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The spread of COVID-19 has brought a series of previously unthinkable shifts to human life and normal patterns of society. Our “new normal” includes things like remote school and social distancing requirements, shortages of goods and services, and continued upheaval in the daily news cycle. It also means reliability and consistency are in short supply everywhere in the world. Business operations and the economy are no different - shifting demands, realities of the pandemic (completed with required public health measures), and upheaval to incomes have significantly changed the way nearly every business operates.


With all this uncertainty, customers are rightfully less patient and willing to wait for the goods and services they want and need. Likewise, changes in business operations have led to increases in customer service requests across various market sectors, challenging businesses that have yet to optimize or appropriately scale up their customer service operations. Canon ITS has seen this firsthand, working with clients to offer various essential products and services these past few months. Customers are expecting a more personalized touch when contacting companies. Moreover, customers are increasingly diverse due to the constantly shifting realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.


While many businesses face tightening resources and funding for major investment, continuing to invest and improve your customer service system may be more important than ever before due to COVID-19. Remember, enhancing customer service can be done without creating an entire call center or developing an omnichannel strategy. Simply improving your ability to collect and analyze important data from customer interactions (something Canon ITS does in a variety of ways) can help you deliver real results to both your customers and your business.



Customers respond best to compassionate and supportive businesses


While a simple service request or complaint about a product is often the same as it was before the pandemic, customer behaviors and patience levels have shifted significantly. In a society full of confusion and stress, it is more essential than ever for businesses to tailor their customer service experiences to ensure customers feel cared for, heard, and valued.


Emphasizing these areas for your customers can be done with a few initiatives when evaluating your existing customer service operations. For example, Canon ITS partners with clients to help provide training, solutions, and strategies in several areas:

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  • Provide training for employees to improve their customer service delivery and evaluate service interactions. This helps employees improve their personability and empathy toward customer needs and concerns.

  • Integrate automated customer service systems (like chat bots/AI) with clear options to reach live customer agents. Giving customers the choice of human interaction is a standout feature while so many people are largely stuck inside their homes.

  • Lastly, consider customer incentives or rewards (if possible) for patience while their requests are handled. While customers never like to wait for their needs to be met, demonstrating your respect for their business or needs with a small token of gratitude can help drive brand loyalty and deliver a nice personal touch for each customer.


Personalize every customer’s experience with your business


There is no shortage of customer service cliches to describe building relationships with your customers and simulating true personal interactions. However, COVID-19 has illustrated the truth behind many of these “mantras”. While making customers feel heard and valued is still important, the pandemic has made emphasizing these qualities through your customer service representatives and messaging essential.


When it comes to customer service processes, Canon ITS has firsthand experience with how beneficial true interpersonal customer service is compared to “chatbots”, artificial intelligence, and other automated services. Automation may be a good solution for answering rudimentary questions or commonly repeated requests, but empirics show most customers of Canon ITS clients respond best to a personalized experience from a live customer service agent. Combining these two methods may be the best approach for your business, especially if your budget is limited. Still, making an extra investment to show your customers you care can make a big difference in minimizing returns and/or increasing customer retention.


Additionally, customers will truly remember positive experiences and interactions that stand out from the daily stress and media uproar. This offers a unique opportunity for businesses to shine. By going above and beyond to satisfy customer needs and incorporate their feedback, you can cement your brand into customer minds, driving positive word-of-mouth through social media posts and interactions and sending even more new customer leads to your business.


For this reason, using a reputable and accomplished customer service outsourcing provider like Canon ITS is an ideal choice for your business:


  • Canon ITS provides many ways to incorporate real-time data and customer feedback from service calls into your planning and business operations.

  • Canon ITS agents are more than extensions of your business; they serve as “trend spotters”, capable of reliably reporting new trends in customer requests and desires for new services to help you make better decisions.

  • Beyond simply collecting data from customers, Canon ITS helps you analyze it, too. Frequent, detailed reports help you identifying the essential feedback, like declines in returns and increases in conversion rates, giving you the tools to improve your business in concrete, measurable ways.