9 ways to improve employee satisfaction with customer support software – words Al Woods
When asked what their activities are geared towards, most businesses will answer that it is customer satisfaction. More important than customer acquisition is customer retention. Satisfied customers return, and they spread the word about their positive experience within their social circles. This has positive effects on the company’s bottom line, as well. However, besides customers, there is another group of people who are the lifeblood of a successful business.
Linkage between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction
Besides customers, the people who keep a business thriving are the employees. Many studies and surveys have documented the direct correlation between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Customers perceive employee satisfaction as an indicator of the calibre of the company. Employee satisfaction has an impact on customer perception of the company’s reputation in the market. Customer retention is higher when staff displays commitment and an interest in exceeding customer expectations.
Improving employee satisfaction with customer support software
Customer support software is one way to simplify customer service executives’ tasks and improve employee satisfaction. Customer support software enables a business to organize and manage customer service on a unified platform. Here are 9 ways that customer support software improves employee satisfaction and, in turn, contributes to higher customer satisfaction:
- Efficiency – Customer support software facilitates the organization of all customer data and records on a single database. Issues that require more than one customer interaction can be easily solved by a new executive since all the data is accessible in the system by anyone involved.
- Less confusion – The introduction of a customer support software results in more consistency in sorting out issues. It provides a single unified platform from which every person in the department can extract the information they need. The database stores details of past tickets and the way they were resolved. When recurring issues crop up, the database can be accessed to see how executives have resolved it in the past, minimizing undue wastage of time.
- Less stress – Customer support executives manage hundreds of calls a day, some of them from impatient and emotional customers. Executives are under pressure to resolve a variety of different queries in a timely fashion. Customer support software eases the load on executives by providing a database on which customer data and similar issues can be easily pulled up. This enables executives to solve customer problems and answer queries in a faster and more effective manner, with significantly less stress. In addition, having all the information on a single database as against multiple databases also reduces the burden on customer service employees.
- Automation of time-consuming tasks – Customer service executives are rescued from boredom as they do not have to spend long periods of time resolving recurring issues. The software enables them to deal with common issues faster, freeing up time that can be used on more complex issues. E-mail automation workflows contribute to dealing with routine issues with scripted messages.
- Faster resolution –The software enables executives to find the information they need and reduce active interaction with self-service and deflection tools. With an organized customer support software, issue resolution is faster. Employees do not have to undertake guesswork at their jobs anymore; they can provide accurate solutions to customers queries.
- Collaboration – With customer support software, teams can increasingly collaborate to solve problems, because of the availability and organization of data. With improved knowledge of customers’ needs and awareness of the range of services provided by the organization, the customer service executives are in a unique position to cross-sell. They can suggest alternative solutions that customers have not thought of. Customer support software can bring a sense of camaraderie among employees instead of a tangle of information that involves constant redirection to other departments.
- Employee engagement – In the customer service industry, the level of engagement of both old and new employees is directly correlated with the availability and accuracy of information stored within the system. The availability of data and tools on the customer support software for quick resolution makes employees more motivated at their jobs. Motivated employees means better performance, better customer satisfaction and higher employee satisfaction.
- Employee recognition – Customer support software can keep track of tickets raised, time spent on each call, calls transferred, and calls put on hold. The software provides an opportunity for recognition of high performers, so their efforts can be rewarded. Employee satisfaction is increased when employees feel they are recognized for their good work.
- Reduced glitches in the system – With the introduction of free ticketing software, data is more organized and easier to manage. Any technical issues or hindrances in the smooth operation of the system are quickly taken care of by the software’s support team. In this way, the customer support software makes the job of the executive easier and reduces frustration.
The introduction of customer support software has a direct effect on employee satisfaction. Happy employees are efficient, productive, and deliver great customer service. They identify easily with the brand image of the company and it shows in their interactions with customers.
