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Superior Customer Service
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Superior customer service is a critical differentiator in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Companies that give customers what they want when they want it will increase customer satisfaction and ultimately gain greater market share, generating more revenue and enjoying higher profitability. Companies are discovering that giving consumers information online is as valuable as making sale. But how to deliver extraordinary customer service within the real-world constraints on the human and capital resources?
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The call center is rapidly becoming the most critical component to the customer service experience. A successful call center requires effective access to inforamtion as well as to the customer contact history. Ultimately, a successful call center requires around-the-clock availability of services, a cost effective way of providing the services, and cost-effective administration.
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eService on the Web is the Way
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For more and more companies, the answer involves the Internet. These companies which range from those with fairly conventional business models to those using the Internet as their primary vehicle for delivering their products and services have discovered that the Web can play a key role in the delivery of superior customer service. They've also discovered delivering customer service via the Web is remarkably cost-effective.
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Actually, no one really has a choice whether or not to provide customer service on the Web. Customers already made that decision for us. The Web is where they go first. Before they pick up the phone or send an email, they check the Web site. And, as time goes by, that tendency will only increase. Companies that don't respond to this trend will clearly suffer.
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Web-based customer service presents challenges as well as opportunities. Web customers have very high expectations when it comes to getting fast access to accurate information. The Web is also a 24x7 medium. So online customers expect superior service day or night. Companies that successfully satisfy the heightened expectations of online customers gain a significant competitive advantage over companies that fail to do so. And they can make huge productivity gains at the same time.
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The new demands of customers require the use of new Web customer service solutions. Business leaders who want to succeed in the rapidly evolving business environment must embrace these solutions in order to satisfy the growing number of customers who turn to the Web first when they have a question or problem.
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With the arrival of the Internet, the dynamics of business have changed forever. Traditional business influences and differentiators such as location, convenience, and switching costs have become much less relevant. In the new business environment, one of the only ways left to differentiate your organization from the competition is the quality of your customer service. Superior service gives customers a real reason for doing business with you. That's why industry analysts agree that Internet-based customer service (also known as "eService") is one of the biggest and most crucial opportunities available on the Web today.
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The key to taking advantage of this eService opportunity is to meet the increased expectations of today's Web-connected customers. In addition to seeking products and services that are better, cheaper and more convenient, online customers are also looking for impeccable service. That's why any company with a Web site must provide eService that's global, fast, meaningful, compelling, and customer-driven.
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Capitalizing on:
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Call Avoidance Strategy
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Customer Satisfaction
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Effective Marketing
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Growing Sales
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Global Reach
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Company Savings
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What Qualities Customers Expect from eService:
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FAST - Customers expect to be able to find the right information and content immediately. They have little patience for anything else.
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MEANINGFUL - Customers expect the information they find on the Web will be timely, up-to-date, and relevant to their immediate needs. If it isn't, they will develop a bad impression of the company.
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COMPELLING - Customers expect content will be presented in a way that's interesting, interactive, and focused. These expectations are a result of their other online experiences.
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CUSTOMER-DRIVEN - Customers don't want to have to wade through marketing-oriented propaganda to find what they're looking for. Companies must therefore ensure their eService content is driven by the actual questions their customers have most - not by what company staffers think customers might be most interested in.
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GLOBAL - International Customer Service. Customers around the world expect to be served in their native language.
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eService that lacks some of these qualities will fail...
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