Customers expect more from your business than ever. With this increased demand, companies must be willing to work with customers on their terms. However, five in ten consumers needed to make multiple contacts to resolve their most recent customer service issue. What’s more is one in three consumers report that it was not easy contacting a business to handle their last customer service issue. To mitigate these consequences, brands must recognize their customers desire for speed and channel preference and then reap the benefits. Learn how to improve customer service and deepen customer loyalty by leveraging your company’s messaging solutions effectively.

SPEED

Customers will not wait for companies to contact them. Sixty-four percent of customers expect companies to be available in real time, and 75% of customers demand instant service within five minutes of online contact. And if companies don’t deliver, it can severely cost them. Most (91%) will leave a company without warning based on poor customer service, while others will switch brands, leave a negative review, consider other companies and become frustrated. Companies must be customer-first to meet these demands and prevent customer churn.

CHANNEL

Consistent Experiences

To better relations with customers, companies need to understand how various channels work with your customer and each other. Having a consistent experience across any channel is very important to most customers (71%) yet very few (29%) receive this request. What’s more is that 83% of consumers say they want the ability to move between channels when talking to a brand but once again, not all companies (50%) offer this to their customers.

More Choices

So beyond customers asking for this, why does it matter? Companies with strong omnichannel presence retain many more customers (89%) opposed to those with weaker omnichannel activity (33%). To have a strong omnichannel presence, companies must have many strong channels that align with customers’ preferences. Most customers prefer self-service and text messaging (91% and 90%) with chatbot and social media following (63% and 51%).

Convenience

Additionally, consumers who receive text message marketing are 40% more likely to become a customer than those who don’t receive them. With nearly an average of four hours spent on mobile devices every day and 78% of consumers using mobile devices to connect with brands for customer service, mobile is the fastest, most cost-effective way to meet demanding customer service expectations.

RESULTS

Faster Resolutions

To best reach customers, companies must amend their methods to those customers are seeking. Not only have customers stated text messaging as a preferred channel, but 67% of the world’s population are mobile phone users, meaning brands can get their messages to mass audiences. Mobile chat interactions are not only beneficial to consumers but the companies, as well.

Better Savings and Improved Satisfaction

This preferred channel not only has a shorter interaction duration (2 to 3 minutes) but also allows employees to manage multiple customers at a time. When you transform to meet and exceed the needs of customer service, the results show. Quality customer service experiences result in drastically higher Net Promoter Scores (65 points), increased employee retention (17%), fewer repeat calls (40%) and reduced number of escalations (50%).

EMPOWERING CUSTOMERS – SYNIVERSE’S MISSION

Knowing the importance of the customer service experience is simply one sliver of the solution. Taking action on improving this interaction is where it all comes together. That’s where Syniverse Intelligent Engagement comes to play. With our full-service, end-to-end solutions, businesses can harness the power of conversational messaging with anyone around the world on the device and channel they prefer. Our omnichannel services can coordinate customer engagement strategies across departments and give customers a complete view of their customer and customer preferences. While we’ve explored that many customers prefer text messaging, no single channel will be preferred by 100% of audiences. Others may prefer using social messaging, like Facebook Messenger, or voice – and many times their preferred channel can change depending on their request. Regardless of what customers prefer, Syniverse Intelligent Engagement makes it possible to be there when and how customers want to receive company messages.

TURNING CUSTOMERS INTO LOYAL ADVOCATES

Quality customer service interactions elevate companies’ ability to retain customers and turn them into loyal repeat buyers. With 93% of customers more likely to be repeat customers at companies with excellent customer service, brands cannot afford to have poor or average customer service.

What defines excellent customer service for you? Leave me a comment so we can continue to discuss and learn from each other.