Ways Technology Is Transforming Customer Service

Providing prompt, excellent service is an integral component of business success. And as your business grows, so do the number of customer relationships and touchpoints you need to nurture and manage.

Fortunately, investing in technology can help you streamline and improve customer service efforts. Here are a few types of software with innovative capabilities to consider.

CRM software

Customer relationship management, or CRM, software helps track individual customer data based on purchase and browsing history, interests and points of contact like emails and phone calls. Salesforce, for instance, is a CRM that allows businesses to streamline and manage customer data in one system.

Tracking customer behavior analytics gives you valuable data that can help inform ways to personalize the customer experience with targeted communication, deals and campaigns. You may also consider using AI tools integrated into the CRM to help analyze customer profiles and qualify leads based on their past actions. Shoppers want to feel valued—especially to the brand they support—and personalizing your website and marketing experience can help fulfill their needs.

Help desk solutions

Another option is help desk solutions. Help desk systems like Zendesk and Freshdesk provide information to employees so they can answer questions and turn interactions into relationships. When a customer contacts your business, help desk solutions give your team valuable information so you can deliver more personalized support.

Some help desk software use built-in AI tools like Zia to give agents suggestions and pertinent data. Leveraging AI-driven solutions can not only help optimize 24/7 customer support, but it can also potentially increase productivity for your customer service team.

Video communication

Even on a tight budget, leveraging video conference applications, such as Zoom, could help you meet your customers anytime, anywhere. Many video conference applications have free trials and around-the-clock support so you can test if they're right for your business.

When reviewing ways to optimize customer service, explore video communication opportunities that can help make customer interactions more personal and efficient. Some video applications feature cloud storage, recording and sharing functionalities that may fit your needs.

Live chat

Live-chat technology is an instant messaging feature that's built directly into your website. This allows customers to speak with a live representative or chatbot to help get the answers and support they need. You can also set chat windows to pop up at crucial points on your website, offering help if a customer has questions and potentially speeding their path to conversion.

Live chat also lets agents chat with multiple people simultaneously. These systems are even smart enough to assign weight to specific conversations, which can help agents focus on priority issues. For instance, if one agent is talking to someone about a potential new sale, that chat is weighted higher than an agent answering a quick question about an estimated delivery date.

And if your business is already using chat systems, keep in mind that they often integrate with other forms of customer communication—so everything is in one place.

Social listening tools

Some of your customers may interact with your business on social media and potentially tag your brand. If they have a question or issue, they might expect an immediate response. To reach them faster, you could leverage social media listening tools like Hootsuite or HubSpot that help you monitor platforms for direct mentions.

You can also get alerts on discussions of keywords, competitors or industries that are important so you can engage with potential customers. In addition to tracking social media interactions, social listening tools can provide helpful analysis about which posts and campaigns generate the most engagement.

If you know what your audience responds to, you can personalize content to help improve their opinion of your brand. Knowing what customers are searching for and interacting with can also help you manage your multichannel marketing strategy.

The bottom line

It's important to get creative with how you serve customers so they want to come back. Their experience is becoming the biggest differentiator when it comes to their buying journey—and in some cases, it's more important than price. When you improve customer service, you can improve your business and its reputation.