyzed and measured, can be pointed in other directions. The indicators evaluate the efforts of all the teams for the growth of the companies. 

• speed up projection

The more information, analysis and measurement of the information you have, the greater the acceleration or growth of maca will be. This considerably facilitates the management of a company. 

Efficient customer service is a guarantee that the consumer experience is qualified as positive and also provides the expected conversion rate. It is a good opportunity to also improve the organization and the level of commitment of the work teams.