How to increase customer support efficiency

?????????????????????????????????????????????????Standard customer service departments can often be fraught with ongoing issues. Some of the common issues include:

  • A customer asking a question, and the agent not knowing the answer.
  • Customers trying desperately to get a hold of someone but not being able to because the agents are busy or the business is closed for the day.
  • Customers being put on hold for long periods of time or being transferred to wrong departments.
  • Customers having to repeat themselves because the agent doesn’t recall what was said prior.

All of these issues can lead to frustrated customers who may even take their business elsewhere.

Most of the time these issues don’t arise because the business doesn’t care, but rather because it’s hard to find enough support in-house to fulfill all of the customer requests. Many businesses also simply don’t have access to the technology that can increase customer service efficiency.

This is one of the ways outsourcing customer service to an experienced contact center can help the business (and the customers) — it increases efficiency.

When you choose XACT, you gain access to a pool of agents ready to represent your business with excellence. We implement quality assurance and training to ensure that each customer gets the best care. We have the ability to listen to agents who are on the call, without disturbing them in a one-way listening session to see how agents are performing. You can learn more about this and other methods we have available to us on our website.

Another way that we increase efficiency is by opening up the lines of communication, literally. We offer companies chat and web support, a customer help desk, telephone answering services and more. We can also serve your customers 24/7 making it easier for them to reach out to you.

One of the other things that we’d like to note about these offerings is that chat and web support allows agents to keep a better record of what the customer says. This can reduce the chance that a customer will have to repeat themselves since there will be a chat window that the agent can look back over. So, overall, this feature is a win-win for both parties.

Let’s not forget to mention that having access to a larger group of agents means that more people are available to respond to customers, meaning that it will be easier for customers to get a hold of someone. It can also mean shorter wait times for them.

Overall, you can see how outsourcing customer service solutions allows you to increase efficiency, which is good for the business and the customers. We hope you’ll think carefully about it and reach out to us when you’re ready to learn more.

Motivate your team with these top tips

Busy millennial group of motivated mixed race teammates discussing project.A motivated team is crucial for productivity, lower turnover rate and happier employees. But exactly how to motivate your team can be difficult to figure out.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to do just that. Here are some tips.

First, take a look at your workplace culture. The culture sets the tone. If it’s not a warm, inviting and positive place to work, people will be less motivated. Make sure your culture is setting the right atmosphere for productivity.

Next, monitor workload. Are your employees being challenged or are they overworked? If employees always feel like they can’t catch up because their workload is just too much to bear, it’s time to start moving things around. Find ways to make their workload more manageable, and they’ll feel more motivated and able to get their jobs accomplished.

Look for ways you can make the workplace more enjoyable. Can you give the break room a little remodel by adding some new vending machines or appliances, games or even free snacks? Your employees will appreciate tokens of gratitude. On that note, don’t forget to tell your employees thank you when they do a great job. You can take this up a notch by giving out bonuses in the form of cash, gift cards or more paid days off.

Clearly outline (and celebrate) goals for the team. When the team reaches certain goals or completes the project, give them a reward or even throw a little party for them. Even if you don’t have a huge project, you can still set some goals each week for your team to strive for. Give them a reason to reach these objectives by offering a prize if they meet every goal.

Show empathy. Let your employees know that you genuinely care about them and their feedback. Check-in with them periodically to see how they’re doing. Also, by getting to know them better, you can learn what may motivate them the most. Another way to encourage feedback is putting out a suggestion bin and letting employees know you welcome their ideas. Make sure to carefully consider each one and initiate any that may be helpful. This shows you are listening.

Be an understanding and open leader. Be upfront about goals and the mission of the company. Let employees know that they’re an essential part of what makes the business work.

All of these things can help you to create a better work environment with more productive employees. If you’re looking for ways to help your employees feel less overwhelmed by their workload, please reach out to us to outsource your customer solutions. We’re happy to help!

5 Customer Support Solutions to Try in 2023

There are more than 31 million businesses worldwide, so how can you make yours shine? Customer support solutions are one of the best ways to improve your business! You can greatly enhance your customer experience by focusing on customer support methods.

If you’re curious to learn more about customer support options, we’re here to help. Read on to learn the five best support solutions to try in 2023.

1. Focus On Feedback

One of the most important things to focus on is feedback. If you listen, your customers will tell you how to improve their experience!

Open avenues for your customers to leave feedback. If you’re a brick-and-mortar store, this is as simple as feedback boxes. You can also give your customers ways to leave feedback on their receipts or on a flyer handed out in-store.

2. Highlight Customers

Another crucial customer support solution is to form your business around the inclusion of customers. In many businesses, customers are almost secondary. There’s little focus on the customer experience or different customer support methods.

Consider building your business as a whole around highlighting customers. You can find similar models in many modern businesses.

By focusing on customers, you ensure that your customers receive the support they need. Such support comes in the form of helpful employees, reliable responses, and more. Take care of your customers’ needs to shift your efforts toward their benefit.

3. Bring Convenience

One of the worst things a customer can deal with is inconvenience. Even a minor inconvenience can drastically damage a customer’s experience.

Consider all the things in your workplace that a customer may find inconvenient. Is it difficult to navigate to different pages for your online store? Are your products frequently running out of stock?

Think of how this would affect the customer. Once you’ve identified an inconvenience, aid your customer by eliminating it.

4. Clear Communication

Few things frustrate customers more than unclear communication. Are you failing to follow up on feedback? Maybe you’re failing to adequately communicate changes in your workplace?

A great customer support option is to ensure you have a clear line of communication. Consider installing a system that gives frequent, clear updates to your customers. By doing so, they’ll have a better idea of what to expect from you.

5. Follow Up

What’s the point of feedback and communication if it stops at the first step? It’s crucial to follow up with your customers after you’ve ensured communication.

When a customer gives feedback, strongly consider the opinion. You may implement some changes, depending on the form of feedback.

Showing that you’re listening is crucial to customer support. Follow up on your customers’ wishes to get the most out of your support options.

Perfecting Customer Support Solutions

Customer support solutions vary depending on your business model and demographic. Customer communications and convenience are two of the most crucial steps to forming effective customer support methods.

For more information on how to get the most out of your customer support, be sure to contact us!

A Guide to Using SMS Campaigns to Communicate with Clients

Are you looking to build relationships with clients by leveraging the power of SMS campaigns? It’s a great idea considering that SMS is the preferred channel for customers to receive brand updates. 48% prefer to receive updates via SMS, whereas only 22% wish to receive updates via email.

With everyone using smartphones nowadays, businesses are more connected than ever. Taking advantage of the audience that can be reached through text messages has tremendous potential. However, it pays to understand how to optimize customer communication via SMS.

In this quick guide, we’ll walk you through some best practices for running profitable and effective SMS campaigns so that you can start engaging your customers today.

What Are SMS Campaigns?

SMS campaigns allow businesses to effectively engage customers with:

  • Time-sensitive offers
  • Exclusive updates
  • Important notifications

It’s not just about capitalizing on offers, though. SMS messaging enables companies to build stronger relationships with their target audience. This creates deeper customer loyalty and ultimately drives sales.

Ways to Communicate With SMS Messaging

There are numerous ways to communicate with your target audience these days. Business communication doesn’t have to be boring, though; SMS messaging can help you engage your customers like never before. Here are five quick ways to enhance customer communication with SMS campaigns.

1. Personalize Content

Never send generic SMS messages. For example, a personal message might address the customer by name and include tailored content that speaks to the customer’s preferences or recent behaviors. This helps establish trust and encourages customers to engage further with your business.

Personalization also takes less effort than standard campaigns. Messages are tailored based on customer information stored in your database making it easier for you to create content that appeals directly to them.

2. Communicate Value

The text messages you send should explain why the recipient should engage with your message and clearly communicate what they can gain from it. If your message fails to communicate value, the recipient is likely to be uninterested, or worse, delete it without reading it.

3. Be Considerate

Consider the frequency with which you’re sending messages. Also, be considerate of the time of year and time of day. For example, if your target audience consists mainly of parents of school-aged children, consider that they’re likely dropping their kids off at school in the morning. Sending messages at that time of day likely adds stress and discourages engagement.

4. Encourage Action

In SMS campaigns, a call to action is essential to maximize the impact of your message. For example, it may be signing up for a newsletter, downloading an app, or simply visiting a webpage. Regardless of what you want your customers to do, giving them clear instructions to follow increases engagement and the likelihood of the success of your campaigns.

5. Respond to Messages

Want to enhance engagement with SMS options and improve your customer service? Respond to text messages. This helps customers feel like they’re talking to a real person instead of a bot. It also lets you gain valuable insight into your customers’ needs and issues. This can help you tailor your services and marketing messages to meet those needs.

Working with XACT

At XACT, support dispatch and service solutions are designed with your business in mind. Whether it’s a critical issue or a simple question, we have you covered. We offer support within seconds through phone calls, emails, or SMS campaigns, so your customers can get the support they need quickly and easily.

Utilizing our support dispatch solutions efficiently ensures that customers and clients have access to the support they need as quickly as possible. Get in touch and see for yourself!

3 Reasons Your Business Needs a Web Chat Option

Did you know that according to a recent survey, 75% of customers prefer using web chat options to contact businesses? That’s right. Customers are increasingly turning to web chats as their go-to method for quick and convenient communication with businesses.

If you haven’t yet added a web chat option to your website, you could be missing out on an opportunity to provide better customer support and boost your business operations.

In this article, we’ll explore three compelling reasons why your business needs a web chat option. Plus, you can find out how it can help you stay ahead of the competition. So, let’s get started!

1) Web Chat Offers Immediate Assistance and Support

Web chat options provide customers with an instant connection to your business. Unlike email or phone, web chats allow customers to get answers to their questions in real-time. Without having to wait for a response.

This instant support can be a game-changer for your business. It allows you to quickly address customer concerns and resolve issues before they escalate.

What’s more, web chat services often have features businesses can make use of, including:

  • Automated messages
  • Chatbots
  • Canned responses

These features can help your team provide quick and accurate answers to commonly asked questions. This can save your team time and effort, freeing them up to handle more complex inquiries.

2) Web Chat Helps to Enhance Business Efficiency

In addition to helping customers, web chat services can also increase business efficiency. The best part is that it can help you save money on customer service costs.

One of the significant advantages of web chats is that a single customer support representative can handle multiple conversations at once. It helps your business to avoid the need for additional staff to handle increased customer service requests.

It also means that customers don’t have to wait in line for assistance, reducing wait times and improving their overall experience. It’s a win-win situation, where your business can serve more customers quickly, and customers can receive fast and efficient support.

3) Web Chat Gives Your Business a Competitive Edge

Offering a web chat option on your business website can give you a competitive edge over other businesses that do not offer this feature. With so many businesses offering similar products and services, it’s essential to differentiate your business from your competitors.

The convenience and ease of use of web chat services can help you to stand out as a modern, customer-focused brand. It’s an opportunity to show your customers that you care about their needs, and you’re willing to go the extra mile to provide them with the best possible service.

Find Out More About Web Chat Technology

A web chat option is a must-have feature for any business website, and there are many reasons why. If you’re looking to improve your business communications and customer experience, adding a web chat option to your website is a great place to start.

To learn more about how our business website chat technology can benefit your business, please reach out to us at XACT. We’ll be happy to provide you with more information and answer any questions you may have.