The way we communicate, entertain ourselves, and conduct business has all changed over the last 20 years. Mobile technology such as smartphones and tablets have revolutionized marketing methodologies and brought the consumer into closer contact with companies. In addition, apps, chatbots, and machine learning have made it easier for businesses to interact with their client base. This digital transformation shows no sign of stopping.
While these changes open the door for new opportunities, they also present major challenges for businesses. This is especially apparent in the B2B customer support realm. Organizations must abandon some of their traditional strategies and work alongside new, digital adaptations. Fortunately, things like software for B2B customer support can make this easy. However, understanding the challenges you face can help you prepare for the future. Let’s go over a few.
Unreliable Analytics
Digital transformation has provided businesses with the tools needed to track and measure just about anything. Managers and business owners can look at a monthly data report and gauge client satisfaction, support resolution times, product inefficiencies and more. Unfortunately, with so much data available, it can be hard to know what to track. This is especially true when using outdated analytics systems. What worked well in the past may start to complicate things. That’s why support departments need to implement newer software that utilizes automation and artificial intelligence to streamline the collection of metrics. Doing so helps ensure you don’t make the wrong decisions based on convoluted analytics.
Demand for a Better Customer Experience
When it comes to the customer experience a company provides, the bar has risen drastically. People now expect a certain level of support. If they don’t receive it from one company, they’ll look for it elsewhere. If you haven’t refined your customer experience, you’ll need to start making changes soon. The best way to do this is by creating a roadmap that outlines your clients’ experience throughout the lifecycle of their relationship with you. You can then make changes from the bottom up. You may discover that new tools such as a self-service, knowledge base articles or chatbot services will improve your customer experience by leaps and bounds. You can then implement the software to help make this happen.
Employee Adaptation
Your support team is integral to your customer relations and business reputation. Unfortunately, sometimes change can present serious challenges. Implementing new digital tools can transform the work culture and operational structure of a support department. This can lead to employee frustration and even higher turnover. In addition, tenured agents may not like having to adapt to new tools. Extensive training can easily put a strain on a customer service department. That’s why it’s important to gracefully integrate high-quality software for B2B customer support into your framework. When repositioning employees to new roles, make sure you interact with them to determine which areas they’ll excel at. They’ll quickly realize that digital transformation will improve their work experience and offer room to grow.
To keep up with digital transformation, you need to ensure your support team has the right tools at their fingertips. PhaseWare can help by providing software for B2B customer support. Contact us today to get started.