How to become the top-of-mind brand for your customers in the digital era

Brands can no longer close their eyes and ignore the straight correlation between customer service and clients’ loyalty. Especially now when we have so many options literally in the palm of our hands, companies need to make sure they meet their customers’ expectations and go even beyond. 

According to the “Global State of Customer Service” research conducted by Microsoft, 69% of US consumers say customer service is very important when it comes to their loyalty to a brand. All branding statistics from it show just how powerful customer service can prove to be for any business out there. It also serves as a word of caution to those businesses that disregard the importance of customer service.  

Another report done by HubSpot states that 54% of consumers say they’ve had at least one bad customer service experience in the last month. Bad user experiences with customer support are often leading consumers to switch brands or voice their disappointment in social media and other channels. Statistics show negative experiences will be shared with 15 people, and on the other hand, satisfied customers will share their positive encounters with 11 different people. 

So how can businesses beat the statistics and develop a great relationship with their customers? Make it fast, smooth, personal, and proactive. 

Make it fast. 

Back in the day, customer service has been reactive by default. A customer initiates a call or writes a complaint, an agent creates a case and after that, the search for the right solution begins. Which team should take on the case, what manual forms or emails need to be written down, etc. Often teams were not connected to each other, and this gap made the length of time resolution almost impossible to predict. As a result, customers were often dissatisfied, but their abilities to go elsewhere were limited.  

Now, with the ongoing digital transformation, especially escalated by the Covid-19 pandemic, speed is essential for customer service. CMO council found that according to the clients, fast response time is the single most important attribute when it comes to interacting with a brand. There is also pressure from the rise of social media and messaging platforms where people interact 24/7 and demand the same from the companies. Therefore, companies that prioritize improving their response and resolution time are expected to grant their places in customers’ favorites. 

Acting as the “platform of platforms” ServiceNow provides a single pane of glass solution, that brings all the data and teams together. The automation of processes, self-service, and immediate contacts between the agents improves the resolution time tremendously. Continued fast response and improved efficiency can make for the growth of your customers’ loyalty in the future. 

Make it smooth. 

One of the most frustrating things for a customer is to be “left in the dark” and not receive any information about the status of their request. Using ServiceNow digital workflows enables both the agent and the clients to have a clear view of the case and create realistic expectations about the time manner and outcome. That builds mutual trust. Using AI and chatbots, the company can make customer service even smoother by providing answers to common requests without having to contact a real agent. That saves both sides time and gives them the opportunity to focus more on high-touch customer service, leading to our next point. 

Make it personal. 

To gain loyalty, companies need to respect and honor every customer and create personalized experiences for them. Of course, in Service Management, the human touch is essential when solving cases with an agent, but the new digitalized solutions provide another perspective. Enable your customers to interact with your business according to their preferred channel of communication, monitor their profile status to identify issues and proactively solve them, or ask for their feedback about your products and services. Make it all about them, not the company. By feeling visible and appreciated, people tend to forgive minor issues and advocate for their favorite brands. Small steps in your digital transformation agenda that can bring you astonishing results when it comes to customers’ loyalty.  

According to the 2020 Forrester Total Economic Impact (TEI) study, which evaluated the business value of ServiceNow’s Customer Service Management platform, companies have seen the following results: 

• Improved first contact resolution by up to 20%
• Reduced cases initiated over the phone by 40%
• Increased revenue retention by $5.2 million from support contract renewals 

Make it proactive. 

Good customer service is by no definition exhausted with faster response and resolution time or providing different communication channels to end-users. Organizations that proactively communicate with customers to warn them of any potential issues not only reduce the number of logged cases, hence service desk engagement and need to process a large number of cases, but they also gain the trust of their customers who view them as reliable and honest. When ServiceNow’s Customer Service Management makes use of workflow automation and additional platform capabilities, such as Event management, it becomes a powerful tool to proactively notify customers of potential issues and opportunities. This sets the right expectations for resolution, avoiding customer frustration. In addition, keeping end-users informed on time builds an image of a trustworthy company. 

Superior customer service is determined by reliable proactive communication with the end-user, the effective delegation of problems to the right people in the organization, а customer-obsessed approach, and picking the right tools that will support it. And the result is LOYALTY. 

Contact our experienced specialist at Do IT Wise for more information on CSM and how it can be beneficial in your specific business case – https://doitwise.com/contacts/.