The new year is here! And with customer service and customer experience taking precedence over your sales, marketing and even product efforts as your greatest differentiator against competitors…

How will your brand stand out in 2016?

Here are the top 10 trends you should leverage to start the year with a winning customer service strategy:

By the end of 2015, 42% of the global population will own a smartphone.

Source: Forrester

Today’s customers are using their mobile devices for nearly everything.

From purchasing to contacting customer support, your brand’s mobile strategy should be in line with your customers’ mobile journey.

Brands should optimize their customer service offerings for mobile:

• Phone Support• Social Media• Chat• Email• FAQ

70% of customers believe that company websites should have a self-service option.

Source: The Real Self-Service Economy Report

Customers want to feel empowered by being able to solve their issues on their own.

Collaborate with your support and product teams to ensure that your FAQ page and knowledge base are up-to-date.

Make sure that customers can easily find answers to their questions on your website, via self-service options in your IVR and in your knowledge base.

60% of customers will abandon a call after waiting on hold for a minute.

Source: Velaro

And...61% of customers would use the Callback from Queue feature if available.

Source: Velaro

Nobody likes to wait in a call queue for an extended period of time.

This year, give your customers the option to be called back by your team instead of waiting in the queue.

This will show that you value and respect their time and will improve their overall experience with your company.

86% of consumers say personalization plays a role in their purchasing decisions.

Source: Infosys

In 2016, your customers expect you to offer them a personalized experience.

Integrate your call center software with your helpdesk and CRM to know as much as possible about your customers the moment they reach out to you.

Train your agents to use the appropriate etiquette, vocabulary and language to make your customers feel unique and heard.

55% of customers say easy access to info and support can make them love a brand.

Source: IdeasUnlimited

The customer of 2016 is impatient and expects support to be readily available when they need it.

As a result, many brands are offering 24/7 support 365 days of the year.

In 2016, make sure your company doesn’t fall behind.

7 in 10 Americans said they were willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.

Source: American Express

The future of customer service involves predicting your customers’ issues before they even arise.

Tap into your data to get a sense of common complaints and issues.

Offer your customers useful information and troubleshooting tips before they even ask for it.

44% of email recipients made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email.

Source: Convince&Convert

Don’t wait until your customers reach out to you for you to re-establish communication with them.

Stay in touch with your customers by sending them valuable content such as new product features, tips for adhering to best practices, industry insights and so on.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems account for 27% of the entire call experience.

Source: JD Power & Associates

Call center software features like an IVR System can help your customer service team offer a more seamless customer experience.

A simple yet well thought out IVR can help your customers reach the right agent so that their problem is solved quickly and effectively.

86% of buyers would pay more for a better customer experience.

Source: CEI

In 2016, understanding your customer’s journey can make or break your business.

Customer journey mapping will help your organization understand how customers interact with your brand and identify key points of friction.

Based on your customer journey map you can devise a company-wide plan that will improve your CX across the board.

95% of customers use more than one channel to contact customer support.

Source: CFI Group

While phone support is king, other customer service channels should not be ignored.

In order to truly offer a great customer experience, your support team should be available on any channel your customer base wishes to contact them.

Evaluate the different support tools out there like live chat and social media that integrate with your primary helpdesk, CRM and call center software solution.

Start 2016 right with a winning customer service strategy.

Start 2016 right with a winning customer service

strategy.

Start 2016 right with a winning customer service strategy.

Ring in the new year with fantastic phone support using Talkdesk.

Start your free trial today!www.talkdesk.com/free-trial

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