Business Practices | | Published July 24, 2013

Customer Support Software Creates Invisible Customer Service

Customer ServiceCustomer support is vital to any business, but it does not necessarily have to always be visible. Naturally you want for your company and representatives to get credit for the great job they are doing, but you also want to keep your customers happy regardless of the circumstance.

While invisible customer service may mean less personal recognition, everybody still wins. After all, the customer will want to stick around to see what amazing things you will do next.

For an example, check out this post from the Church of Customer. During a trip to Nordstrom, the customer mentions they had trouble with the store Visa card due to the worn down strip. She casually remarks that she will need to call and request a new one at some point.

Lo and behold, what should arrive in the mail a little while later but a new card! The checkout cashiers overheard his comment had noted that the customer needed a new card. She never actually requested the card or filled out any paperwork. No particular customer service representative at the store received credit, but they did win a loyal customer because replacing the card was just the right thing to do.

This is invisible customer service. Invisible customer service can possibly endear your customers to your business even more as it seems so thoughtful. If you’re looking to work this angle, utilizing customer support software is a great way to get started.

How Support Software Can Help

The more lines of communication and help you provide to your customers the better off you will be in the long run. To create this invisible customer support, though, it has to look as if some extra thought was put into it, like it’s not something you do every day.

This is why providing a FAQ doesn’t quite count as invisible support – while nobody in particular is getting credit, it’s still something you have set up in advance. Everybody who views the FAQ knows you thought these questions out ahead of time and wrote them up so you weren’t bombarded with the same questions all day. It’s nice, but not “above and beyond.”

That might be the key, actually – above and beyond. What the Nordstrom rep did was certainly beyond the call of duty, overhearing the customer’s complaint and doing something about it instead of letting them suffer. It was the difference between the employee simply doing their job and an employee who cares enough to anonymously help a customer.

One way you can utilize customer support software to provide invisible support is to take advantage of the note-taking and sharing aspects of software applications like TeamSupport. Often customers will say various things during a conversation that could go unnoticed.

Perhaps a customer mentions a recently purchased item went missing. They say they want to rebuy it but don’t have the money right now. Most customer service agents would miss this, but you mark it down in the notes. Later, you see the customer is very loyal and has been around for years so you send them a replacement item for the one that had gotten lost along with the one they just ordered. Or it could be a colleague reads your notes and decides to make the executive decision to send one out.

Most likely the customer spoke to many customer service reps that day, so they may or may not surmise it was you or your colleague who helped them out. All that matters is that they know they’re going to stick around for that much longer because the company and everyone in it care about them. Ultimately, delivering “invisible customer service” will serve both you and your customers well.

TeamSupport is a cloud-based customer service software that offers a number of integrated tools to allow your company to collaborate closely to achieve maximum customer success. Find out how TeamSupport can help your team to deliver "invisible customer service".