Customers want to interact with your company in a way that's convenient for them, not for your CSRs and their schedules. So no matter what communication channel – chat, email, Facebook, Twitter – your reps need to provide a dynamic, and rapid first contact resolution.
The exact mix of channels is best determined by your company's business model and type of business, but most successful companies today offer a multi-channel approach that gives their customers plenty of options in seeking service. Companies don't need to offer every possible channel to the user base — just the ones most effective based on their constituency.
Multi-channel service solutions like Parature's integrated customer service software suite allow your reps to provide the right multi-channel mix for your customers. In fact, when properly combined they can make one very compelling differentiator.
And while self-service is an increasingly visible and viable channel choice, it doesn't suffice as the only offering in a support organization's arsenal. Some customers simply don't take to self-service; they may decide it's more effective to send an email, not needing instant gratification, or to get live assistance via chat.
The bottom line: multi-channel self-service is a powerful way to move the needle on your customer service satisfaction ratings while reducing support expenses.
Getting self-service right starts with designing a really good portal. As customer service guru Shep Hyken says, one of the first rules of great customer service is "manage the first impression." Your support portal is that first impression. With Parature Portal, you can have a professional, completely personalized external support presence as simple or sophisticated as you need. Since it looks identical to your website, customers feel at home immediately.
According to Parature customer Chris Henderson, Senior Manager for Customer Service at IGN Entertainment, design your support portal with the same care your company uses presenting their product and it will pay big dividends. A few more tips:
The portal is your single point of entry for customers to submit issues, check on status of tickets, search for answers. Let us help you make it outstanding. It's a fact: more than 3,000 support portals are powered by Parature today.
A big key to offering multiple channels is integration. Too many service organizations make the costly mistake of creating siloed service channels, each with its own data and processes. This lack of integration can mean inconsistent delivery standards, uneven knowledgebase content, sloppy escalation, cost inefficiencies, and plummeting customer satisfaction.
Parature Customer Service software is fully integrated from the start, so you don't have to worry about inconsistent processes or broken-down coordination across channels. With Parature's multi-channel, out-of-the-box integration, you can quickly deploy precisely the breadth and depth of functionality you need, no more, no less.
Parature customer Trapeze Networks, providers of enterprise wireless LAN equipment and management software, liked the one-stop-shop nature of Parature and the simplicity of having multiple modules rolled into one. "You get the self-service portal, knowledgebase, forums, ticket tracking, surveys. You don't have to buy separate pieces. We like that simple approach – and we handle 20% higher ticket load without additional resources."
Trapeze also integrated Parature with their salesforce.com CRM software to allow all employees, especially sales reps, to see any current support issues with a customer.
With Parature it's not 'all or nothing'. Parature is with you as you grow, on your timetable, not ours.
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