5 things to include in your digital customer service strategy.
Whether you’re just getting started on your digital customer service strategy or refreshing what you have, it's important to take a structured approach. Investing in digital customer service is too significant an undertaking to leave to chance. There are a lot of details to think through and decisions to be made.
To get you started, here are five things you should include in your digital customer service strategy.
1. Implement digital channels that make sense for your business
There are lots of bells and whistles in digital channel world. Don't get distracted or think you have to implement all of them.
Gartner found that when companies offer more service channels, they receive more customer contacts, which is an unintended consequence of inserting more possible paths into the customer journey. Distill the digital channel options down to the best ones for your business and manage them really, really well.
2. Design with the customer in mind
Every good digital customer service strategy has the customer firmly at the center of it. This means customers should receive a consistent and integrated experience regardless of which support method they use. In other words,
omnichannel. If a customer has to start from scratch when they switch from chat to phone support, not only have you not gained anything by having chat, but you may have just lost that customer.
3. Plan for the impacts to your contact center
Depending on the extent of your digital channel implementation, the impact to your contact center could be significant. Suddenly, your workforce management team needs to forecast SMS contacts, or your phone agents need to learn how to support social messaging. This will be a big change and needs to be incorporated into your digital customer service strategy.
4. Choose a software vendor that will partner with you
You don't have to be in this alone. Good software vendors will provide guidance and advice throughout the selection and implementation phases and continue that support when you transition into maintenance status. Seasoned vendors have seen just about everything and ones that are worthy of your business will share their knowledge with you. Make sure part of your digital customer service strategy includes a vendor selection component.
5. Measure and adjust
A digital customer service strategy isn't implemented and then over. Businesses need to monitor performance of their digital channels, including customer satisfaction and adoption, and make course corrections when necessary. However, change your digital customer service strategy thoughtfully in order to minimize disruptions to the customer experience.
