Customer service is one of the most important aspects for companies of all types, especially those offering a product or service on a large scale and serving a vast number of clients for various reasons. Looking at this issue from an innovation standpoint, where we establish that the minimum a company should offer is the standard, we can confidently say that any organization offering a service or product on a large scale should have remote customer service methods in place to maximize customer satisfaction. Now, in 2021, this need becomes even more apparent with the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for social distancing and staying at home makes it much more important to have customer service channels where various types of assistance can be provided efficiently and safely.
Achieving 100% remote customer service is a significant challenge, as many companies require document validations, identity verifications, and, in general, seeing the customer personally to carry out any process.
Photo byClint Patterson onUnsplash
How does it benefit me?
By providing remote customer service, the customer service team can be centralized, allowing for a single team to handle all customer inquiries regardless of their geographical location. With a centralized team, time management for the customer service team and the physical space required can be much more efficient. In some cases, it's even possible to have a digitally centralized team (without geographical restrictions or offices) where each member connects to a digital tool that centralizes communications, allowing the team to be distributed worldwide without the need for costly physical offices.
Having remote and centralized customer service on a digital platform provides additional benefits that are challenging to manage otherwise. A significant example is the database generated from customer service interactions using these tools. Each customer interaction generates data that allows the company to generate reports for measurements and improvements in the customer service process. This information allows organizations to measure many things that wouldn't be possible conventionally, such as average handling time, the number of customers served per agent, customer satisfaction levels, among many others. Additionally, conversations can be recorded, allowing the company to protect itself against legal disputes or formal complaints from customers or even employees.
What options do I have to implement it? For decades, there have been options for remote customer service. Most of these options are based on what is known in English as a "call center," which is a customer service center via telephone calls. These call centers initially relied on a physical space with a telephone switchboard and the ability to connect multiple agents to one or more telephone lines for incoming calls. Over time and with technological advancements, the possibility of creating cloud-based telephone systems emerged. This allowed for agents not to be physically present in the same office, leading to the centralization of customer service on much larger regional levels.
A point at which telephone support has often fallen short is when a delicate transaction is desired, such as a banking operation. In these cases, it's important to have some form of validating the identity of the user the agent is speaking with. The only way to "validate" this over the phone is through security questions, but as demonstrated multiple times, this method is not secure. There is a hacking trend known as "social engineering," which focuses on hacking a system without touching the code. These "hackers" have the necessary skills to bypass multiple layers of security using social tactics against telephone customer service agents.
How can we improve the security of customer service?
One way is through video call centers. By using video calls, it's possible to simulate an in-person communication procedure where the customer not only shows their face to the agent but can also display their identity document. This significantly improves the security of remote customer service.
In the last five years, video call technology has significantly increased in popularity and capabilities. Additionally, in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, this technology became crucial for the daily operations of many companies worldwide, leading to significant advancements in the refinement of many web-based video tools.
How do I start implementing it?
The first thing you need to do is assess your company's needs to determine which of the options mentioned earlier is appropriate for your case. Once you have a rough idea of what you want to achieve and why you need it, you can contact Darien Technology, where we'll support you in refining your idea and propose the ideal tool to make it a reality.
