Cut Customer Support Costs with Customer Support Software

Delivering quality B2B customer service is a difficult endeavor. It takes many skilled customer service reps utilizing the tools they have to provide the best service possible to the customer. Improving the tools your customer service team has can help them do their job better, which will help satisfy customers and save you money. A customer service software solution that's designed specifically for the types of customer you serve can greatly reduce customer support costs and improve efficiency.

1. Improved efficiency
Your customer service team is busy. They're handling tickets, writing emails, taking phone calls, conducting live chats, and they're probably doing all of that on a number of different software applications. When you switch to a unified customer service software solution, everything is pulled together and readily accessible, making it easier to find information and manipulate data on a case-by-case basis. In addition to having one unified solution, certain aspects of the customer service process can be automated. Sorting and deflecting tickets is something that a customer service team member shouldn't have to spend their time doing. A customer support software solution helps them use every moment doing work that truly helps the customer with what they need. This means you're getting the most from them every hour that they're working.

With the right software, team members can also collaborate on tickets, making it possible for them to provide even faster and better service to customers. When team members work together to get the customer the best possible answer, they're pooling their knowledge. The old saying - two heads are better than one - is still true, and with collaborative customer support software, you can have the collective knowledge of your team working to best serve your customers on any given ticket.

2. Customer Retention 
Providing better service starts with improved efficiency and goes from there. When team members have more time to devote to actually helping customers, they can provide them with their full and undivided attention. This will improve customer satisfaction, which will help you save money by improving customer retention. Acquiring new customers is expensive, so doing everything you can to keep the customers you have will help keep revenue high. According to The Chartered Institute of Marketing, it's between 4 and 10 times more expensive to acquire a new customer than it is to keep an old one. Providing excellent customer service is one of the best ways to keep your customers happy and reduce turnover.

Also, customer service software provides customers with the option to easily search past tickets for answers to their questions. This makes it possible for customers to help themselves. Of course, if they do need help, a member of the customer service team is never far away.

3. Customer relationship building
Good customer service does more than provide answers to questions and fix problems - it builds trust and strengthens relationships. The stronger your relationship is with the client, the more likely they are to stick around. Building relationships isn't easy when the customer's information is spread out over multiple applications. By unifying everything, you're providing your customer service team with all of the information and tools they need to help strengthen ties with customers. They can see all of the customer's history and information to better understand the customer as a whole. This allows them to streamline the questions they ask, quickly get to the issue at hand and help the customer in a more personalized way. Building strong relationships based on trust will help you save money because happy customers spend more. An added bonus is that providing good service can act as it's own form of marketing.

When your customers respect and trust your product, they become brand advocates. If they know someone in need of your products or services, they'll recommend you. According to a Nielsen report, 92 percent of people trust a recommendation from someone they know. This makes your customer's referral an effective marketing tool. By providing great customer service to current customers through a B2B customer service software solution, you'll reduce marketing costs and see a greater return on investment through customer referrals.