There’s arguably nothing more essential to the longevity of a business than the ability to execute when it comes to customer service and support.
In 2017, we made a lot of changes to the way our Customer Success team operates. We were pleasantly surprised at just how positively our members reacted to those changes. Below are two strategies we tried, what we discovered, and some tips on how you might implement them with your customer service practices.
Try Text Messages
We had been sending push notifications to our members since we built the TappTracker app. The goal of the notifications was to increase customer engagement, drive more usage, and increase overall satisfaction with the product. We did this because we knew that the more people used TappTracker, the better their results would be.
After a test run using text messaging for marketing purposes, we saw an opportunity to implement text messaging for our support service offerings.
We developed a text message program to reach out to customers. It offered milestone alerts for achievements and delivered video training resources. It also provided a two-way communication channel — another means of quickly getting in touch with our support team.
The response from our members was incredibly positive. We saw an uptick in our customers’ net promoter scores after implementation. Many of our customers preferred the text messaging option because it felt more personalized and less intrusive than regular push notifications. This revelation inspired offering text messaging features like EasyText and Bulk SMS Marketing.
Texting gave customers another convenient communication channel to engage with the Customer Success team member in real time. Whether you’re in insurance, mortgage, or auto sales, texting your clients and prospects may improve the customer experience you provide. It could also lead to more happy customers and more referral business. Everybody wins!
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
The second strategy was to focus on preventative measures to keep our customers happy.
In our instance, we sent training video materials via text message. The messages congratulated customers on achievements and spurred them on to continue to find success with our mobile marketing suite. In the end, we reduced cancellations and gained more organic referrals. We also increased our rankings on internal customer surveys as well as third party reviews.
Consider how you might set up a similar system to track your customers’ engagement and activity. Look for opportunities to reach out and make sure your clients are happy. Try to anticipate issues and assist customers before they bring it to your attention.
For example, if you sell supplemental products, you may have a “same day pay” policy for claims. If you see activity on claims information or claims forms buttons but never receive a claim, reach out to customers. You should follow up to make sure they have everything they need and offer assistance. It’s a way to stand out and prevent customers from building up frustration.
Similarly, if you focus on auto or home insurance, you may be more interested in keeping your customers’ premiums low. Reviewing app activity can help intercept claimants before they initiate claims elsewhere.
To be proactive, you could pull a list of all your customers every quarter and reach out to review their policies and any coverage needs that may have changed. This is also be a good time to introduce other policies that they may not be familiar with. You can also regularly send your customers home and auto maintenance tips and advice to help them prevent future emergencies to keep you in control of the claims process.