Along with the increase in online activities of consumers, the demand for optimal digital customer service is also increasing. With the rapid rise of Omnichannel Marketing, where companies use multiple channels to reach their customers, the boundaries of the functions are also blurred. Consumers no longer always go to the store to buy what they need, but also to return products that they ordered online. This also works the other way around: previously, digital customer services were often used to file a complaint. Increasingly, these telephone customer service are also used to make a purchase.
This is where your business opportunities lie. Customer service is seen by many entrepreneurs as a department that only costs money. With the rise of Omnichannel Marketing and the blurring of the boundaries between different channels, your service channels can also be used as sales machines. Service and sales will grow closer together.
BE PROACTIVE FOR AN OPTIMAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Waiting for a customer to contact your customer service to submit their complaint or ask a question is an outdated idea of how it should be. In fact, you can grow loyal customers yourself by forcing your service teams to be proactive in supporting the customer. You offer them a helping hand with a problem that you have already identified, but that they themselves have not yet come up with. The customer perceives this as a positive experience with your company or brand. They will therefore come back more often, because they know that they are optimally served.
Serving the customer before they have discovered their problem themselves, we are increasingly seeing them again. Yet it is already being applied in today's society. Think of a luxury car brand like Mercedes. At Mercedes, they have set up a special service team. These act immediately if your car automatically gives a signal of a malfunction or software problem. They then contact the customer, without the customer already being aware of this.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS
The fact that the boundaries between all departments are blurring is now clear. The opportunities that this offers for you as an entrepreneur have increased significantly Do you want your customer service to no longer be a necessary expense, but even become a profitable department? Then several departments will also have to work better together. Customer service employees should be trained on sales skills. So that they know how to deal with sales opportunities.
SALES BECOMES CUSTOMER SERVICE
Of course, this also applies the other way around. Customer service employees need to learn sales skills, but salespeople can also learn something from the customer service employees. Satisfied customers remain. With that in mind, it is up to you to think carefully with your organization about how you can offer added value and an optimal customer experience to all your customers.
The goal of your sales department should be to build a bond with your customers. Instead of wearing out everything and everything with the customer, you have to offer a solution that really helps them. It's about creating a personal one. Although this requires different competencies from your sales department, customer service can help them with this. An interaction between both departments.
