Using Web Based Tools to Improve Customer Service

With increasing numbers of people gaining easy access to the Internet, the tired and old phrase "the customer's always right" may now be replaced by the more realistic phrase, "the customer's getting impatient." And impatient they are because they have become Internet savvy and are learning to navigate their way through the maze of web-based tools without requiring the assistance of a human. They're more interested in quick clicks than making small talk. But when they click out they wants to feel that their transaction will be handled efficiently.

It's all about the customer. And it's also about automation - automation that's guaranteed to enhance the CRM (customer relationship management) component of your growing business.

There's no such thing as a business if there are no customers and there's no such thing as a customer if there is no red carpet treatment. This red carpet treatment can be offered if your business lowers its transaction costs and can still maintain the customer's loyalty.Improving customer service levels lies in the deployment of web-based tools that customers can use with ease and confidence. Will we be saying good bye to the call centre soon?

Cost Factor
Web-based self-service tools have evolved since 2003. At that time, people were saying that majority of these tools had "teething" problems and were therefore unstable. It's 2008 and those problems are a thing of the past.Web self-service involves the same principles that gave rise to the automatic teller machine (ATM), wherein the repetitive tasks of a bank teller have been automated.

With web self-service tools, customers can conduct transactions independent of any hand-holding and can access their account information faster and at any time of day wherever they are. Provided they are set up properly and are user-friendly, web self service tools can cut a company's costs significantly.By how much you ask?

Writer Laura Rich cited a study by Forrester Research Inc. which reported that savings are indeed huge. According to the report, a self-service approach can diminish customer interaction costs by 98%. The example used was the difference between phone contact at $35.00 per call to just $0.75 online.

The idea is to automate all customer transactions - email, browsing, check-out, FAQs - so that costs can be drastically reduced. Some of the more common examples of self-service tools are IVR (interactive voice response), EDI (electronic data integration) and auto-responders. When a company is able to cut down on costs, the savings are passed back to the customer.

Customer Profiles
By implementing self-service tools, a company can compile information and statistical trends on every customer visit This way they do away with cumbersome surveys and follow-up emails initiated by employees. By asking the customer to provide certain information before activating their account, the company obtains clues as to customer behaviour, the potential for repeat business and other consumer and demographic indices.

One of the giants in the world - IBM - has come up with a comprehensive 36-page brochure of what comes closest to the essence of self-service tools on the web to enhance the customer experience. Definitely worth a read if you're thinking of using the web more effectively in your day to day business.