Improving Customer Retention Through Customer Support

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Improving Customer Retention Through Customer Support

Ridiculously Good Outsourcing | 800-400-TASK | TaskUs.com


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Improving Customer Retention Through Customer SupportCustomer acquisition captures plenty of attention, but customer retention

provides you with higher revenues and a chance to create brand evangelists. The

typical customer is worth up to 10 times his original purchase price and has up to

a 70 percent chance of converting on subsequent offers, according to Help Scout.

When you look at a typical conversion ratio, the loyal customer looks better and

better.

Customer support plays a critical role in the customer retention process, as 71

percent of customers leave a company after a bad customer service experience,

reports KISSmetrics. Creating a quality customer experience, tracking customer

satisfaction KPIs and understanding what customers need are essential parts of

this improvement.

Essential Customer Satisfaction KPIs

You need well-defined customer satisfaction KPIs in order to identify areas where

you can improve the customer experience. Your first contact resolution rate is a


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particularly important metric, as customers want to get their questions handled

quickly. If they have to call back several times, or go through multiple transfers,

they become frustrated. Ensure agents know answers to common questions,

have extensive knowledge of your products and services and know the process

for escalation.

Your average resolution times are another important metric, as you track how

long it takes to handle a normal inquiry. Track the time and number of total

contacts to get a view of how efficiently your customer support handles customer

issues and concerns. If it takes a significant amount of time for resolution,

consider changing training materials or switching customer support scripts.

What customer support channels are people using? Do you get a significant

amount of customer contact through social media, or do customers prefer real-

time channels such as live chat and phone support? How many customers are

using self-service support options, such as a FAQ or knowledgebase? Get insight

into your customers’ preferred channels so you allocate resources appropriately.

How easy was it to reach a support representative? If customers wait on hold

for hours on phone support, don’t hear anything through social media and get

a response email a week later, they’re going to be less than impressed. Look

into customer support solutions and appropriate levels of staffing to minimize

problems with agent accessibility.

Gather customer feedback to find out what customers expected out of their

support experience, any areas they felt were lacking and what it would take to go

above and beyond just meeting their needs. Exceeding expectations consistently


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separates good customer service from great customer service.

Leverage Automation for Customer Needs

Automation handles several essential functions for customer support. One of the

best customer support automation examples revolves around triggered live chat

contacts based on customer actions. A customer spending a long time getting

through the registration and checkout process may have questions about pricing,

may not understand how checkout works or may want to confirm payment

goes through a secure server before purchasing. Automation also helps social

media support agents reach out to customers when they mention the company

name or specific keywords and hashtags. A quality customer service experience

makes the difference between a one-off customer and someone who sticks with

your company for a long time. Loyal customers create a foundation for growth,

improve your reputation online and position your company as a business that

cares about the customer experience.

Business

Improving Customer Retention Through Customer Support