Happy Customer Experience
CHALLENGE
Our client is a leading supplier in the higher education market and delivers most of their products within a 12-week window. Customer Service must be ready to efficiently handle a high volume of inquiries during this critical time. Customers contact them to inquire about products, check on delivery status and to resolve order issues. When they don’t get a timely response, frustrated customers call again or send another email, further bogging down the system and creating multiple inquiries on the same issue. Customers can wait in a phone queue for hours or wait several days for an email response. This painful process increases expenses as well as customer effort. Frustrated customers complain, ask for refunds and cancel orders. Our client’s goal was to increase customer satisfaction by making it easy for customers to reach customer service and get a timely response especially during peak times.
SOLUTION
We integrated our customized, client-branded text communication platform with their e-commerce system. Customer and order information was automatically populated in the platform and in text messages sent from the app. Customers used the mobile text app to text Customer Service and Customer Service Reps (CSR) responded through the business platform. While web forms, email and phone channels remained available, customers were offered the text channel to receive the highest level of personalized service.
App adoption rate was high as customers liked the option to easily text inquiries to Customer Service. Since each message contained basic customer information, CSRs could quickly initiate action on the inquiry without having to ask for customer information. Customers did not wait on hold, repeat their information, or provide all their information on a web form or email to resolve an inquiry. Responses were faster, personalized and had a conversational tone.
The platform allowed CSRs to respond to inquiries to answer questions, resolve issues and include links to information, phone numbers, email, or websites. If the customer inquiry needed to be handled by someone other than a CSR it could be forwarded or escalated, with one click, to the appropriate person to handle. The process was completed efficiently behind the scenes and customers were not transferred, waiting on hold, or waiting for an email response.
RESULTS
95% REDUCTION
in customer effort and aggravation
25% REDUCTION
in CSR’s interaction time per issue
Text channel reduced customer effort and stress by making it easy for customers to text inquiries and go about their day.
Customer friction was reduced. Customers were highly satisfied with the ease of use and quick replies they received through the app.
Customers could include pictures with their text to show an issue or clarify information.
Direct interaction time between CSRs and customers was significantly reduced, increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
The platform allowed one-click forwarding to direct customer inquiries to the appropriate person. This resulted in more accurate responses and faster resolutions.
BONUS
Personalized interactions and the conversational tone deescalated issues. The transactional nature of the interactions became more relational and customer satisfaction improved.