Hybrid Customer Service: The winning strategy
Hybrid customer service is the winning strategy for companies that want to stay ahead of the game. This approach allows customers to choose the most convenient and efficient way to get help, and also allows companies to allocate resources more effectively. Increased customer satisfaction, increased service revenue and happier staff?...Right this way!
The Service Leadership Agenda
As a service leader, you're looking for ways to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. You want to reduce costs and increase revenue. And you may even be considering how to increase employee engagement.
But what if we told you there's a single strategy that can address all four of these issues? It's called hybrid service support. A hybrid strategy combines the best of both worlds, the flexibility and penetration of digital methods of customer service with the live, remote and on-location support of your team of experts - to help your customers, and your own organisation, achieve more success than ever before.
The Rise of the Hybrid Service Model
The rise of the hybrid service model is a direct result of the changing landscape in which businesses operate. Customers are no longer satisfied with standardised and often limited services.
One of the key drivers of hybrid customer service is the changing expectations of customers, who now expect to be able to access support and assistance through multiple channels, including self-service options and digital channels such as live chat and social media.
The increased use of technology and automation in customer service, which has made it easier for companies to offer a wider range of support options has also increased not just the use, but the need for a hybrid way of thinking.
With ever increasing expectations B2B suppliers need to find ways to not only meet these expectations and take advantage of the potential they have to drive growth, but to also find a cost effective way of meeting them. Trying to meet the expectations of today’s B2B buyers with a personnel-driven strategy alone is a recipe for spiralling costs, staff burn-out and eventual failure.
A hybrid approach is an incredibly cost-effective method, as it allows companies to allocate resources more efficiently by directing more complex issues to human representatives and simple issues to self-service, digital options. The hybrid approach also allows companies to provide more personalised support by leveraging data and analytics to understand customer needs and preferences.
Upgrading to Hybrid Service Support
Seem complicated? It really isn’t! Strategy change takes time and going from a purely traditional method of operations to ahybrid will take some work, but you are probably further along the road than you think. Here is our 6-step checklist to get you going (we will be diving deeper into this in a later article):
1. Assess current customer service channels - Understand which channels are currently being used and how well they are performing. Identify areas for improvement and opportunities for expansion.
2. Define the customer journey - Map out the different stages of the customer journey, from initial contact to post-sales support, and identify the most appropriate channels for each stage.
3. Implement new channels - Based on the customer journey map, implement new channels such as self-service options, live chat, or community-based support. Ensure that these channels are integrated with existing systems and are easy for customers to access.
4. Train staff - Train customer service staff on how to use the new channels and how to handle customer interactions across multiple channels.
5. Monitor and evaluate - Monitor the performance of the new channels and gather feedback from customers. Use this information to make adjustments and fine-tune the strategy as needed.
6. Communicate the changes - Inform customers of the new channels and how they can access support. Make sure the communication is clear and effective.
Hybrid Service Support: A Winning Strategy
Hybrid service support is a winning strategy for organizations looking to increase staff efficiency and customer satisfaction. Hybrid service support is a combination of remote and in-person support, which allows you to provide the best possible experience for your customers while also reducing costs.
Conclusion
Hybrid service support is a winning strategy for organizations looking to increase staff efficiency and customer satisfaction. By now, we hope you have a clear understanding of what hybrid service support is and why it’s so important.
It can be a daunting strategy move but by starting slowly and implementing hybrid strategies in small ways that best fit your existing services you will see success quicker than you think. This can include things like providing self-service portals or providing customers with more training opportunities through online videos. These types of upgrades are low-cost investments that will help you move towards becoming a hybrid service provider without completely disrupting current operations today!