A proactive customer service that is ideal is one that provides a convenient and personalized customer experience. This is when a support service can immediately answer client concerns and address the needs specific to the client even before the client avails of the service,
A lot depends on the customer support staff especially when they go above and beyond what is expected of them and reach out to customers first. This is referred to as proactive customer service and may very well be a secret weapon of a company to gain trust and establish a reputation. A proactive customer service is said to be the “holy grail” of customer service.
Timeliness is vital in the world of customer service. A survey conducted by the Customer Service Barometer of the American Express concluded that 40% of clients said they would be happier if their concerns were addressed faster. This clearly shows how a business can have a better service to clients by faster action.
What is Proactive Customer Service?
Proactive customer service is defined as a strategy used by businesses to anticipate the potential concerns or issues encountered by the clients. This is when the customer service agents reach out to customers before they are notified of a problem.
One of the strategies this strategy is the implementation of an instant messaging based on factors set by customer behavior. An example is a monitoring can be set on the time a client spends on a certain page. This online behavior triggers a message by the service team for any potential difficulty or inquiry. Another method is through a live chat wherein options are given once a client accesses the facility, These functions can now be seen on many websites and social media pages.
Implementing a Proactive Support Service
Training is important
Before companies invest in the technology involved in proactive customer service, the team members must be well trained. They should know how to engage with clients in different situations. Scenarios must be identified and solutions established so that customer service staff will be confident to deal with the clients.
Equip the team with the right analytic tools
The combination of human interaction and analytic tools would be a powerful method for customer support. The team must have the technology to handle everything that is presented to them. Insights on customer behavior are needed with determined red flags to trigger an action by the agent even before the client calls for assistance.
Assist clients on what they are looking for
A business should intuitively know what clients would be looking for. This is done through social media observation and metrics. Keen analytics would anticipate issues and concerns that a customer service staff may encounter. Given that this is already known, a solution should be available at the agent’s fingertips.
Implementing proactive customer service may not be as difficult as it seems. With the right tools and quality team training, such a strategy will reap benefits for the business in no time.