If you ever want to deal with customers, there’s one important thing you’ll need: data. To quote Sherlock Holmes: “Data! Data! Data! I cannot make brick without clay!” And neither can one help a customer without the data to know what they need, when it’s needed, and how they need it.
There are several ways to get this data. If it’s a returning customer, there should be information on file about them or the context of their previous calls/visits. Other times it’s simple enough just to ask. They can fill out forms or answer questions, as long as you get the data needed to help them.
With this data, the customer service agents can then work with each individual customer. If someone tends to work long hours, the data will let agents know the best time to reach. If customers rarely answer their phones, then one knows to send them e-mails.
With the data obtained from customers, one can optimize their engagement strategies. However, that takes continual effort and re-examining, since customers don’t live by a set schedule and habits can change. Thus, it’s important to look out for key performance indicators, and different strategies that could improve them. It may take some testing or trial and error, but the best strategy is out there.
Consider that an opportunity to gain more data, both about the customer and effectiveness of the strategies employed. With this data, a company’s engagement with customers can improve dramatically. From knowing the best time to reach customers to finding specific dialing sequences, to even just knowing what name to greet a customer by, there’s so much that can be improved with the right data.
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Edited by Rich Steeves