Today we are at a juncture in human history where old ways of doing business are finding few takers. Industry after industry is being upended and business continuity is seeing a serious threat. This is when you need to think outside the box or even consider that there is no box. So, let’s explore a few ways in which businesses can continue to deliver great customer service regardless of the crisis unfolding around us.
1. Train your reps to empathize with customers
This crisis is such that, your customers are feeling jittery, anxious, and above all confused. So, more confusion is the last thing that they need at this point in their lives. Now would be a great time to train your contact center agents to empathize with your customers, if you have not done that already. This could be as simple as giving your customers a patient hearing, maintaining a soothing tone of communication, getting to the crux of their problem and so on.
This way customers would be happy to acknowledge that at least their query did not fall on deaf ears.
2. Gather all the vital information
During a global crisis like the one that we are currently facing, it is crucial to stay informed. This could be about how to respond to the crisis or following the WHO recommendations. But it is incumbent upon you to be in the know and also keep your customers informed, at all times. This way it will not only help you deliver better customer service but also help you identify the stakeholders in affected areas.
Now would be the time to review all your customer communications; policies related to refunds, cancellations, postponement, etc.
3. Build a crisis management team
Your crisis management team needs to lead the charge in your customer service operations and beyond. This team should swing into action to ascertain the policies and decision-makers that will frame new guidelines directly affecting the customers. This crisis management team might include various stakeholders like business advisor, health advisor, public relations specialist and even a legal advisor.
Not all the tasks in front of this team would be set in stone, but that’s precisely the point of building this team in the first place. It’s your contingency plan for a crisis that can go for quite some time and your customer service needs all the help it can get.
4. Create knowledge database
Since this is still an evolving crisis, there are a lot of unanswered questions. You don’t want to lead your customers into blind alleys which solves no problem. Building a reliable knowledge database both for your internal consumption and external use would be a great way to deliver impeccable customer service.
The ultimate goal should be to ensure your business can handle almost anything that comes its way and your customers are always happy.
5. Provide omnichannel support
We cannot stress enough how important an omnichannel customer support is to your customer service. It was essential during normal times but during a crisis like this, omnichannel support is crucial. Your customers should be able to talk to your customer service be it via email, social media, live chat, phone call, online forums or even through your blog. Giving a seamless omnichannel customer service experience to your customers goes a long way in cementing your brands reputation in the long-term.
The Uniphore Conversational Automation is your AI-powered engine to deliver great omnichannel customer service experience. We blend the capabilities of human, Artificial Intelligence, digital agents and automation to perfectly understand conversations and customer intent to help you ace omnichannel support in your customer service journey.
Learn more about how Uniphore can help you deliver great customer service during a crisis.