B2B Customer Service Technology – 5 Things to Know
Technology continues to move quickly and so does B2B (business-to-business) customer service technology. Twenty years ago most people connected to the internet via a dial-up connection and now a large percentage of the global population has access to the internet through their phone, tablet, and other mobile devices. This emergence of technology has forced businesses to adapt in multiple industries to satisfy their customers. Even the smallest restaurants now take orders and reservations online and finding the most niche antique requires only a simple Google search instead of traveling to countless antique shops.
But how have the changes in technology impacted the B2B customer service industry? Here are 5 things to know about both current and evolving tech changes…
- Emergence of Omnichannel – Gone are the days of needing to be at a computer to access work emails, so use a customer support solution that meets the needs of the modern workforce. By deploying cloud-based customer support software accessible across multiple devices, businesses are supporting their customers faster and better than ever before. Likewise, depending on the industry, customer support channels such as live chat are essentially required to stay competitive. These different ticket channels can create confusion and requests for duplicate customer information that only frustrate all parties involved. An omnichannel customer support system provides clarity and organization by processing inquiries from all sources in one central system. This allows agents to have full visibility and to answer inquiries more efficiently.
- Modern Brand Technology and Experiences – Human nature dictates that most people, when given the choice, want things that provide the best value to them. This is something B2B executives also understand, with 90% of them indicating their intention to maintain or increase spending on customer experience in 2016. By using updated customer support software to reach customers quickly and accurately, you can create a modern experience and define the image of your organization. One great innovation in customer service software is the ability to record and share screens and videos. This enables customers to record the issue they are having either on their screen (for software issues) or using their webcam (for hardware/product issues) so the customer service agent knows exactly what is happening. As a response, the agent can record the solution, or the steps to take to resolve the issue, and share it with the customer to provide clear instructions. This helps avoid any potential miscommunication when trying to relay information via email or phone.
- Utilize B2B-specific software – As technology has evolved and more software has been created, there are now B2B-specific software solutions available. B2B customer support technology provides features unique to B2B solutions that can help customers answer their own questions (i.e. self-service technology like Wikis) or get answers quickly and efficiently from the support team. These targeted solutions mean B2B companies no longer need to attempt to fit a “square peg in a round hole”, resulting in lower support costs and faster support results with technology optimized to meet their needs.
- Develop Advanced Ticketing Techniques – B2B customer support technology also includes software to support related tickets, custom ticket types, and automated ticket rules to make sure issues are dealt with in an optimized way. This efficiency leads to a better workflow and faster resolution times, which in turn creates happier customers.
- Track Tickets and Inventory Together – One of the major customer support frustrations for B2B companies is checking their customer support system against their product inventory and intelligence. This can be a time consuming process and often takes place while a customer waits on the phone or computer for an agent to search for inventory information. Thanks to evolving B2B customer support software, these two systems can be merged together so agents can quickly view inventory details in real-time. This not only increases response time but also reduces agent confusion from toggling between multiple systems.
In conclusion, there are several new customer service technology innovations for B2B companies to deploy, with many of these solutions being quite affordable. In the distant future, who knows what new trends will occur, especially with emerging technologies such as virtual reality and eye movement tracking on the horizon of customer support.
