How Technology Enhancing Customer Service In Small Businesses

When it comes to business, every entrepreneur and business owner has one thing in common, they want to deliver excellent customer service. The customer is what keeps a business going, but delivering decent customer service can now be improved upon. We all know that the customer is right, but often we don’t appreciate exactly what we can do to help improve the customer experience and this is where there is one big factor that can help. 

Technology can help shape the way we do lots of things within our businesses, especially with customer service. There are now so many systems that you can use, software, applications for tablets and phones, and generally staying better connected with our customers. With that in mind, here are some of the ways technology can enhance customer service and experience within your small business.

Email communication 

There is no denying now that customers have an expectation to get information quickly. This is likely to be down to the fact that people can search online and get answers to questions more or less straight away. This is when email communication can work really well for you as a business and to help improve customer service levels. This is when you may need to look into email hosting to help keep up with the demand. The email can be used for things such as delivery updates, receipts for payments, answers to queries and even a simple thank you for the business. It can go a long way to helping you stay in touch with customers and to help them feel valued.  

Social media

Many people use social media these days, and because of that, it can often mean that you as a business can utilize and take advantage of it. With people checking their profiles and feeds daily, you as a business could come up with a social media strategy and content plan to help you stay relevant and in your potential customers’ feeds. Whether you are sharing the latest offer, or something insightful that your customers might find interesting, you are reminding them that you are there- which is only a good thing. Take some time to think about your social media output and what could be improved with it. There may be many things that could help improve the customer experience and the service you provide that you might not yet have explored. 

Gaining customer feedback and testimonials 

People want to buy from businesses that others recommend, and while word of mouth advertising is something you cannot buy, you can help to increase your chances of good reviews and feedback thanks to technology surveys and emails that can be generated directly to your customer. You can then use the comments made to advertise them on social media or on your website as an added sales tool to encourage others to do business with you. This could give confidence to future customers as well. 

Keeping up to date records 

Technology can help you as a business when it comes to keeping up to date with records and also customer management. CRM systems are there for customer data and notes to help you stay in tune with your customers from remembering important events and names to knowing their purchase history and dealings with you. This is when websites like https://www.intellectsoft.net/blog/what-is-enterprise-integration-software-and-how-to-implement-it/ can help. This can be an excellent tool for sales staff and teams, especially when there are multiple people handling this area. It can give a level of consistency as well as helping a customer to feel valued by the business. 

A new normal

We need to now face the prospect that many small businesses and the way they used to function have changed somewhat. Covid-19 has had an impact on how you operate, and while restrictions are lifting, it is important to be mindful that you need to protect the customers that come into contact with you. This is when technology can really help you. If you need to do track and trace then there are applications that can help collate the data. If you need to think about delivery then why not use contactless options so customers can track parcels and feel confident in a contactless delivery method. Technology can help under this current pandemic by helping your customers to stay in contact and do what is necessary without the usual ways of business. 

Let’s hope this has encouraged you to think about how technology can help your business improve customer service.