4 min
In today’s fast-paced digital world, users expect speed and responsiveness when interacting with a business, and proactive customer service delivers on both.
Organizations that understand, anticipate and address people’s needs improve customer satisfaction and enhance their brand image. According to a Helplama study, 92% of users reported that the experience of being proactively contacted by the company changed their perception in a positive way.
Outgoing notifications, like SMS Push, are not the only way to offer proactive customer service. Modern technology has enabled capabilities like virtual agents or AI-powered analytics that enable call center leaders to facilitate the customer journey. This approach will not only make customers happier, it can also increase loyalty and overall business results.
What Is Proactive Customer Service?
Proactive customer service means anticipating users’ needs and communicating with them about their issues before they contact customer service. Sometimes it can also mean making improvements to service experiences in anticipation of customer demands.
Providing this type of service requires a deep understanding of customers and their “journeys”. Companies must be able to predict user behavior and know which parts of the customer journey may cause confusion or other friction.
Why Does Speed Matter? Is The New Standard Proactive?
Speed has always been an important factor in customer service. That’s why call centers spend so much time and energy keeping waits times at an acceptable level. Clients get impatient when they have to wait for help. But is the demand for speed increasing?
A recent Salesforce study found that 83% of customers expect immediate engagement when contacting a business. That figure is an increase of five points from 2021, so it seems that the need for speed is increasing.
Modern consumers want instant gratification in everything they do, including their customer service experiences. But as more and more companies are able to meet this expectation, it is no longer as effective as a competitive differentiator. Proactive customer service is likely to become the next thing that sets exceptional CX apart.
5 Ideas To Have a Proactive Call Center
1) Smart and Efficient Self-Service
Proactive customer service is about anticipating and meeting customer needs, and most customers need (and want) effective self-service options. According to Gartner, 81% of users try to handle issues themselves before contacting a live customer service agent.
According to Forrester, self-service is increasingly used as the first point of contact for customers within customer service organizations. The more positive these self-service experiences are, the more satisfied and engaged users will feel.
AI-powered virtual agents can also provide proactive self-service. These intelligent chatbots understand human language, allowing customers to speak naturally to resolve a wide variety of queries. Additionally, machine learning (ML) enables virtual agents to get smarter over time.
Effective self-service can be faster and more convenient than agent-assisted channels and is available 24/7/365. These qualities allow for the instant gratification that customers expect and value.
2) Omnichannel Experiences
According to Sprout Social, running an omnichannel experience is one way to be proactive. Plus, since 96% of consumers expect it, it’s a great way to meet expectations and differentiate the quality of your support.
Why is omnichannel so important for users? Salesforce found that 74% of customers say they have used multiple channels to initiate and complete transactions. And when they do this with companies that don’t offer omnichannel support, they need to repeat the information, often multiple times. Not only is this an inconvenience, but also it can make customers wonder if the company really knows them.
3) Proactive Problem Management
Problem management capabilities enable call centers to quickly address emerging issues and ensure a minimum number of customers are affected, improving CX and helping businesses avoid additional volume.
AI-powered interaction analytics analyzes all customer service interactions (voice and text) from all channels in real time and can find patterns to extract timely insights.
4) Give Agents An Edge With Your Interpersonal Skills
Proactive customer service can mean leveraging new technology to improve CX. Real-time interaction guidance software is an example of advanced modern technology that helps agents deliver the kind of personal connections customers want. In fact, according to Aberdeen, 57% of consumers say they would increase spending with a brand if they felt connected to it.
A customer’s feeling of connection to a brand is largely based on emotion. An agent needs strong human skills to create the kind of personal connections with users that build loyalty. Not all agents are naturally empathetic or have already developed great active listening skills, but these can be learned.
Onboarding and ongoing training should focus heavily on soft skills. In this sense, real-time interaction guidance tools can advise agents in the moment every time they speak with a customer.
5) Close The Circle Of Customer Feedback
Filling out a customer survey or making a complaint to a call center agent can feel like sending a review down a black hole. How many times has a user heard from a company after providing negative feedback in a survey?
CX-focused companies close the cycle of negative feedback by reaching out to disgruntled customers to try and make things right. This approach can change and strengthen relationships, but a closed-loop process doesn’t just need to target detractors. Highly satisfied customers can also be contacted to thank them for their positive feedback.
In conclusion, proactive customer service increases customer satisfaction, brand advocacy, and overall CX while creating operational efficiency.
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