Rise to the Top with Tech Tools that Boost Customer Service

Providing customers with the best service possible can seem like a challenge in today’s business world. Technologies are constantly changing, along with consumer tastes and trends. Businesses can’t afford to invest in every technology, hoping a few will hit the mark when it comes to enhancing the customer experience, but there are a handful of tools that are surefire ways to beef up customer service without breaking the bank.

Virtual PBX provider Nextiva recently posted a blog on this topic, highlighting a number of technologies that it recommends for better customer service. As a hosted solutions company, Nextiva knows a thing or two about cloud technology, and as such one of its recommended tech tools is the virtual call center.

Using cloud technology like an online customer service desk allows employees to work from any location with Internet access without compromising productivity or the quality of customer service delivered. Hosted desktop solutions also include reporting and call management features, allowing virtual call centers to provide continual insight into call volume trends, and with the flexibility of these solutions, managers have the freedom to hire the most qualified agents regardless of geographical location to ensure the best team possible. In turn, this can lead to much stronger customer service.

Another key technology that can improve customer service is a ticketing system, which creates a “ticket” for every call that comes through a help center. These tickets remain open until the individual issues are resolved, and because of their formatting can easily be sent to the most qualified agent for the task.

“Whether a business is handling an occasional call for assistance or hundreds of support requests each day, a ticketing system can help bring it all together,” writes Nextiva’s Ramon Ray. “By regularly extracting reports on tickets, a business can pinpoint trends, including specific issues with a product or service, giving it the opportunity to fix those issues.”

Other features like live chat give customers alternative channels of communication with which to reach out. This can make it more likely for customers to contact a help center at all, thus giving the help center a great chance of rectifying the situation and keeping that customer satisfied. Ultimately, high quality customer service can be the difference between a company that rises to the top, and one that sinks to the bottom.

Edited by Maurice Nagle