One of the major challenges that companies are facing today is customer retention. Whether you are into ecommerce business or run an offline store or a travel business, it’s getting tough to retain customers especially for smaller businesses because they can’t afford to invest in expensive technology that can solve customer issues quickly and provide self-service over the phone. A recent by a research firm revealed that 82% of the youth population love to spend on larger brands because it gives them a sense of personal care as they have the option to call the support number in case they need any assistance.
And despite the growth of the social websites, mobile devices, web based self-service help desk etc. 71% of the consumers still prefer to stick to the company that has a customer support number or a self-service option over the phone. The reason is quite clear; consumers feel more satisfied and secure talking to a support agent or having self-service options over the phone through an IVR.
Consumers expect either self-service over the phone or speaking to an agent
Consumers have become demanding and are adopting more sophisticated personal devices that make their daily tasks simple and convenient. Similarly, they are exploring new technologies and mediums to enhance their engagement experiences with brands, services and businesses. Almost everyone now owns a smart phone or a tablet and from storing personal photos to online transactions users are reshaping the digital landscape. With the type of intelligence available now at the fingertips of consumers they expect delightful customer experience in case of issues related to the service or product.
The businesses that still rely on lousy phone lines that have long wait times to connect callers to the support agents are losing the race because customers expect quick response on their issues. With the changing consumer sentiments businesses need an interactive IVR systems that provide quick response, offers self-service options and routes calls to the support agents when needed. A recent usability study has revealed that greeting customers with a personalized message or with their names delights them and they feel more secure being associated to the brand or service.
Addressing to the issues quickly and connecting customer calls without any wait times increases loyalty
Have you ever dialled a support number of any credit card company or a website from where you had purchased something? If as a customer you were put on hold and some annoying music was played while you were in the queue to talk to an agent, you may had felt some frustration and eventually made up your mind not to make a purchase again from the same website or company.
To learn more about integrating Cloud IVR into your website/portal or use it as an stand-alone system, you can check here: Cloud IVR integration and setup cost
Businesses, companies, websites that delight customers with an exceptional customer support are far ahead in the competition. One of the best examples is ‘Zappos’, an online shoe store that had always focused on providing exceptional customer support to build a loyal customer base and that’s what made ‘Zappos’ a winner. A study conducted by the Customer Contact Council has found that 94 percent of the consumers stick to the company that provided quickly addressed to their issues and 88 percent revealed that they would increase their spending sticking to the same brand or service.
Small businesses can also scale if they adopt technologies that automate the customer support service processes. An intelligent IVR software built in the Cloud can be an ideal solution for small businesses and ecommerce websites. It takes out the pain of answering calls manually by providing self-service options to the customers and responds to their queries by converting text to speech. Customers have to put in almost zero effort to get the information related to their accounts, orders, shipping or billing. It also routes calls efficiently by gathering the input from the caller and connecting them to the right agent without any wait time. On a single number it can handle up to 40 incoming calls unlike a traditional phone line or a mobile phone. Less effort + quick call connectivity + quick response = satisfied customer.
One of the key reasons why small businesses must consider IVR systems that are built in the cloud is because it doesn’t require any hardware of software to work. Just integrate with your existing database or website or build a stand-alone system to answer calls using the APIs and technologies such as PHP, c#, Python, Java or Ruby. It costs as low as $1000 one time for integration & setup and you are ready to run a full-fledged call center like a large company. Your customers would like to stick to your brand or service if you are delighting them with an exceptional customer service using intelligent IVR software.
Optimizing your customer support service leveraging IVR software built in the cloud enables you to win the race
In order to handle the ‘I want it now’ attitude of the new-age consumers, focus should be on improving customer support process and not just selling or increasing transactions. Because increased transactions would ultimately result in increased number of customer calls and not having a proper channel to quickly answer calls or address issues would have a negatively affect customer retention rate.
An IVR built in the Cloud not only costs you as low as $.001/min for an incoming call but also provides your callers with the ability to resolve issues by themselves so your support agents don’t have to answer each and every call. It satisfies customers quickly by providing the accurate information and remains light on your pocket thereby making it easier for you to focus on other areas as well.
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