Every business in today’s market is trying to entice the customer with different offers, perks, add-ons, gifts, cashback, etc. There is a cut-throat competition in almost every business. All brands are focusing on large traction of customers or at least potential customers. The formula for today’s business is very simple.
“Just get to the customer, the money will follow”
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Most of the funded companies and startups are not profitable but still are very successful. All these companies and investors are securing future gains. For example, when Uber was launched, they gave heavy discounts to customers to attract them to use an online cab booking app.
With such a business model, it is impossible for a business to survive. The point is that they were investing in luring the customer into their services, once the customer gets habituated to services offered, they will be ready to pay any price in the future. And that will be the investment recovery time with interest.
As we find many companies trying to attract customers to make sales. Let’s look at some of the post-sales service and customer experiences trends from 2019 that took customer service to another level.
24/7 Phone support
The customers these days don’t want to wait for long hours or days for someone to respond to their email or come and see them or for that matter, they will not walk into the store for any query they have for the simple reason that, they have other options. With the increase in the use of virtual phone number, it has become very cost-efficient for a small and large business to keep their support services are open 24/7. Therefore, adopting a virtual phone system has become a time-saving tip for customer support in modern business.
Online Portal access
The majority of consumer products and services are now offering online access to their products and services for easy access and reach. This provides the customer the ability to access their account personally, receive support and get more information about the product.
These portals are very dynamic in nature providing users explicit access to products and services related to them. Online access via the portal is trending. This is not only good on the consumer side but also from the provider’s point of view. They can resolve instances and provide relevant information requested by the customer in a timely manner from the appropriate department. Online access is not only convenient but cost-effective as well.
Online billing and payments
While the portal provides personalized access to information and related products of the customer, it also allows consumers to get digital invoices and payments can be made with only a few clicks. This makes financial communication/transactions faster, stronger and secure. Unlike traditional paper bills, you now don’t have to keep a copy of your bills and receipts anymore.
Using online invoicing software options like InvoiceBerry, you can now access these details by logging on to your portal for instant access. On the behavioral side, it increases brand value and reduces customer churn. From the service provider’s perspective, they don’t have to keep track of individual customers as the billing and payments are automatically processed by the system.
Social media
According to a recent study by Nextiva, 74% of millennials report that their perception of a brand improves when it is clear the company responds to customers’ social media inquiries. A statistic that clearly hints at the important of social media support.
It will be safe to say that we are in the age of social media. We have never been so active on social media as today. Businesses want their customers to write more about them. Whether good or bad. Services providers want customers to post comments, write reviews, post blogs, articles, videos, etc. This helps in both ways, the customer side, and the service provider side.
Customers and free to express their views about the product and services once they purchase it and start consuming. On the service provider side, it helps them understand the psyche of the customers and understand how their consumers are consuming the goods. This also works as a true feedback channel.
Buyback with an upgrade
This trend is very popular in electronic goods such as mobile phones, televisions, laptops, etc. Product suppliers want their customers to use their latest products. It is obviously not possible for the average consumer to purchase the same product in a short period like 6 months, 1 year or 2 years.
Therefore, many electronic giants and e-commerce companies have started to buy back the old product and replace it with a brand new item at a very minimum cost. This keeps the consumers upgraded and also helps providers to retain their existing customers for a longer time.
Premium support
Who doesn’t want special treatment? Large organizations are always looking for premium customers with high purchasing power. Product and service providers convince the customers to go for higher plans, upgraded versions, and the latest technology.
In turn, companies provide consumers access to dedicated support staff for any kind of queries or questions. These premium customers don’t have to wait long for some to answer their call or go through multiple IVR options or get a prompt reply to their emails. This idea is very trendy as it gives the customer ‘VIP’ feeling. It builds brand value for the company as well.
On the other side, these organizations that provide premium or dedicated support use email services and virtual phone system which are directly routed to their employees on accounts and extension basis.
Preferred language service
English is an internationally recognized language. However, it kind of gives the customer a homely and friendly feeling when someone talks to them in their local language or dialect. This type of customer service approach is mostly adopted by companies that have a business in multiple countries.
For example, Germans would love to talk in German as their first language and they are most comfortable talking in their own language. From the business side, they want their service centers and call centers located and different locations around the globe and they would love to have someone with multilingual capabilities.
Consistent feedback
Assumptions can be very dangerous in business. Hence, it is absolutely important for businesses to talk to their customers on a regular basis. They must understand the issues and challenges faced by them in order to deliver better customer service. This is one of the most adopted trends in 2019.
Businesses prefer to call the customers post-sales to understand and learn from their experiences. This is not a one-time activity. It must be done religiously and regularly. A customer might not have the same feeling after consuming the product for one year as on the day of purchase. Any business that does this activity grows faster in comparison to others who don’t.
Referral program
A business proverb that reads- ‘one happy customer is equal to ten happy customers’. This stands so true. You must have noticed in the recent past that most online companies run a referral program under which they ask their existing loyal customers to refer their product or service to someone they know.
In return, they get cashback, reward points or discounts on the next purchase, reduced billing, gift or cash rewards. This not only helps consumers to get the most out of the business but also helps businesses in increasing sales without having to deal with the entire sales process. The referral bonus program is a win-win.
Service at your doorstep
Most consumers are busy doing what they do for their livelihood and don’t have much time to visit the store, service center, etc. Life is getting busier and idle at the same time. Today’s generation has learned to live independently without having to worry about going to multiple places to get the job done. Because now every business is offering doorstep services for free or at a very low cost. It helps both the business and the consumer to save time and build a relationship to retain the customer for a longer period of time.
These were some of the customer service trends from 2019 heavily adopted by new businesses and giants to drive better consumer experience in order to retain the customer for a long time.
Samantha Roberson is a vivid reader. She likes to read about hacks and tricks to be applied for businesses to grow faster.