You know you need a customer service automation platform, so it’s vital you choose the right software to suit your requirements. Following on from our last article, which highlighted the benefits of automating the customer experience, this time Relativity, the business technology experts based in East Sussex, looks at the points you should consider when selecting the customer experience automation platform that’s best for your business. One that ensures your company delivers the best customer service possible. Clients expect you to have the technology to respond immediately to their requests and if you provide a prompt and smooth experience, this significantly influences their loyalty to your brand. However, with a wide range of options available, this can be challenging.
Questions to Help You Decide on the Customer Service Automation Platform
- What are your team’s requirements and goals?
- Which channels will best fit your customer requirements?
- Is the software easy to set up and use?
- Is it geared for scalability?
- Will it help team collaboration?
- What reporting capabilities and analytics does it have?
- Can it do routine customer service tasks?
- Has it received positive reviews?
- Are a demonstration and a free trial available?
- Does it represent value for money?
Team and Customer Requirements
Make sure you ask your team what they are looking for and if you are already using a system, the things that work for them and the things they dislike. When considering your customers, determine their preferred communication channels. Live chat may work for some companies, whereas more technical businesses may need phone calls to provide troubleshooting advice. When thinking of your team, ensure that they can communicate easily with each other, which will promote productivity. Smooth collaboration is a must, as delivering excellent customer service often requires other departments to be involved.
Ease of Use and Scalability
If your company is growing, you will want software that is easy to use without the need for too much training. This is also important for scalability. Although this may be difficult to determine, check if large enterprises are using the customer service automation platform you are interested in. Also, look carefully at the pricing package to see if there are limits to the number of team members that can use the software as well as checking that a wide variety of actions are supported.
Reporting and Analytics of a Customer Service Automation Platform
Determine how the software measures the performance of your team and the quality of service offered to customers. This will enable the team to perform at its best. Auto responders can perform routine customer service tasks and although they may seem impersonal, you may not be able to answer customer queries 24/7.
Making a Final Decision – Reviews, Free Trial and Your Budget
There are so many review sites, so check them out. These include Capterra, FinancesOnline and PCMag, to name three. Also ask for a demonstration, which will give you the opportunity to ask questions and do not forget to include the people who will be using it. Following that, it’s always good to have a free trial, as there will always be something you have forgotten to ask. And the bottom line, does the pricing work for your allocated budget?
How Can Relativity Help You to Get the Best Customer Service Automation Platform?
Finding the customer service automation platform that is best for your team and customers is not straightforward. You will need to think carefully, evaluate the various software options available, compile checklists, ‘try before you buy’ and most importantly stick to your budget. We hope that by doing this, it will help you to choose the best customer service solution for your company. Call Relativity, the business technology specialists on 01825 280123 or email info@relativity.co.uk for more information.
Next time we will be looking at some of the most frequently used forms of customer service automation in use including email, live chat and knowledge bases.