Customer service will always be a priority regardless of what industry or business you’re in. It’s even more important now in 2018, when customers can easily share their views for the whole world to see on social media. A bad customer review will spread like wildfire. Many experts believe customer service is more important than products and pricing when it comes to setting up your business strategy. Here are a few customer service trends to keep your eye on in 2018.

More Ways to Communicate With Customers

The integration of social media with customer service is not new. In 2017 we saw the introduction of the Messenger bot through Facebook. You can now order your Starbucks coffee through the Facebook Messenger bot and be notified when it is ready for you to pick up. In 2018, the bot will become even more prevalent as a way for customers to communicate with their favorite companies.

With so many methods available to communicate with customers, organizations will need to make sure they are providing the same level of service across all channels in order to remain competitive. This may mean hiring more customer service agents or assigning agents to be responsible for certain channels.

Service Continues to Matter

You can probably remember a few times when the customer service you received caused you to stop patronizing certain businesses. Regardless of advances in technology, the customer experience is still key. Customers want to be treated like humans, and this is an important consideration when deciding what technology to incorporate into your customer experience. Customers still want human interactions, therefore, a good balance between personal service provided by a real person and automation through technology is key.

Comprehensive Customer Data

With information coming from so many sources in 2018, it’s important to consolidate it to create a comprehensive view of your customer. Having a centralized data dashboard will allow you to serve your customers more completely and efficiently. This will help you determine the necessary steps to provide your customers with the best experience.

Regardless of the type of business you run, optimizing your company’s customer experience must be a priority if you’re going to achieve your goals. Continue to focus on your customer experience by taking advantage of the comprehensive customer data available to you and maintaining a genuine customer service approach that uses people and technology in cooperation. Make sure you have a clear and consistent plan for managing all the communication channels your customers use.

If you’re not sure how your customers feel about your business, KOVA has the solution. Our Customer Experience Survey software can help you gather valuable customer feedback at the end of your calls through IVR or email. The software is browser-based and allows you to collect data on everything from products and processes to staff performance and customer loyalty. To learn more about how you can use our Customer Experience Survey software in your business, contact us today.