Some companies keep customer interactions all over the place.
They think they’re on top of things because they have customer service staff and multiple subscriptions, but often they’re not even getting the basics right.
These days, customers expect businesses to know about them, including their prior interactions. They don’t want to have to explain themselves every time they jump on the phone or send an email.
That’s why we’ve written this guide. If you feel like your customer service is all over the place, this post should help you. It runs through everything you need to know about consolidating your channels and working in the best interest of the customer.
Audit Your Existing Channels
The first step is to look at the channels you already have. Auditing them tells you how you’re communicating with customers right now and whether you have the correct approach.
Look for how many channels you’re using.
If you’re finding it difficult to meet customer expectations, it could be because there are too many conversations occurring in disparate silos.
Define A Single Source Of Truth
Next, you want to define a single source of truth. You need an app or a piece of software that contains all the information you have on a particular customer.
Once you have this source of truth, your customer service staff can refer to it. They can also store data in it for future analysis by your marketing or AI tools.
Use An Omnichannel Platform
In business, you don’t want to restrict how people can get in touch with you. However, you do want to ensure that you collect messages in a single location.
That’s where an omnichannel platform comes in handy. Depending on the service you use, these can pull messages from email, WhatsApp, SMS, and even your website. They’re also fairly inexpensive, so they shouldn’t break the bank if you want to use them.
Sync The Data
If you can’t do that, then it’s a good idea to at least sync your data using tools like Zapier. Drawing it all into a single workflow makes the whole process so much easier.
For example, suppose you’re using a support channel but then want to create a task in a workflow app. You’d have to do that manually usually, but when you use tools like Zapier, you can connect the dots in the background.
Train Teams
Another pro move is to train your teams on how to actually unify their workflows. Instead of each person simply working one-to-one with each customer, they should know how to spread information about them.
Furthermore, they should have ways to integrate with the rest of the company and other departments. Teams who can get quick assistance from other professionals company-wide are better able to serve customers.
Tag Interactions
Finally, it’s a good idea to tag interactions. These tags can then be used to export chats to relevant personnel who can provide solutions. For example, you might forward interactions with the “finance” tag to the finance team.
