The digital transformation has brought with it a number of products, habits and processes, which have provided efficiency and an absolute improvement for the relationship with the client. In today’s business, the customer demands recognition, and the way it can be achieved is through CRM.
The first technological requirement for optimal customer service is the CRM, since this platform will be the repository of all the information on the customer’s profile (age, gender, profession, tastes and preferences), their behavior (purchase frequency, type of products you purchase , among others), and your attitude (complaints, suggestions, requests) and therefore, there the information required for the generation of algorithms will be obtained, an essential requirement of any technological aid supported by Artificial Intelligence.
For the preparation of this article, we were accompanied by Luis Fernando Botero Carrasquilla, Business Administrator, with more than 10 years of experience in business, management and marketing consulting; postgraduate professor at the Javeriana University and former columnist in the magazines Dinero and Portafolio. Currently, he is the manager at BJ Consultores and CEO of Csmart SAS
CRM: The king of customer service
As technological support for all information, the CRM is the champion. “There is no advance in artificial intelligence, be it chatbots or any automation, that does not require the support of information in real time of all the interactions between the client and the company, to guarantee an excellent service.
“The different contact channels that an organization may need to be articulated . All responses and contacts must be integrated into the CRM so that there is consistency in the response: what is spoken to the same customer by email and social networks must always be aligned; because the client is not willing to tell the same story every time the brand communicates with him”, confirms Luis Fernando Botero.
Many companies make the mistake of opening accounts through all channels, be it: email, website, social networks, chatbots , customer service line and others; but within these accounts, there is no integrator that consolidates the issues in each contact and allows the agent to respond to the client; have the information to prevent the customer from having to repeat it and also be sure that he or she is not a single customer for the entire company, but a different person for each contact channel. On average, consumers use three contact channels and 60% expect not to have to repeat their problems to other agents.
Multichannel means that the brand offers multiple contact channels; but, in addition, it has very clear requirements: quick responses (within minutes for any channel), effective solutions, recognition, among others. Offering multiple contact channels requires effective management of each one.
Omni -channel means that customer management for each contact channel is consistent, that is, regardless of the contact channel, the customer feels recognized, he does not have to repeat what he already said to the first agent with whom he spoke and the answers, Regardless of the channel, they generate satisfaction and are an express manifestation of its importance for the brand as a whole.
This is how CRM goes beyond being a software; its incidence is such that it becomes a customer-focused business strategy. CRM as such is not a new term; What is new is all the technology that allows you to do what traditionally was done in neighborhood stores: the owner could have few customers, but enough memory to know and remember what each one liked. And that’s exactly what the technology is trying to do right now: it allows us to go back to that kind of model.
However, today’s business model requires immediate responses to users and definitive solutions. All digital contacts must recognize the client and this cannot always be the provider of the information. It is at this point where the need for internal support arises, a technological help application.
Today’s technologies and their impact on customer service
Currently, technology allows various options, with technological devices in customer service:
- Face recognition.
- Speech recognition.
- Fingerprint.
These technological devices build customer loyalty and recognize them , allowing them to place them in the context of how much they have bought and what they have bought; in order to be able to follow up and offer you possible maintenance or renewal of the product or service at a certain time. In short, it is like a potential observer of customer behavior when buying, and keeps track of their history, their tastes, preferences, important dates, and more.
The best time to communicate with customers
The best communication days to have with the client depend on the sector and the industry: they are circumstances that must have special consideration. There are times when the peaks skyrocket, so the days depend on the seasons. For example, educational institutions have their peaks in the weeks prior to enrollment; beginning and middle of the year. Hotels and resorts have their peaks in the weeks or months prior to vacations and holidays and thus, each company has its seasons: the type of business provides the information.
“When that moment arrives, the brand must be prepared to enable all available contact channels and ready to generate immediate information. And of course, being in total synchrony with all the means of communication”, complements Botero.
Customer service is a strategic responsibility and cuts across the entire organization. At all times, the leader of the customer service area must attract all areas of the company to be aware and provide immediate support to the needs of any employee who requires it or client who needs it. This is a model that must be permanent, all employees of the organization must feel and understand the client. Regardless of the area, there must be a guarantee of support when it is needed, be it in human resources, the financial area, the legal area and all the others.
The CRM must have a user in each employee of the company and through him, all the agents will communicate to guarantee that the answers have the “tracking” so that any agent facing the client, knows the characteristics of the client and the urgency of their requests. requests.
The telephone continues to be the preferred channel for customers
Being the telephone the preferred channel for users, chat , social networks and all digital channels are growing rapidly. The reason is the speed in the responses. People who have grown tired of hotlines have chosen to make their problems public through social networks, with the consequent risk for brands, and given this reaction, companies see the need to act more quickly.
Technology: the best ally in times of crisis
When there is a breach in a service or a failure in a product, that is when technology must emerge and companies must take advantage of it. Activating an alert system, whether by SMS, chat, mail and others, will be essential to send response messages to customers who were breached or received a defective product. Always apologize for the inconvenience and say that the company is working to fix it as soon as possible. This is proactive customer service .
Companies with excellent customer service behaviors, such as Amazon, Nordstrom, Apple, Zappos, Southwest Airlines, Uber, Airbnb, Sura, Bancolombia, among many others, have worked tirelessly to build loyalty and create the best experiences for their customers. And of course, they have had excellent CRM and other technologies as allies.
At Cadena we tell our entrepreneurs: these days #StayAtHome and use digital channels.
The CRM optimizes the customer’s life cycle in its entirety since it is the support to generate memorable experiences for all customers. It generates alerts to respond proactively and, in addition, values each client so that, depending on their value to the company, they receive a service according to it.
