Raze the old, raise the new. Your startup’s mission is to innovate; to transform and disrupt traditional industries as you go along. You’re tired of the “we’ve always done it this way” and want to move forward. By reinventing by-gone business models and rethinking antiquated processes, you want to create unique value for this new generation of demanding customers.
And that applies to customer experience, too. Direct contact with your clients, communication that reflects your distinct identity… you’re looking for a new way of interacting with your audiences. Here are our 5 customer experience tips to get that just right.
Tip 1: follow the ‘Less is more’ maxim
If you’ve been in the start-up game for a while, you’ve probably gotten round to the fact that a traditional call center doesn’t cut it anymore for your customers. Most start-ups cater to an audience of digital natives, and this younger generation does not like traditional phone calls. Digital platforms, on the other hand, feel like home to them. So, start analysing the channels they love. Are they on Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp?
You’ll need to make sure your business is present wherever your customers are. But that also means you have to make choices in the channels you support. So, limit the number of contact options online, and devote more time to ensuring quality exchanges with your customers. Make sure your communication is as emphatically as possible on the selected channels.
Tip 2: create a good FAQ page
There’s no such thing as a stupid question. “When will my package be delivered?”, “What are your business hours?”, “What is your refund policy?”, … Often, these FAQs are vital information your customers need to take the final step in their buying journey. But expecting your team to take care of these same questions time and time again isn’t just mind-numbing for them. It’s bad news for your business, too. It ultimately costs you a lot of money for a “parrot job”.
So, create an up-to-date FAQ page that can be accessed from every page on your website or via your app, featuring the most relevant, frequently asked questions. Indeed, you can ensure that customers only have the option of contacting you after carrying out an FAQ search. You’ll see that 80% of the questions can be resolved by customers themselves. This saves you time and money, and the customer has still received the help they need.
Tip 3: give your support agents responsibility
Happy employees equal happy customers. It’s one of the golden rules of CX. But let’s face it: customer support jobs that boil down to answering a high volume of FAQs every day don’t get people’s hearts racing. So instead of asking your agents to be your company’s walking and talking FAQ page, you need to let them focus on more challenging tasks.
Give them more responsibility and support them in working with the tools they have. An agent who feels engaged in his or her work is happier, more efficient, and ensures the best customer satisfaction. They are the boots on the ground, day in, day out. That’s why they are perfectly positioned to make adjustments to your help center or take ownership of tickets. They will enjoy sharing their input and feel involved. What’s more, they are a crucial direct link to new sales leads.
Tip 4: integrate for maximum context
Chances are your startup uses different tools to manage customer data: a CRM, a webshop, email, etc. That also means your customer data is distributed. The result? Your agents don’t have a clear overview of the customer’s history. Did they previously order a product from you? Were they satisfied? Create the right context for each contact with a customer by integrating with all of your tools.
Because we’ve all been there: there’s nothing more irritating for a customer than them having to explain their issue for the third time in a row. One thing’s for sure: customers will be surprised if you immediately know who they are and why they’re getting in touch. In the best-case scenario, you’ll have a macro or template at the ready in which the solution is laid out. This means that you exceed their expectations and don’t waste their time.
Tip 5: knowledge is power
Measure and categorise your support tickets to spot trends or hidden issues. Are there any missing FAQ articles? Perhaps there’s a structural problem with your service or product? Did several customers report a defect concerning the same product? Analysing your data and listening to your customers will give you a head start.
Don’t forget: customer experience offers a unique opportunity to take your product or service to the next level and create brand ambassadors. So make good use of that opportunity.
Knowing where to start isn’t always easy. Do you have specific requests? Let us know, and we’ll find a solution for your start-up.
