Nowadays, it’s impossible to talk about customer service without mentioning the importance of customer experience. There are no doubt that today’s customers differ from the ones even just a couple of years ago. Today, we (as customers) expect more – and it’s considered normal that every company, regardless of the field they represent, should treat customer experience as a priority. Even though every company is built on individual, independent divisions that take care of their own tasks, customers perceive and evaluate the company as a whole. The success of one department, in the eyes of customers, is the success of the entire company. The same goes for failures (after all, that’s what the customers are going to be the loudest about) ?
To protect the company from an undesirable situation, having customers’ best interests should always be on everyone’s mind. Salesforce comes in handy when there is a need to implement that idea ✅ Using Salesforce helps companies with gathering all the necessary information, thanks to which they are able to predict the reaction of customers and respond to their needs before they appear in customers’ minds.
Driven by the belief that customer experience is the key to success, Salesforce Research conducted research that allowed for an in-depth analysis of the customer service trends in small and medium-sized enterprises. Almost 800 companies around the world responded to the survey. If you are interested in the results, feel free to read the rest of the article ⬇
#1 Customer experience depends strictly on the quality of service
It seems obvious, doesn’t it? Let’s find out more.
It turns out that as many as 3/4 of today’s consumers expect companies to provide a consistent, effective experience, regardless of the chosen medium (e.g. social media, telephone, personal communication channels). The differences between the results of companies that consider customer experience as a priority and those who push it aside are huge. Many teams responsible for customer service focus on proactive activities – they are constantly looking for new solutions, which in the end, has great importance in customer relations.
As the report shows, high-performance customer service departments are at least twice as likely to focus their attention not only on personalizing the customer journey but also on understanding their relationship with the company (in terms of marketing or sales). 90% of high-performance enterprises strive to build deeper relationships with their customers.
#2 For small and medium-sized enterprises, meeting the expectations of today’s customers is a challenge
Despite their great intentions, small and medium-sized enterprises struggle with customer service at the level they’d expect. 49% of the surveyed companies admit that understanding customer experience and implementing proper solutions throughout the company is at least a moderate challenge.
#3 The best customer service teams follow these six practices
The conducted research made it possible to identify six noteworthy factors that are present among high-performing enterprises. They are essential to delivering a great customer experience. These results are also great tips for companies that want to take their customer service to the next level ?
1⃣ Manage customer support on every channel
2⃣ Provide technological support to agents
3⃣ Explore and take advantage of the possibilities of AI
4⃣ Strengthen cross-departmental collaboration
5⃣ Provide agents with access to knowledge and training
6⃣ Increase customer service investments
If a company wants to be successful in the field of customer service, it’s essential that the whole team works for it. Using technological solutions such as Salesforce, that enable efficient tracking of their behavior has never been more important. Salesforce will give you access to all the necessary data, thanks to which you’ll take your customer service to the next level ?
➡ What do YOU think is the key to providing positive impressions to customers who have decided to trust your company? I’d love to know more about your experiences.