Pleasing as many customers as possible is an indisputable strategy for scaling your business upwards in a sustainable way. However, many entrepreneurs and corporate specialists grapple when it comes to successfully reinforcing their customer support practices.
Why? The answer is simple; customer support is no easy feat to overcome. Furthermore, many business owners believe that by throwing enough money at the problem, that a solution will miraculously present itself.
The harsh reality is, you're going to need more than money to scale your customer service operations properly. You need dedicated employees to help achieve your goals as well as a solid plan to guide you from the get-go.
In this article, we break down key strategies to aid in scaling your customer support efforts without breaking the bank.
Bolster your workforce.
It is a no-brainer that you're going to need to spend some cash to bolster your customer support goals. Anyone who claims that you can successfully manage more customers while spending little to no money is lying or not qualified to be providing advice. Of course, it is possible to garner more favourable results than before with careful spending in critical areas and to cut back on areas of less importance.
Employing fresh, capable workers, for example, is a critical strategy which you should focus on to make your rands go further.
Furthermore, it's a smart move to be aware that particular software is far superior to others. If you decide to invest clumsily, you could be binding your business with cumbersome equipment as opposed to boosting it for the future.
If you're not tech-savvy as a business owner, you should not be afraid to admit this and seek professional help. If you're in over your head, do some research into the acquiring new software, hardware and any other digital assets.
In today's landscape, everyone speaks about digitization, and at times it almost seems impossible to earn profits in any sector without spending massive sums of money on new hardware and software. Yes, technology is imperative for any business's success; however, it's also indisputably accurate that smart, tech-savvy employees are required to properly leverage any fancy new tool you might acquire for them.
It is no secret that successful scaling of customer support operations will require you to root out any bad seeds when hiring new employees. All it takes is one or two poor workers to unravel your entire team. Lacklustre employees are more than often the first and significant cause of an IT system's breakdown. It's imperative to know when and where to draw the line when recruiting. Take the time to search far and wide for exceptional employees who might cost your business a little extra. Their experience and invaluable expertise will usually match the cost that hiring truly employees incurs.
Lastly, knowing when the right time to hire new employees is a sign of a great manager. Think twice if you've studied your current customer support team and if you need more workers, employ them, if you don't need additional customer care members don't bother.
Find helpful tools to support your processes.
There are countless tools available to aid in your customer service efforts. Zendesk is a household name for many businesses with robust customer service practices. It’s a powerful tool that offers a flexible ticket management system with configurable rules and macros. Furthermore, it manages thousands of daily tickets, even if your business has a small customer care team.
However, it's never as easy as going with the most popular tool. There are alternatives, and it's up to you to research, test and play with various tools until you find the right fit for business needs. Smaller business owners should consider signing up for free trials, test the software, see if it works and then optimize.
Freshdesk is a suitable alternative for businesses with small budgets as it offers a free app, rich in features, such as unlimited agents, access to App Gallery, email channel, knowledgebase, standard phone channel, and basic social channels.
Another app worth mentioning is LiveAgent. LiveAgent boasts an optimized universal inbox for ticket management and agent performance review, which aligns with the efforts you need to take in separating your capable workers from your shoddy ones.
A key feature that LiveAgent offers is its hybrid ticketing system which combines ticket forms and live chat, which is vital for high-stake clients.
Other alternatives to Zendesk include SalesForce essentials, Zoho Desk, Wix Answers, Atera, Freshservice, HubSpot Service Hub and JitBit HelpDesk.
Ultimately selecting the best tool will depend on gauging which product works best with your audience, product, service and your business's capacity. Don't rush in and purchase a tool, unless you can afford it, instead, test a tool by using a free trial, if you're happy with the effect it has on your business, purchase it. If you're unhappy, experiment and test with other tools until your business's customer care goals are met.
Automation could help.
Of course, while your primary focus should be on human capital, it is essential to understand that automating processes can help. Yes, the digitization of modern workplaces has made it possible for fewer employees to cover a more extensive base of customers, but remember to resist the temptation that arises when others claim that you'll be able to halve your workforce while still sufficiently meeting the needs of your clients.
No matter how effective certain digital technologies are, automation will never replace human ingenuity. Furthermore, customers everywhere prefer dealing with a mix of humans and robots when it comes to resolving their issues.
McKinsey has revealed that digital customer care or eCare strategies can drastically cut down on operational costs. However, don't put too much focus into this area, unless you're entirely confident that it won't dehumanize your operations when investing extra money in digitizing your workspace.
Don't overextend your services.
Carefully considering how much digitizing outside of critical areas is needed will aid in avoiding the mistake of scaling too fast. Many businesses need to expand, however, attempting to conquer too much new territory at once will mean you'll struggle to consolidate your current holdings.
Opt for slow and steady change, for example, by maintaining a blog, which handles crucial areas, and your customer support efforts will run smoother in no time.
You might consider having more employees on the phone as a good strategy, but having too many chefs in the kitchen could spoil the meal. Business owners who are set on increasing profits might think it's necessary to expand quickly to maintain cash flow. However, get too big for your boots too fast, and you might crash inwards and sacrifice all the progress you've made thus far.
To avoid overextending your business, try not to focus on hiring new employees. Retrain your current workforce and optimize its abilities in solving customer complaints and queries.
Quality over quantity is vital; having less, more capable team members with access to better technology will go further than poor workers with little or no information at their disposal.
The real success lies in providing your team with better information and training. Equip your customer service team with a diverse arsenal of tools which enable them to gauge knowledge in less time, and you'll start benefiting from helping customers achieve their desired results.
Automation, new employees, retraining old workers and onboarding new software under the same banner of bolstering your information sharing environment is vital.
Scaling your business's customer support efforts is a timeous process. Do it properly, and it will pay for itself sooner than later. By addressing all the tips here, your newly digitized customer support services will see better results than before.