Keep Your Story Straight: Offering Multi-channel Service
Posted by Hoyt Mann on Fri, Jan 23, 2009 @ 08:03 PM
How many times has it happened? You call a customer service line and an IVR asks you to input your customer number. Then, when the agent gets on the line, you are asked to repeat it again because it is not passed along to the agent. (This is another problem to be addressed.)
You tell the agent the problem and you get an answer. Later you can't remember everything that was said and look it up in the self service knowledge base....and there is a different answer. So you go to chat. Another answer. E-mail for clarification...maybe that answer matches one of the others. Or not.
Is it good to offer multi-channel service? You bet! As more people communicate electronically, they will expect the customer service organizations to do so as well. So go ahead and set up these channels.
Just be sure to get your story straight.
The customer needs to get the same answer to their question from whichever channel they use. So before firing up that chat line, offering self service and auto-email response, or simply handling it over the phone, be certain each channel is accessing the same information in your centralized knowledge base.
Which means before you set up more channels.......mayyyyybe that knowledge base needs some work. Better do that first.
Thank you for reading our blog. Leave comments and don't forget to use the social bookmarking widgets to spread the news!