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7 Best Help Desk Workflow Automation Ideas
Manually completing tasks in your support process is inefficient, costly, time-consuming, and error-prone.Automating a ticketing system workflow enables customer support teams to work on assigned tasks more efficiently and accurately. It increases overall agent productivity and reduces time spent on repetitive tasks.79% of businesses believe that automation is essential for their customer experience strategy.This article will walk you through different ways to automate your help desk workflow and the resulting benefits of automating your help desk workflow process. What is the help desk workflow?A help desk software workflow refers to all the defined stages, steps, and procedures that support agents must follow to resolve customer issues successfully. Performing the operations depends on specific, predefined rules.How to automate the help desk workflowCompanies that automate their help desk workflow empower their support teams to use less effort and time to perform tasks.There are various ways of automating a help desk workflow to streamline your support operations. The following are examples of processes to automate.1. Automating the ticket routing processManually assigning tickets to individual agents can become hectic. Tasks assignment is slow and the probability of assigning tickets to the wrong agents is high. Tasks can slip through the cracks.Automated ticket routing involves categorizing and assigning tickets to suitable agents with the right expertise and knowledge to deal with the issues.An automated routing process can use a round-robin logic method to automatically assign tickets evenly to the agents qualified to do them.You can set keywords for flagging so that you assign certain tickets to specific agents based on ticket attributes, too.For example, when a customer with an IT-related issue creates a ticket, an automated ticketing system will automatically assign it to one of the IT support agents.The expertise required for the issue determines which IT support agent to assign the task.2. Automating notifications and SLA remindersWith an automated help desk, agents and higher-level support managers get alerts, notifications, and reminders regarding overdue tickets and ticket escalations.The notifications and reminders will be sent to the relevant agents under certain conditions stipulated in the service level agreement (SLA).The appropriate agents receive automated SLA reminders before the set due date to respond or resolve the ticket.If tickets become overdue, an SLA breach occurs. The ticket overdue automatically prompts the SLA escalation reminders or notifications to be sent to the assigned agents and their managers.Subsequently, upon receiving an SLA escalation notification, the manager can check in with their agent to see what the delay is and re-assign the ticket to another agent if necessary.3. Automated customer satisfaction surveysGetting feedback regarding a company’s services or products is essential for its growth. Customers’ opinion is highly valuable, positive, or negative.It is important to automate the customer satisfaction survey feature in a help desk workflow. When the assigned agent changes the ticket status to closed, if the CSAT survey feature is enabled, a survey link can automatically be sent to the customer.Upon receiving the survey, the customers provide feedback regarding the customer service they received throughout the ticketing process.If the feedback is negative, the agents and managers automatically receive alerts. The managers can then make note of reasons for negative feedback and take necessary steps to train the agents and improve their performance.Importance of CSAT surveysUsing the customer satisfaction survey, support managers can generate customer satisfaction reports and analyze their data. The report has an important metric, the customer satisfaction score.The CSAT score gives the support managers an overview of how the customer support team operates and the customers’ perception of the company’s products and services.Therefore, support managers can more easily see areas that need improvement.4. Awareness of unassigned ticketsSometimes tickets may remain unassigned if they do not match any of the created rules and do not choose the round-robin distribution.With an automated help desk workflow, if a ticket remains unassigned for a certain period of time, the support manager gets an automated notification.The tickets are sorted based first onThe ticket categoriesBrandsPrioritiesRequester optionsThen the support managers can evaluate, tag, and route the unassigned tickets to suitable agents for fast and accurate resolution.5. Automated taggingDuring automated ticket creation, a create-ticket trigger can automatically add tags to new tickets.Adding tags to tickets automatically will depend on the specific keywords found in the subject or description of the email sent by customers. After identifying the keywords, the tickets will be tagged and categorized.For example, if an internal employee creates a ticket requesting admin access, the ticket will be categorized as an internal ticket by identifying the company name.Additionally, an approval tag can be added to tickets. For instance, sometimes, tickets might need management approval to be closed. An approval tag will be added automatically to such tickets.6. Automated ticket processingSometimes, agents forget to update the status of resolved tickets from pending to closed. In such cases, the long-pending tickets will automatically close, if they remain in a solved state for more than a specified period.Thus, solves the closure follow-up. Additionally, suppose a customer does not respond to an email for n number of hours, then the ticket will automatically close.The create-ticket trigger automation rule automatically adds agents as watchers and end users in the CC section during ticket creation.The added agents and customers will automatically receive email notifications for all updates on the ticket. Automating the ticket process helps streamline the help desk workflow and keeps everything organized.Read more onAutomated ticket processing here!7. Creating a knowledge baseA knowledge base consists of documents and articles that provide solutions to common problems and important insight into issues that might otherwise have received little attention.Automating the help desk workflow using a knowledge base means making all the necessary reference tools readily available to end-users and support teams.Knowledge bases contain:ArticlesFrequently asked questions (FAQs)How-to video contentDocumentationEnd-users benefit greatly from an up-to-date knowledge base for self-service purposes. It assists customers in resolving common problems on their own. Support agents can also refer to an internal knowledge base to clarify any information on products or projects.Automatic recommending of help articles to users based on their search history can improve this self-service experience.Benefits of automating the help desk workflowAccording to a report by Verint, 58% of consumers are comfortable with customer interactions that are facilitated by automation.Companies automate their help desk ticket workflow to achieve various goals. The following are the main benefits of an automated help desk workflow.Higher efficiencyAn automated help desk workflow significantly reduces time spent working on manual and repetitive tasks.The automation of different help desk features makes tasks such as response and resolution to be performed quickly and accurately.Consequently, when these repetitive tasks are automated, the company support agents get sufficient time to concentrate on fixing the urgent and difficult issues.Hence,increasing the efficiency of the support team.Increased agent productivityFirstly, agents get more organized task schedules when you automate your help desk workflow process. Thus, helping them resolve issues faster.Secondly, automating repetitive tasks enables agents to focus on resolving higher-priority issues that require their urgent attention.Lastly, it saves time and increases their general productivity rate.Time-saving and reduced operating costsManually completing tasks tends to be:Time-consumingProne to human errorConfusingAutomating the help desk workflow defines the processes and leaves less room for error, saving on time and costs.Moreover, setting repetitive tasks to complete automatically reduces the expenses of agents’ time spent doing those tasks over and over.Error-free outcomesCompanies opt to automate the help desk workflow to reduce procedural and resolution errors.Automated ticketing system workflows define procedures and the right ticket-routing and assignment process.Therefore, it streamlines the performance of tasks. Additionally, the automation reduces possible errors. Furthermore, it lets your agents work with more confidence that nothing is missing.Improved customer experienceCustomers have more confidence and trust in a product or company when they receive immediate responses acknowledging receipt of their tickets, as well as timely updates.Automating the ticketing system workflow makes this confidence easy to instill and encourages customer loyalty.Automate the dispatch of acknowledgement emails and set reminders to update customers in a timely fashion.Your customer satisfaction rate and customer experience will increase as they see your support team taking their issues seriously.ConclusionToday, companies automate their help desk workflow to improve their support process. Automating its customer support operations ultimately increases the quality of a company’s services and reputation.LIKE.TGoffers the ultimate automated ticketing system workflow. Try theLIKE.TG free trialto see how all the features listed in this blog can help your team.Please contact us to schedule a live demo and see how you can customize LIKE.TG to meet your business needs.Refer to thepricing plansto see which package would best suit your company. For any questions regardingLIKE.TG, feel free to contact theLIKE.TG supportteam. Thank you for reading!Related blogsHow will help desk software be helpful in growing your organizationStrategies for implementing help desk software successfullyWhy you should switch to help desk software from email-based supportHow to optimize a ticketing systems workflow for customer support
11 Actionable Tips on Improving Employee Satisfaction
Employee satisfaction forms the cornerstone of any company. A happy employee translates to a happy customer. If an employee is satisfied with the work conditions in the company, you will easily tell.This is because they will offer the best customer service experience they can. For this reason, it should be every employer’s goal to ensure employee satisfaction is at its optimum level at all times in order to grow.This blog guides you through different ways to improve employee satisfaction. In addition, you will learn what employee satisfaction means and why it is important to keep your employees happy. What is employee satisfaction?Employee satisfaction can be described as the level of fulfillment that employees feel while working at their organization, or how happy are they with their jobs.When defining employee satisfaction, it is important to consider whether employees are happy and content.A business’s success depends significantly on its ability to maintain a happy workforce, as contented workers are more likely to be innovative, dedicated, and productive. Additionally, they are less likely to quit, lowering turnover rates and the expense of recruiting and onboarding new hires.Why is employee satisfaction important?Having employees who are happy or content working at your company is vital to ensuring its continued growth.The following are reasons why it is important to strive to satisfy your employees:Employee retentionTo establish a good workplace culture, make sure all employees are well treated, taken care of, and that there are good relationships among your employees.This creates a safe space for employees where they can work calmly and efficiently. The possibility of employees leaving for other companies is reduce.Most people prefer to work in companies where they feel comfortable and happy, compared to places where they are paid well but unhappy.After all, what is the use of getting good pay if you are depressed at the workplace?Increased productivityProviding your employees with all the resources they need to carry out their tasks improves their productivity.In addition, when companies motivate their employees, they give their best performance at work.Efforts like cultivating a positive and transparent work culture help boost teamwork. This eventually improves productivity.Improved customer satisfactionWhen employees are satisfied, their happiness and contentment translate to attending to their clients with the same sentiment.They will provide service to clients well and interact with them in a friendly manner. They will deliver work that is high quality.As a result, clients will be satisfied too due to the care they receive from these employees.Improved morale at the workplacePraising or recognizing employees when they perform well or achieve a milestone improves their morale and motivates them to keep doing great work.This, in turn, increases the company’s profits and ensures continued growth.How to improve employee satisfaction (11 tips) Besides having compensation and benefits plans for your employees, there are other non-financial ways that can make boost employee satisfaction.The following are some best practices to improve employee satisfaction:1. Allow employees to take part in decision-making and feedbackEmpower your employees by involving them in the process of making decisions on company policies that directly impact their work.Get their opinion through regular meetings, discussions, and feedback. Listen to employees’ suggestions on ways to resolve problems affecting certain areas.It shows the employees that the company cares about them and values their opinions.This boosts their confidence in what they do and makes them feel more in charge of their work. It makes them more productive in the long run.2. Acknowledge and celebrate employee achievementsShow appreciation to your employees when they reach certain milestones or accomplish big things at work. This can be done by:Admit the employee during work meetings.Offering small gifts like gift cards and holiday destination tickets.Giving them days off to take a break from the hard work.In addition, celebrate their personal achievements such as their work anniversaries and birthdays.To acknowledge and celebrate your employees is a good gesture to show them that you appreciate and value their efforts.It boosts their morale, makes them loyal to the company, and encourages them to keep being passionate at work.It also encourages other employees to follow suit and improve their own work in order to get the same appreciation.As a result, their job satisfaction will increase, as well as their overall productivity, and ultimately the company’s profits.3. Offer a flexible work scheduleA PWC survey reveals that 62% of respondents favor a hybrid work model that integrates on-site and remote work.The onset of the global pandemic, COVID-19, saw a major revolution in the workplace. Working from home became the most ideal option.It led to an increase in hybrid and remote work, which has now become a new norm. Most companies prefer flexible work schedules that can accommodate employees’ specific working hours, regardless of their location.Employees from different parts of the world in different time zones must work together to achieve the same company goal.For this reason, companies should provide powerful communication tools for seamless interaction among all employees. Employees should feel like they are interacting in person and in the same physical office.Flexibility helps improve the productivity of employees since they each have working hours that suit them.4. Ensure a work-life balance for employeesCiphr reports that a significant majority of remote workers, about 79%, prioritize work-life balance above all other job components. This is in notable contrast to those employees who engage in remote work on a part-time basis or not at all, of whom only 66% consider work-life balance to be of utmost importance.It is employers’ responsibility to ensure their employees have a good balance between their work life and personal life. With well-defined working hours, employees can know when to stop working and focus on their personal life.This balance helps employees to separate their personal time from working hours. As a result, employees are less stressed from overworking, which leads to higher job satisfaction.The company can close the office when working hours elapse in order to encourage employees to leave and go do anything else.5. Encourage and provide learning and development opportunitiesDefining a skills road map is the first step to enhance the abilities of an employee.With one in place, you then need to provide the learning and development resources they need to help them fulfill their positions to their maximum potential.There are many resources you can rely on to help your employees develop in their careers.For instance, you can offer short training sessions for employees to learn some new skills. You can also provide an online learning hub for your employees to access and learn from.In the learning hub, include all the necessary learning tools and content that you can afford and access.You can also offer short online courses in the learning hub. In addition, you can offer flexible work schedules for employees who are pursuing further studies as a gesture of encouragement.6. Have a clear path for career growth for each employeeIt is important to give your employees the opportunity to grow professionally.Provide individual employees with a well-defined road map on the new skills they need to learn to advance in their careers.Outline the abilities they should develop to perform better in their current positions and in potential future positions they may qualify for.Supporting your employees’ career journey goes a long way to ensure higher productivity on their end. In addition, employees appreciate the effort and stay loyal to the company.Knowing that you care about their future advancement gives them a sense of satisfaction.7. Build a positive and transparent work cultureWith a company that fosters a positive and transparent work culture, employees communicate, speak their mind, and share their ideas with confidence.Every employee is listened to and encouraged to give their opinions on any aspect that affects them at work.They are free to discuss new ideas that are likely to play some part in running the company.On the other hand, the company should be transparent with its employees and communicate any updates.For instance, you can hold regular company meetings to provide updates on the progress of each department and the company as a whole.Share the company’s vision and goals with employees. Let them know the policies they need to uphold as well.Such an open environment in the workplace motivates employees to be more productive because they are comfortable at work.Being heard gives them a sense of satisfaction and keeps them loyal to the company. It becomes a place they enjoy being at.8. Do not micromanage your employeesEmployees thrive when they are given the chance to grow and achieve their goals under minimal interference from their leads or managers.Giving employees clear guidelines that define their roles and responsibilities should be enough.If you nag your employees over every minor task, they are likely to become stressed, frustrated, and unhappy. Allow them to work with less supervision in order to boost employee satisfaction.Companies have to avoid asserting aggressive authority over employees. If team leads or managers tell employees how to do their jobs, employees are likely to feel demotivated, untrusted, and may opt to leave the company.When employees are micromanaged, they tend to lose morale and become less productive. It also leaves them burned out from too much pressure, and thus dissatisfied with their work.9. Encourage social interaction among employeesMost employees feel more comfortable in a workplace with friendly people. It is advisable for companies to encourage their employees to socialize with each other.To encourage interaction, a company can organize social events like annual company dinners or quarterly gatherings. They can also have team-building events such as sports competitions.An interactive workplace fosters good communication and makes employees familiar with each other.Good relationships at work make employees more productive as they join forces to achieve the common company goal.It also becomes easy for employees to sort out any conflicts among themselves that may hinder important achievements.For remote workers, good communication tools should be provided so that they can be an integral part of the company. These practices promote employee engagement as well as employee satisfaction.10. Provide ergonomic office toolsA great way to make employees more efficient is by providing them with tools and resources that will ease their efforts and reduce manual work.These tools can be in the form of software or hardware.For instance, a company can provide its employees with good quality communication software and hardware so they can interact seamlessly.The company can also offer technical software to automate tasks that are hard and time-consuming.Ergonomic tools promote efficiency. They reduce the effort and time spent by employees to perform tasks, thus improving their productivity.They also increase employee satisfaction since they make employees feel that their employer cares about their well-being.Ultimately, this boosts employee retention since they are comfortable at their workplace.11. Create an internal help centerAn internal help center is a centralized location where employees can access company information and instructions on how to troubleshoot common issues.Establish an internal help center, such as a comprehensive knowledge base to:Empower employees to find solutions independently.Save time.Improve employee productivity.Create a more positive work experience.Additionally, internal help resources can serve as a platform for continuous learning and development.By including training materials, best practices, and troubleshooting guides, companies can allow their employees to expand their skills and knowledge at their own pace.This investment in their professional growth demonstrates that the organization values their development, which can boost morale and job satisfaction.How to measure employee satisfaction in the work environmentUnderstand morale, identify areas for improvement, and foster a positive workplace culture by measuring and analyzing employee satisfaction in the work environment.SurveysConduct regular employee satisfaction surveys using both quantitative and qualitative questions. Include topics such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, career growth opportunities, compensation, benefits, and satisfaction with leadership.Employee net promoter score (eNPS)This metric measures employee loyalty and willingness to recommend the company as a workplace to others. A simple survey asks employees how likely they are (on a scale of 0–10) to recommend the company to a friend or colleague. Based on their response, employees are categorized as promoters (9-10, satisfied and loyal), passives (7-8, neutral), or detractors (0–6, dissatisfied).The eNPS is determined by subtracting the percent of detractors from the percent of promoters. The resulting score can range from -100 to 100, with higher scores indicating higher levels of employee satisfaction. A positive eNPS indicates that the majority of employees are satisfied and likely to recommend the company, while a negative score suggests that there may be underlying issues affecting employee morale.One-on-one meetingsSchedule regular one-on-one meetings between employees and their managers to discuss their experiences, concerns, career goals, and overall satisfaction. These confidential conversations allow for open dialogue and personalized support.Focus groups Organize focus groups comprising small groups of employees from different departments or levels within the organization. Facilitate discussions on various aspects of the work environment to gain deeper insights and diverse perspectives.Exit interviews Conduct exit interviews with departing employees to gauge and understand their reasons for leaving, gather feedback on their experiences, and identify areas for improvement. Analyze trends in exit interview data to address underlying issues and reduce turnover.Performance self-reviews Evaluate whether employees feel valued, recognized, and adequately supported in their roles. Performance self-reviews can provide insight into employee morale and engagement. Look for signs of discouragement, lack of motivation, or declining performance that might be linked to dissatisfaction.Challenges in measuring employee satisfaction metricsThe process of measuring employee satisfaction comes with its own set of challenges. Understanding these challenges can help organizations refine their approach and gather more accurate data.Selecting the right tools and methodsOrganizations must choose appropriate tools and methods for measuring satisfaction. Surveys are common, but the questions must be carefully crafted to obtain clear, actionable feedback. Other methods might include interviews, focus groups, and observation, each with its own limitations.Ensuring anonymity and confidentialityEmployees may not provide honest feedback if they fear consequences. Ensuring anonymity and confidentiality on surveys is essential to gather genuine responses, but it can be difficult to maintain, especially in smaller organizations.Response biasResponse bias can occur when employees feel pressured to provide positive feedback or when they respond based on what they think the organization wants to hear. This can twist results and provide an inaccurate picture of satisfaction.Cultural differencesIn global organizations, cultural differences can affect how satisfaction is expressed and measured. What indicates satisfaction in one culture may not in another, making it difficult to create a one-size-fits-all approach.Frequency and timingDeciding on how often to measure employee satisfaction is a challenge. Too frequent, and it can lead to survey fatigue; too infrequent, and the organization might miss important shifts in employee sentiment.ConclusionEmployee satisfaction is the key to any company’s growth. With best practices in place to improve employee satisfaction, they become more productive.They also have higher morale, and remain loyal to the company. This then translates to satisfied customers in the long run.With LIKE.TG, give your employees the best help desk experience and satisfaction. Try the LIKE.TG free trial for your employees to thrive. Contact the LIKE.TG support team if you have any questions.You are welcome to schedule a 30-minute live demo to experience the system firsthand.
LIKE.TG’s Latest Features in the November 2022 Release
We are excited to announce the rollout of new features and improvements in LIKE.TG! Let’s take a look at some of them. List of latest featuresLet’s take a look over the added features:1. Article templatesArticle templates store common article structures to be used later to create new articles. This improves the efficiency of article creation and provides a consistent structure for knowledge base articles.2. Rest APIs for knowledge baseWith REST APIs in the knowledge base, you can create, edit, and read categories, sections, and articles.3. Email delivery failure audit logsIn the admin audit logs page, an email failure logs section has been added. Using this feature, admins can find the numbers of bounce and complaint emails. Also, they can find the reasons emails failed to deliver.4. Merge contact option in contact managementThis feature allows users to merge duplicate contacts. Using this feature, you can select and merge a maximum of three contacts with another contact. It is useful when a customer uses different email IDs or when the user from a customer company is no longer the support contact. In these scenarios, you can transfer all tickets and merge them to another account. After merging, the secondary contacts can be deleted automatically.5. Bulk ticket delete optionMultiple tickets can be selected and deleted forever from the spam tickets or deleted tickets page. This feature saves the support team time so that it can focus on more important tasks, like answering tickets from customers.6. Contact group field in ticket grid viewIn the column chooser, you can now include the contact group field in the ticket grid view.7. Email delivery status for each messageThis option allows you to view the email delivery status of each message in the ticket.8. Delete brandThe delete brand option in the admin module lets you delete a brand permanently. You can’t recover a deleted brand. If you need to temporarily disable a brand, then you can use the deactivate brand option instead of the delete brand option.9. Hide system default ticket viewsIn the admin module, you can manage ticket views by deactivating the views that you do not need. Using this option, you can also hide the system views if you don’t want them on your site.ConclusionWe hope you enjoy the latest features added to BoldDesk. We’ve made a lot of improvements in this update, and we look forward to continuing to do so on a regular basis. These new features allow customer support agents to better manage their tickets, communicate with their customers, and meet customer needs. Use LIKE.TG to simplify your support agents’ work and make them more productive. You can also start a 15-day free trial to experience the benefits for yourself. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us. We’re always eager to hear from you!
5 Ways to Prepare Your Support Team for Black Friday 2022
Black Friday is a wonderful chance for you to draw in new clients. You worked extremely hard to get them; you don’t want them to leave your establishment feeling disappointed by their experience. Due to the high number of rival establishments, both online and offline, the Black Friday customer experience is more crucial than any other day. I have five easy suggestions to help your brand have a successful sales day. What and when is Black Friday?Black Friday is the day after thanksgiving. It starts the holiday shopping season. To attract customers, most stores offer doorbuster sales with early-bird specials on this day. People stand in line for hours before stores open to get the offers of the year.Decades ago, most Black Friday deals began on Thanksgiving Day or earlier and continued through the Black Friday weekend. In 2022, Black Friday comes on November 25, which is the fourth Friday of the month.Preparing your support team for Black FridayYour customer service team is the bridge to your customers. Your approach to customer-to-agent interactions can either leave a positive or negative impression. You can achieve a more positive impression and higher customer satisfaction only when you deliver the best customer service ahead of all other services.However, having negative impressions makes buyers never come back to your shop. Moreover, they will even share their negative experience with others, like potential customers.Therefore, you need to prepare your agents for Black Friday matters because it:Promotes excellent customer service.Helps you come up with the most effective Black Friday marketing strategies.Guides your agents on how to deliver excellent support, which can improve customer retention.Lures customers, thus growing their loyalty to your brand, and expanding your business.Certainly, peak times like Black Friday require not only enhanced customer service skills but also open-mindedness and energy to deal with different situations. Therefore, you need to prepare your agents for this.In today’s world, it is easier than ever to search for alternatives and jump between different sellers, and a small mistake can result in the loss of a sale.5 ways to be ready for Black Friday 2022During those intense days, you will experience instances that can intensify the future of your business. Here are some customer service tips to follow to minimize the possibility of chaos this Black Friday.1. Apply software to deal with clients’ queriesIt can be difficult to deal with queries and interactions from many individuals on a regular basis, not to mention high peak days like Black Friday. Without the proper tools, even the most resolute teams can underperform.In this case, you need to have help desk software where you can find solutions that can take you through bettering your workflow and saving time. Practically, no customer support team is complete without a help-desk ticketing system.Help-desk software can centralize all your communications, so you do not have to jump between different channels. It typically comes with many other internal tools, like tags, canned responses, and automation rules to organize your tasks and tickets better and to be in control. With help desk software, you can deliver faster and more thorough support.2. Offer productself-serviceoptionsNot all customers need help always. Therefore, these customers prefer when they get already available instructions or pages just to serve themselves. Certainly, self-service gives clients a better experience.Moreover, the self-service option creates awareness to customers of what they need to correct and the root of the problem. Additionally, by offering self-service to your customers, they can use it to satisfy their needs. This saves time without having to jump through hoops, thus customers’ mindsets and well-being significantly improve.3. Prepare canned responses for quick repliesIn hot pursuit time like Black Friday time really matters. Therefore, personally writing a response to every customer from scratch is tiresome. Coincidentally, most of the emails that reach your inbox are hitting the same issues but in different tone or format.Therefore, to manage all these, you need to prepare canned responses. Take note that, during the preparation process, you need to manage and edit the already drafted canned responses in advance to avoid miscommunication.Additionally, you need to update the canned responses in a manner that the agents can easily adjust to specific situations like adding names and relevant details. This will ease your agents’ work thus taking them less time than starting from scratch.4. Keep calm and prioritize your customers’ inquiriesEvery customer has a different way of approaching support agents. Some may be cool, and some may be frustrated about their issues. Regardless of how smooth or rough a customer is, your agents should treat all the customers equally. Similarly, they must keep patience when facing furious customers. Remember, when you fix customers’ issues perfectly and send replies on time, even angry customers get calm and become loyal to your service.Note that,All issues are not urgent, but all must be solved.Managing all customers’ queries is not possible at the same time.Therefore, you need to prioritize each issue according to its urgency. As a result, prioritizing queries will aid you in solving all customers’ complaints effectively.5. Be transparent and communicate wellTrusting is a process but can be broken in no time. To keep your trust with customers, you must be transparent and honest with them in your service delivery. For example, if you have not solved a customer’s issue in time you can inform them and explain the reasons vividly. This can change their perspectives thus sustaining their trust and loyalty in your service.Similarly, through communication, you can build a business environment that will lead to eminent growth. For instance, telling your customers that you need more time to do research on the problem might also keep them patient. This can build a strong business foundation thus increasing your customer retention.How LIKE.TG improves 2022’s Black Friday customer serviceLIKE.TG has introduced unlimited agents plans, which lets your company grow and save money. Additionally, it supplies three simple unlimited agents plans for every company. The plans under this category are Standard, Pro, and Business. You can get more details from the unlimited agents pricing page.LIKE.TG provides valuable features at a low cost.You can try a free trial that enables you to fully access all the features of your LIKE.TG plan. Even after the trial period, your data will be retained for seven days while you upgrade your plan.LIKE.TG enables you to change your subscription plan without restricting time. To upgrade, the changes take place immediately and are therefore charged as a Pro plan.You can do away with your subscription at any time. However, your subscription remains valid until the end of your billing period.LIKE.TG offers free migration when you move from any other help desk software to BoldDesk.By using an unlimited agent’s plan, you can expand your support team as much as you need without added cost.ConclusionThe possibility of Black Friday burdening your customer support staff is immense. Therefore, to succeed it’s crucial to divide your attention between offering fantastic deals and giving customers a first-rate experience. It’s not too late to consider these Black Friday customer service tips and prepare the necessary materials for a big day to take advantage of every chance that will present itself.To unburden your work processes, you need a help desk service. Therefore, LIKE.TG offers you advanced help desk features that can enable you to provide the best service ever. To know more about LIKE.TG features, you can contact our help system.
Top 7 Benefits of Using LIKE.TG CSAT Surveys
Getting genuine feedback from clients, whether positive or negative, has a major impact on the growth of a business. Companies should make an effort to offer the best customer service experience and satisfy their customers to the best of their ability.Customer satisfaction can be described as a metric used to gauge the happiness level of customers with a company’s offerings and abilities.Data on customer satisfaction, such as surveys and ratings, can assist a company in identifying the most effective ways to enhance or modify its products and services.Providing your customers with CSAT customer satisfaction surveys is the best way to know how they view your company and the products or services you offer.In this blog, you will learn about:Scenarios under which you can use them.The benefits of using the LIKE.TG CSAT survey to get feedback from your customers. When should you send a CSAT survey?Customers should receive survey questions after support agents complete certain processes for them, such as resolving their issues or after they interact with them.Here are some of the common events that can prompt sending CSAT customer satisfaction surveys to clients to gauge their view on the customer service they experience:After a client completes certain key proceduresFor instance, you can send new clients CSAT survey questions about how their on-boarding process was. Their responses will help the support team know its level of efficiency and identify areas to improve on.Before customers renew their subscriptionIt is ideal to send CSAT surveys to customers before they renew their subscription. It helps to identify areas in the product or service that need improvements.Actions can then be taken to ensure customers will not experience the same issues after renewal.Once agents resolve or respond to ticket issuesAfter tickets are resolved or responded to, the tickets are closed. Upon closing, a CSAT customer satisfaction survey question can be automatically sent to the customer to rate the service provided, the response rate of the agent, or both.After interactions with the customer support teamAfter interacting with customers, such as getting information about customers and their issues in detail, support agents should send CSAT surveys. These allow clients to give their feedback based on how well the agent interacts and collects information from them.Advantages of using LIKE.TG customer satisfaction surveysLIKE.TG has aCSAT survey featurethat any support team can use to improve the customer service they provide to their clients in many ways, such as:1. Obtaining client feedback using a simple numerical rating scaleLIKE.TG uses a numerical rating scale method to collect feedback from clients. This method allows the clients to rate their experiences under three satisfaction levels: positive, neutral, and negative.According to a Microsoft study, 77% of consumers have a more positive perception of brands that actively seek and welcome customer feedback.LIKE.TG allows agents to customize survey questions to send to their clients. They can also customize the rating text that will display, based on their needs.In LIKE.TG CSAT surveys, there are three types of rating scales. You can customize the rating scale content based on your unique survey case. The rating scales are:2-point rating scale3-point rating scale5-point rating scaleThis rating method is very simple, easy to use, and easy to understand. It saves time and reduces the chances of survey bias and failure of clients to complete the survey questions.2. Providing customers a chance to give detailed opinions about your servicesCustomers are free to give their feedback and explain their experiences in detail in the comments section, which is under the rating scale. The comment section is optional.The feedback provided in the comment section helps a company in the following ways:Enables agents to understand and address precise concerns and needs of customers better.Provides insight on products or services that need to improve to satisfy the customer.3. Drawing insightful conclusions from survey data (survey reports)The LIKE.TG CSAT survey reports feature in LIKE.TG allows the support team to collect and measure the feedback from customers in real time. Support team leads can then promptly analyze the feedback and determine the experiences of clients.This helps identify areas the support team or others in the company need to improve on and helps identify steps that can be taken to enhance their product, services, or support.4. Controlling when to include surveys in emailsThe LIKE.TG CSAT survey feature gives agents an option to send survey links to clients via email. Agents can choose to send survey emails after every email reply or after a specific change in status.For instance, once an agent resolves a ticket issue and the ticket is closed, a client will receive a survey email where they can provide feedback. Often, follow-up survey questions help a company make improvements on products or services.5. Giving anonymous users a chance to share their opinionWith LIKE.TG CSAT surveys, any potential client that visits the website or comes across its rating link online can rate the product. The user can rate their customer service experience without the need to log in to your support portal first.This is a strategy to show potential clients just how customer-focused the company is. As a result, it increases their trust in the brand of the company and encourages them to purchase your product or service.6. Sending automated alerts and notifications based on feedbackLIKE.TG CSAT surveys are automated to send alerts and notifications to the right groups or support leads regarding negative or positive feedback.An alert on negative feedback helps leads work on resolving their problematic areas to avoid future complaints. On the other hand, notifications on positive feedback motivates agents to keep up the good work.7. Categorizing data based on CSAT reportsAdvanced filter options are available to CSAT customer satisfaction reports to categorize data based on satisfaction ratings by clients. The various filters that are listed in the category field will determine the data to be displayed.These advanced filter options make it easy for agents and support leads to identify and separate issues by the type of feedback they provide.This helps support agents focus their efforts on required areas and helps them know the next steps to take to improve customer experiences in the future.Types and common examples of CSAT survey questionsThere are some common survey queries that most businesses use. Asking the right questions helps clients provide the best feedback in detail.Companies can utilize a range of customer experience surveys to gather customer feedback. Each type of survey offers distinct customer insights and should be applied at a particular stage in the customer experience lifecycle.Visit ourCSAT types and examples blog to explore the types of surveys and a list of common CSAT survey questions that support agents often send to their clients.ConclusionCompanies that collect, measure, and analyze feedback from customers using customer satisfaction surveys in LIKE.TG gain great insights.These insights contribute in many ways to their main goal, which is to improve the customer service experience for their clients. Agents also need to consider when to send survey questions to maintain the trust and loyalty of customers.LIKE.TGoffers the best customer satisfaction survey tool to ensure any support team gets feedback from its clients with ease. Try ourLIKE.TG free trialfor first-hand experience with the best help desk survey tool.If you have any questions, feel free to contactLIKE.TG supportfor assistance. To explore how LIKE.TG can be tailored to meet your business needs, please contact us to schedule a live demo.Related blogsBenefits of tracking customer satisfaction with helpdeskHow to collect and use a customer feedback survey10 Popular Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions in Customer Service10 Essential Ways to Improve Customer Satisfaction
Top 10 Customer Experience Metrics & KPIs to Measure Success
Providing a quality customer experience is a key goal of every business. Customer experience metrics make it easy for you to track and assess the experience of clients.In addition, these metrics help to identify effective strategies to provide a positive experience.In this blog, I will take you through the best metrics to apply in your business to improve customer experience. What are customer experience metrics?Customer experience metrics are quantitative measurements taken from clients that provide insight into their experiences with the business.Measuring customer experience is essential for businesses to understand how well they meet their customers’ needs and expectations.It involves collecting and analyzing data from various touchpoints to gain insights into the customer’s journey and their overall satisfaction with the brand.These numbers may change over time and at each stage of the operations in business.Key metrics for measuring customer experienceYou can track different aspects of the customer experience by use of different metrics. Here are some of the best customer experience indexes you can use in your business.1. Customer satisfaction (CSAT)Customer satisfaction (CSAT) is an aggregate measure of how satisfied customers are with a product or service.Most CSAT responses are based on a rating scale of 1 to 5. 1 indicates a very dissatisfied client, and 5 indicates a very satisfied client.Here is a typical example of a formula that you can use to calculate a CSAT score as a percentage.In this sample formula, 4s and 5s are positive responses.2. Net promoter score (NPS)The net promoter score (NPS) gauges whether or not your clients will recommend your products and services to others.In addition, NPS measures client happiness, loyalty, and trust. You can determine it by asking customers if they would recommend your company to others.Use the following formulas to know your NPS. They are based on a scale of 1 to 10, in which 10 is very likely to recommend the company, and 1 is unlikely to recommend it.3. Customer effort score (CES)The CES metric tracks the effort users put into using your product or service.CES reveals whether clients find it easy, average, or very hard to engage with your business to solve problems, get answers to questions, and more.A standard scale for CES measurement is 1 to 7. 1 indicates that the end user considers working with the company very hard.In contrast, 7 indicates that the customer finds working with the company to be easy. Take advantage of the following formula to determine your CES:4. Average resolution rateThis customer experience index tracks the accountable time it takes for a ticket to be resolved. With it, you can see how long customers are waiting for their issues to be resolved.Similarly, it helps you gauge how good your support team is at solving customer issues.By examining this metric over time, you can see whether your average resolution time is trending longer or shorter.Ideally, it should be about the same or shorter, because customers greatly value quick answers. When resolution of issues is fast, it improves customer experience improves.5. Average first response timeThis metric tracks the average time elapsed between ticket creation and the first response from the support team.Customers don’t like it when they are left unattended. This leaves them unsure of whether anyone noticed their issue or not.Maybe it disappeared into an electronic abyss, never to be seen again?Therefore, you need to check on your customers’ tickets and should send the first response as soon as possible. This relaxes clients because they feel noticed and taken care of. By monitoring this metric and keeping it low, you can ensure the clients’ experiences are good from the start.6. Customer churn rateCustomer churn rate is a significant metric for businesses, particularly those in subscription-based models or those with other recurring revenue streams. It’s the percentage of customers who discontinue using a business’s products or services over a specified time period.Understanding and managing customer churn is essential for maintaining and growing a customer base, ensuring sustainable revenue, and enhancing overall business health.The churn rate is calculated by dividing the number of customers lost in a timeframe by the total number of customers at the beginning of the timeframe, then multiplying by 100 to express it as a percentage.7. Customer retention rateThe customer retention rate is a customer experience metric that measures the ability of a business to keep its customers over time.High retention rates indicate customer satisfaction, loyalty, and the effectiveness of a company’s customer service and engagement strategies.Retaining existing customers or users is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones, making a good rate vital for sustainable business growth and long-term success.8. Customer lifetime value (CLV)Customer lifetime value is a customer experience metric that estimates the total revenue a company can expect from a single client account throughout the duration of their relationship.It considers not just the immediate value of a transaction, but the entirety of potential future purchases, subscriptions, or recurring revenue generated by that customer.Understanding CLV helps companies make informed decisions about customer acquisition, retention strategies, and resource allocation to maximize profitability. Following is the formula to determine CLV.9. Trial-to-paid conversation rateThe trial-to-paid conversion rate measures the percentage of users who convert from a free trial to a paid subscription or purchase.This customer experience metric is for businesses that offer free trials as part of their sales strategy, such as software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies.A high conversion rate indicates that the trial experience is effectively demonstrating the value of the product, leading to successful sales.10. First contact resolution (FCR)First contact resolution is a customer experience metric that measures the percentage of customer tickets resolved with just one interaction with a customer service representative.These are customers that do not require a follow up or escalation on the issue presented. High FCR rates are a sign of efficient and effective customer service, which boosts customer satisfaction.The FCR rate can be calculated using the following formula.Importance of tracking customer experience metricsTracking customer experience metrics are essential because it:Increases your productivityCustomer experience metrics mutually benefit you and your customers. By tracking customer experience using metrics such as CSAT, you can synthesize the advice you get from customers and use that to improve your help desk.In turn, your customers get a quality product and service, while you earn more business from their satisfaction and recommendations.Encourages open-mindedness in solving customer issuesTracking your customers’ experience gives you a reason to think outside of the box.For instance, when you track an overdue task, you will have thoughts beyond the standard support process on how to resolve the issue faster so that you can retain the customer.Innovative approaches used for one task may be applicable to others. This encourages you to stay open-minded about the best ways to deliver an excellent customer experience.Helps develop essential customer service skillsInsights from customer experience metrics help your support agents develop customer service skills since they deal with all kinds of customers.Polishing customer service skills for both enraged and happy customers makes your help desk a well-rounded one.This, therefore, increases your chances of expanding your business and recruiting new customers.Enables you to set customer experience goalsNot all customers are the same. Each client has a unique perspective on their problem and your product.Understanding these viewpoints gives you a better insight of how your intended customer experience may change in practice.Therefore, tracking their experiences with your service lets you know which ones were never satisfied.You can reach out to these cases to find out what was wrong and correct it for other customers.From such personal experiences, you can set goals for delivering satisfying customer experiences equally.Tracking customer experience metrics for business growthIn summary, customer experience metrics play a large part in improving your business.Tracking them and working to improve them to optimal levels makes your customers’ experience eminent.To improve your client’s experience, consider using a help desk platform like LIKE.TG to give your support team a powerful, seamless tool for addressing customer concerns.Arrange for a live demo to discover how LIKE.TG can enhance your company’s performance and monitor key customer experience metrics. Begin a free trial to delve into its numerous functionalities.Contact theLIKE.TG supportteam if you have any questions.Related blogs Important metrics in help desk softwareBest techniques for reducing customer service response timeEffective metrics to measure customer loyaltyEssential knowledge base metrics for enhancing self-service
Customer Pain Points: How to Identify and Overcome Them
Offering the best customer experience is the goal of most companies looking to grow. The key to your success lies in your customers. However, even if customers adore your brand, a single negative experience could cause 30% of them to stop buying from you.It is, therefore, very important to ensure you identify and come up with the best practices to overcome your customer pain points. Learn different ways to identify the problems of customers and find all viable solutions that will help overcome them.This blog discusses and defines customer pain points, their different types, ways to identify them, and ways to overcome them. What is a pain point?A customer pain point refers to a problem that a client experiences with a company or its brand.When customers experience pain points, their level of satisfaction often decreases, and a solution is always urgently needed to save the day.Types of customer journey pain points and their examplesThere are different categories of customer pain points based on the areas they affect.These include:a) Financial pain pointsCustomers always want the best value for their money. Whenever they spend more on products or services than they feel they should, it becomes a pain point for them.Financial pain points examplesAn expensive price of a subscription or productUnclear breakdown of the total cost of a productExtra purchases or subscriptions inside an app (in-app purchases)Financial pain points can be avoided if you compare the price of your brand with the market value of similar products by competitors.Besides, give detailed descriptions of the quality of the products you offer. This will convince them your brand is worth it.b) Customer experience pain pointsCustomer experience pain points refer to the frustrations or obstacles that customers encounter throughout their journey with a product or service.These pain points can arise at any stage, from initial awareness and research to purchasing, using, and seeking support for a product or service.Customer experience pain points examplesWhen a client uses more time than expected to navigate or use products or websiteWhen a customer cannot find information easilyUnfavorable company policies, such as strict procedures for returning goodsTo avoid this, companies should improve and streamline the customer experience.c) Support pain pointsWhen customers face issues with a brand, they reach out to the support team for assistance. They usually expect prompt, satisfactory responses- but that’s not always the case.Customer support pain points may arise whenever:Customers find it hard to contact the support teamCustomers receive delayed responses from the support teamSupport agents lack adequate knowledge about the productsCustomers have to repeat themselves to different support agentsd) Process pain pointsThese refer to the operational challenges customers encounter while using a product from a given company. These are mainly about issues with the bugs.Process pain points examples may include:Customers having a hard time using certain methods or getting errors.Processes that take too long to execute.Poor workflowsCustomers encounter an error when connecting to the right support team or agent.How to identify customer pain pointsThe following are the main ways to identify pain points:Conduct qualitative and quantitative research and surveyThe customer support team can carry out research and surveys on clients to learn what their customer service pain points are. With qualitative surveys, clients are asked open-ended questions. Agents obtain detailed answers that are relevant and well-described.Practice social listening to get customers’ feedback and identify pain pointsOne sure way to know what your clients think of your products is by regularly checking online reviews and comments.Many customers leave feedback on public social media sites instead of contacting your company. They give their reviews with brutal honesty and zero reservations.This can be a great opportunity for the support team to identify their customer pain points in detail for further action.Gather insight from your sales and customer service teamsThe sales and support teams are the contact points between the customers and the company. They interact with clients most.For this reason, they are the most ideal people to ask for insight into common pain points.Carry out market research and analyze your competitorsUnderstanding broader market trends is crucial for businesses aiming to stay competitive and responsive to consumer needs.Market trends may include:Shifts in consumer preferencesTechnological advancementsRegulatory changesBroader economic factorsBy paying close attention to these trends, you can anticipate customers’ expectations and adjust strategies accordingly.In addition, analyzing competitor reviews can highlight what is working well for them and where they fail to meet customer expectations.These analyses can help identify small features missing in your product or aspects missing from your service.You can find common issues that customers face across the industry, which may not be evident from looking at just your own customer feedback.Conduct usability and beta testingUsability testing is an essential step in the design process that focuses on how real users interact with and experience a product, website, or mobile application.Conducting usability testing can help uncover areas where users encounter confusion, frustration, or barriers to their goals.Beta testing, on the other hand, involves releasing a product or feature to a select group of users before it is made publicly available.Beta testing can help reveal bugs, performance issues, and other problems that may not have been evident during earlier stages of developing a product.Understanding the user’s perspective can guide you in refining your offerings, simplifying purchasing processes, and eliminating obstacles that could otherwise hinder the user experience.How do you overcome customer pain points?Every business should strive to overcome these customer pain points in order to improve their customer experience. This will, in turn, ensure the continued growth of the business.The following are a few tips on what to do to avoid and overcome customer pain points:1. Personalize solutions based on each customer’s needsIt is important to ask your customers with issues about their individual needs. This will let you know the specific solutions to offer for each customer if they contact support.By asking them for feedback, you can gather useful information about what your clients prefer. In addition, you can understand their experience and how else to improve it.2. Fix customer issues that are easy firstConsider resolving or responding to issues that are easy to address first. Some issues are not complicated and do not take long to fully resolve.Such issues need to be addressed first to reduce the backlog. This leaves enough time to sort out complex issues that need more attention and time to resolve.Quick resolutions make a client with an easy issue feel valued and that their problem matters to the company. This boosts their satisfaction and confidence in the company.3. Follow up with customers during the entire processCustomers value updates from the support team on how far the issue is in the resolution process. It is, therefore, important to consistently inform them of your progress.In addition, once you resolve an issue, utilize customer follow-up strategies to confirm that the issue was addressed to their expectations.This will help you understand the customer’s experience. It will also make clients feel you care about their satisfaction and want to keep them happy.4. Provide clear, detailed, and transparent informationWhen making changes to a product, ensure you inform your customers of them. Being transparent with your clients on the changes helps them to stay current on how the products work in real-time.This prevents errors or issues that come with being uninformed and the subsequent ire of customers.In addition, when the information about products is clear, and the instructions on their uses are well-defined, it makes it easier for clients to use those products.Clarity and transparency are sure ways to satisfy your customers and ensure you retain them.5. Talk to customers using terms and language they understandEngage with customers using simple language to guarantee comprehension, irrespective of their literacy level.This helps to:Reduce the customer pain points that arise from unclear communication.Create and build a good rapport between the clients and the company.Build customers’ trust in the company and its brands.6. Offer 24/7 support options to customersReliable support is a powerful strategy to improve your customers’ experience. This is possible using self-service tools, such as a knowledge base, that stores documentation that clients can access at any time.If they can’t find the answers, make it clear exactly how to contact live support and the timelines within which they should expect a response.7. Automate internal processes and systemsYour support team should use automated internal process tools to overcome customer pain points that arise from slow and error-prone manual processes.For example, automated ticketing gets client issues routed to the right support agents for fast and accurate resolution. This helps to reduce the time and effort used to solve customer problems.In addition, automating the knowledge base makes it easy for clients to navigate and find what they need quickly.8. Provide good quality products or servicesSome customer pain points arise because the product or service quality does not meet clients’ expectations.Improving your products instead of sending workarounds to complaining customers will go a long way. These good quality products and services encourage customer retention and trust in your brand.9. Regularly train your support teamSome customer pain points, especially support pain points, arise because the support team lacks adequate training in interacting with clients.They might respond rudely, arrogantly, or even fail to respond altogether. They might also lack enough knowledge to help resolve customer issues.For this reason, it is key to train customer support agents on how to deal with clients. The company should also provide enough resources about company products to respond appropriately to client issues.Courteous, patient, and respectful support agents always make clients feel valued. This ensures clients have the best experience when they interact with agents.10. Make the navigation and purchasing process simpleCustomers should be able to go through the sign-up, sign-in, and checkout processes with ease. Some clients end up leaving when the checkout process is either too long, complicated, or confusing.Offer simple processes that are easy to navigate and quick to finish to prevent customer frustration.Dealing with customer pain points the right wayIdentifying and overcoming customer pain points improves their experience and satisfaction. It is important to look for solutions to either avoid or address these problems in order to retain clients.LIKE.TG software will empower you to give your customers the best experience and gain their loyalty. Get in touch to set up alive demoto realize how the help desk solution can be customized to address your customer’s pain points.Sign up for a15-day free trialtoday. If you have any queries, contact thesupportteam.Related articles10 Essential Ways to Improve Customer SatisfactionWhat Is Customer Happiness and Ways to Improve ItWhat Does Customer First Truly Mean? 9 Strategic Tips
Top 7 SLA Best Practices to Improve Customer Service
Building a good relationship between clients and the support team is a strategic imperative for the success of any business. According to research from Microsoft, 96% of consumers say customer service is important in their choice of loyalty to a brand.The initial stage in establishing a good rapport with clients involves drafting a contract that clearly outlines the requirements and standards that both parties are expected to comply with.In customer service, a service level agreement (SLA) is key to ensuring:The best customer experience.Improved productivityThe growth of the company.This blog walks you through the following topics:What an SLA is.The key components of a customer service SLA.Importance of service-based agreements.SLA best practices. What is a Service-Level Agreement (SLA)?A service level agreement is a documented agreement between a company and its clients. This agreement defines the services that the company will provide its customers as well as the service standards to expect from it.In customer service, it is referred to as an agreement between the support team and the clients about the response and resolution times to expect.It clearly defines the set target time within which a company is expected to respond to or resolve different customer issues.Types of customer service SLAsService-level agreements (SLA) vary depending on the nature of the services and the provider-client relationship. Each type of agreement requires specific terms and conditions to which both parties involved must agree.These terms often include details about services, priorities, responsibilities, guarantees, and warranties. Here are the main types:Customer-based SLA: This is an agreement with an individual customer or group covering all the services they use. It contains details regarding the type and quality of service that has been agreed upon.For example, a company may have a service-based agreement with its IT provider covering all its digital services.Service-based SLA: This type is an agreement that pledges a specific service standard to all customers using the services provided.For example, a telecommunication company may guarantee a specific internet bandwidth to all its customers.Multilevel SLA: This type is broken down into levels, each addressing different sets of customers for the same services in the same SLA. A multilevel agreement may include a component at the corporate level that is applicable to all users, along with a distinct agreement specifically designed for a particular customer group.For example, the telecom company might offer basic services and support to all its customers, but it could also present varying price tiers that determine different levels of service.The Key Components of a Customer Service SLAThe components of this type of agreement vary based on the needs and expectations of customers. However, there are some features that are common for any customer SLA.These include:Goals and expectations of both partiesThis service-based agreement clearly states the expected goals and targets of each party. It explains the level of service that the customers should expect from the support team of the company.Service performanceThis agreement defines the specific quality of services or level of performance expected by the client.Summary of the agreementsA summary of the agreement includes all the specific terms and conditions of the service offered. It defines the time span to resolve or respond to issues.Services offeredThis component includes details about the services or products that the company offers to clients.For instance, you can include all the primary services provided by the company as well as other services like analytics and reporting services that the company offers as bonuses.SLA breach conditions and measuresThis component clearly states the conditions under which the contract is breached and states the repercussions that will follow an SLA breach.If tickets are not updated within the set target time, support leads can follow up with the assigned agents to prioritize the issues.Importance of SLA in customer serviceSLAs play a crucial role in software for ticketing system. They set the expectations for a company’s performance and establish the remedies or penalties for their performance failures.A help desk service-based agreement clearly states and defines different aspects of a company’s customer service.These aspects, such as goals and the terms and conditions defined for both parties, can benefit the company and the clients in many ways:Improves communication between parties.Enhances the productivity of the support team.Creates and builds strong relationships with clients.Fosters loyalty and retention.Read more on how an SLA in customer service improves productivity in our blog.Best practices of using a service level agreementCompanies should implement specific key practices in their service-based agreements to improve client-company relations and enhance the experiences of their clients.The following are the best practices of using an SLA in customer service that you should consider:1. Create and maintain separate agreements for each brandCompanies should draft different agreements for each brand they own. Since they have different kinds of issues, different brands can require different resolutions or response times.This depends on issue’s complexity, type, and volume. For this reason, it is ideal to have separate customer service contracts for each brand.2. Track the performance of the right SLA metricsFirstly, select the right automated help desk software for your customer service needs.With it, you can choose useful metrics that best represent the quality of your support. You can also highlight areas of concern.Use metrics from past customer issues and aim to implement agreements that best fit the time requirements of both your customers and team. Consider the following metrics:First response time.Next Response.ResolutionSLA achieved and breached.With such metrics, using an SLA reports dashboard, support leads can have access to useful information that will help them to:Monitor how each support agentGain insights from informative reports.Adjust future service-based agreements to ensure they are always achievable.Read this article to get an overview of SLA dashboards.3. Set realistic targetsWhen you draft a help desk agreement, make sure all the standards of service and the expectations that you set up are realistic. Confirm whether you have included the right ticket requirements and the help desk tools needed in your content.The resolution and response times agents will have to perform the required tasks should be achievable.Customers prefer service providers that deliver as promised. So, companies should ensure fast and accurate delivery of high-quality services as defined by the agreements.Achieving clearly set expectations will satisfy clients.4. Involve your customer support team in creating the agreementsAgents are the first point of contact between the clients and the company. They are more aware of what the clients need and expect from the company.Support agents also know which goals can be achieved and which are unrealistic. They will be of great help to management as they draft the expectations for the end users and company.5. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of both partiesFor any SLA to be useful, the roles and responsibilities of support agents and teams should be clear and well-defined.This makes it easy to identify the right agents to perform specific tasks and know if they meet the expectations of the clients.In addition, clients should know their responsibilities to make the agreements they made work best.6. Review and set SLAs that align with customer goals on a regular basisAlways strive to review and update the help desk SLA documents based on the current needs or expectations of your clients.A recent study revealed that 70% of customers will do business with a company again if it resolves their complaints. This shows the importance of tailoring your service level agreement to accommodate diverse client needs.This should be done on a regular basis to keep up with any changes in the needs of clients. Remove or add new customer service agreements to help your end users achieve their goals.You should use service-based agreement metrics to determine the real goals of clients.7. Make simple and clear agreementsWhen drafting this agreement, make sure the language used is simple and explains all the terms and conditions in the agreement in a clear manner.Clients should be able to read through and understand the agreement easily. It should clear up any concerns and answer any questions they might have about the company and its services.It is advisable to avoid jargon since it complicates the customer service SLA and not all clients can understand it.ConclusionA good service-based agreement should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely (SMART). The needs of clients should be well addressed.A good service-based agreement ensures the service providers and their clients maintain a good relationship, the productivity of agents increases, and customer satisfaction improves.WithLIKE.TG, your customer-facing teams will enjoy state-of-the-art SLA metrics and integration. Try the LIKE.TG free trialpackage for your customer support. Contact us to schedule a 30-minute live demo to experience the best help desk SLA in customer service.Related articles6 Reasons You Need an SLA for Customer ServiceWhat is an SLA? How does an SLA improve productivity?
10 Help Desk Automation Ideas to Improve Productivity
To provide the best customer service, provide good help desk workflow and automation ideas. Your team will be more organized and get more done, while more of your customers will receive solutions to their issues fast.In this article, we will review some good help desk automation ideas. We will also discuss the qualities of good help desk workflow automation.We will cover the following topics:What is help desk automation?Advantages of service desk automation ideasHelp desk automation ideas that boost productivityFeatures of automated help desksChallenges in implementing help desk automation5 Best automated help desk solutions for your business What is help desk automation?Help desk automation refers to the use of digital tools to perform customer support operations that were manual before. It streamlines the help desk workflow by automating its functions and features.Its main purpose is to provide customers with the best experience and reduce the effort of the support team. As a result, the support team will be more productive.Advantages of service desk automation ideasHelp desk workflow automation has many benefits for the customer service team of any company. Automating your service desk ensures customers receive the best experience with the least effort put in by your support agents.In addition, help desk automation significantly reduces operational costs. A study by BMC revealed that the expense of manually managing a service desk ticket is $22. However, using automation, users can resolve 22% of total service desk tickets at practically no cost.Other benefits that service desk automation yields include:Fast response and resolution timesReduced human errorsReduced operation costsImproved customer satisfactionImproved client loyaltyFind morebenefits of automated help desk workflows in this blog.Help desk automation ideas that boost productivityHaving the right features in your service desk ensures that all client issues get responses and are resolved in a timely fashion. The following are 10 IT support automation ideas to use in your help desk.1. The ticket routing processAutomated ticket routing refers to the process in which automated service desk software will categorize and tag new incoming tickets and then assign them to agents using a round-robin method.For instance, all the new support emails automatically convert into tickets in the ticket creation process.Theticketing system examplesin ticket-processingmake use of automation ideas such as to:Organize and tag new tickets.Assign tickets in a round-robin method.Route tickets.Prioritize tickets.Based on the ticket priority or tags, agents can pick and focus on more urgent customer issues or tasks first. This improves their productivity.2. Closing expired and long-pending ticketsSometimes, agents can ask their clients to provide more information that can help them resolve their tickets faster. When the client fails to respond within a set target time and the ticket remains in a pending status for too long, the ticket can be set to auto-close.This auto-closure happens based on time-trigger rules. If the client responds after the ticket is closed, the ticket will automatically reopen.In addition, if an agent resolves an issue and the ticket remains in a solved status for more than a set time period, it will be auto-closed.This auto-closure reduces the task list clutter and saves agents time used in manually reviewing and closing the tasks.3. Sending CSAT surveys to ask for feedbackCollecting data for key customer experience metrics like customer satisfaction score and net promoter score will help your customer service team improve and grow its impact.A significant 77% of customers tend to view brands that actively seek and accept their feedback more positively. Thus, ideally, after an issue is resolved and the ticket is closed, an automated customer satisfaction survey should be sent to the client.This CSAT survey aims to collect the view of the client on the quality of either their interaction with the support team or the products or services they purchased.CSAT surveys can be set to send automatically as survey links via email after every response or after the ticket is resolved.This feedback from clients will help you:Determine how your agents perform.Gauge the overall customer experienceIdentify areas that you need to improve.Discover other benefits of tracking customer satisfaction with a help desk in our blog.4. Evaluating the team productivity levelsSupport leads need to monitor and evaluate how agents perform. The manual collection of the data sets can be tedious.With the right help desk platform, they can automate some processes to make the reports faster.Support leads can automate the collection of data and have reports created from it every month or week. For example, they can analyze metrics like:The number of tickets logged by agentsBillable and nonbillable timeFeedback scores5. Self-service optionsOffering self-help options is a good strategy for companies to retain and satisfy clients. To enhance user experience, consider automating your self-help tools.For instance, you can automate a knowledge base and use it as a self-service tool in your service desk. An interactive knowledge base serves as a central source of information for both agents and clients.It can use help desk automation tools such as auto-search and auto-suggest features. In an instant, they provide all search results and options relevant to the specific keywords the users typed.Some ideas to improve your knowledge base automation are:Optimize keywords to help instant search and auto-suggest functionsAdd tags to articles6. Automated alerts and notificationsAutomated alerts and notifications for agents and clients ensure prompt responses and resolution of issues.With IT help desk automation, agents receive alerts when clients respond to their requests for more information.These alerts and notifications enable agents to resolve or respond to clients quickly and in real-time.Support leads can also receive alerts on negative feedback from clients. They can then take the necessary steps to improve the areas of concern.For instance, they can train their agents to perform better or alert product teams to fix features that receive complaints.7. Escalate late ticketsIf an agent fails to respond to a ticket within the set response or resolution target time, the SLA will be breached.As a result, an automated escalation alert can be triggered and sent instantly after the due date passes.The support lead can choose to reassign the task to another agent or ask the originally assigned agent to prioritize the late issue.These escalation alerts ensure no tickets are left unsolved and no client is left to become irate at the wait time.8. Automate the customer follow-upsCustomers can get automated, regular updates on the progress of their tickets after a set period of time. These automated updates are sent based on specified time-trigger automation rules. Any changes made to the status of tickets can also trigger an update to be sent to the client to notify them of it, too.These regular updates boost the confidence of the clients in the company and its brand. They enhance customer satisfaction and increase the chances they will leave positive feedback.9. Enhance the help desk through integrationsCompanies can integrate their service desk with other favorite tools and third-party apps, after which, the IT service desk automation features should work seamlessly.When companies integrate external tools, it makes their work more efficient. For instance, apps like Jira, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, and Salesforce can be integrated.All these added tools help agents do key tasks in a central place. As a result, they help to make the workflow simpler and reduce data clutter.10. Automated service level agreement (SLA) remindersIn addition to support leads being notified when a ticket passes its SLA-mandated due date, agents can receive automated, SLA-based reminders before the ticket’s due date.These SLA reminders can be sent for the following SLA metric targets:First responseNext responseResolutionThese automated reminders aim to:Speed up the customer support processKeep clients in the loop and calmKeep agents on trackEnsure tickets with lower priority are not pushed to the back of a queue for too long.Features of automated help desksAn automated service desk workflow requires key qualities in order to be effective and ensure the clients are satisfied.Simple and easy-to-use interfaceThe help desk automation tools used in a ticketing system workflowneed to be user-friendly. For instance, new support emails from clients should automatically convert to tickets with no effort.Clients and support agents should also be able to track ticket statuses using automated alerts set up with just a couple of clicks.Agents should be able to resolve repetitive ticket issues with ease. With automated self-service tools like the knowledge base, relevant information becomes easy to access, copy, and paste.Reliable and secure service desk automation featuresAutomated help desk platform features should always have a high level of security. For instance, suspended and spam emails should not convert into tickets during ticket processing.The IT ticketing software should automatically block the emails suspected to be harmful. Agents will have to evaluate them first and decide whether to create a ticket or not.This security feature helps to protect the information of clients and the systems of a company.Customizable featuresYou should have the option to customize your help desk’s automation. One example of IT automation ideas is customizing ticket processing.Even though ticket distribution is through a round-robin ticket assignment process, you can set your system up to tag tickets from priority customers or with certain keywords.Tickets with certain tags will be assigned only to certain agents. This allows ticket assignment to the right agents for fast resolution.Challenges in implementing help desk automationService desk automation provides considerable benefits, but organizations must tackle certain obstacles to guarantee successful implementation.One essential aspect is striking the right balance between automated processes and human engagement. Although automation enhances productivity, personalized and empathetic customer support remains vital.In addition, it is crucial to engage experts in implementing help desk automation, considering that 88% of automation initiatives report technical complications.Harmoniously incorporating automation into current systems, safeguarding data security, and managing customer expectations are significant challenges that demand careful planning.5 Best automated help desk solutions for your businessLet’s delve into the top five help desk solutions renowned for their outstanding automation capabilities.1. LIKE.TGLIKE.TG is cloud-based help desk software with features that empower businesses of all sizes to automate recurrent manual tasks to improve their support team’s productivity and enhance their efficiency. Team leads can set up automatic SLA-related notifications and escalations, as well as the sending of feedback surveys when agents close support tickets. The ticketing system automatically prioritizes tickets, assigning them round-robin style unless specified keywords are triggered. The system routes those tickets to agents with specific authority and training.Features AI-powered help desk.Robust knowledge base software.Automated workflows and time triggers.Seamless integrations.Multilingual help desk.Intelligent ticket auto-assignment.Automated sitemap generation.Insightful analytics and reporting.Unlimited customization and brandingAutomated SLA reminders and escalation rules.Pricing LIKE.TG has two pricing styles—agent-based and unlimited agents. Enjoy a 20% discount when you opt for the yearly payment plan, allowing you to access more features for less. What’s better, you can get a 40% discount on the regular price when you take advantage of the Black Friday Sale that begins on November 1.Agent-based plans:Starter: $12 per agent/monthGrowth: $20 per agent/monthEnterprise: $40 per agent/monthUnlimited agents plans:Standard: $199/monthPro: $499/monthBusiness: $999/monthFree trial: 15-day free trial with instant access, no credit card required.2. Salesforce Service CloudSalesforce Service Cloud is a customer service tool that provides AI-powered workflows and automation throughout the customer journey. It allows users to gather all interactions into one place and get real-time updates from across multiple data sources.FeaturesOmni-channel routingCase managementReporting and analyticsEmail integrationAI-powered customer servicePricingStarter: $25 per user/monthProfessional: $75 per user/monthEnterprise: $150 per user/monthUnlimited: $300 per user/monthUnlimited plus: $500 per user/monthFree trial: 30 days3. ZendeskZendesk is a customer service platform that provides businesses with tools for ticketing, issue tracking, and customer service support. It features automation tools that can manage customer interactions, ticket routing, and responses based on certain triggers and conditions.FeaturesAI-powered automated answersTicket routingReporting and analyticsCustomizable ticket layoutsRobust APIsAI-powered knowledge managementMultilingual support and contentPricingFoundational support Team: $19 per agent/monthProfessional: $55 per agent/monthEnterprise: $115 per agent/monthZendesk SuiteTeam: $55 per agent/monthGrowth: $89 per agent/monthProfessional: $115 per agent/monthFree trial: 14 days4. FreshdeskFreshdesk is a cloud-based automated customer support platform that offers a range of features aimed at helping businesses manage their customer service processes more effectively.Freshdesk is known for its user-friendly customer portal, intelligent agent routing, multi-channel ticketing system, and contextual reports.FeaturesTicket routingRound-robin routingCollision detectionCustom reports and dashboardsKnowledge base approval workflowPricing Free: Up to 10 agentsGrowth: $15 per agent/monthPro: $49 per agent/monthEnterprise: $79 per agent/monthFree trial: 21 daysHappyFoxHappyFox is customer service software that offers multiple automation features that help businesses reduce support costs and enhance team productivity. It offers integration options and automated notifications and alerts, so everyone stays informed about the tickets created, customer responses, and other key actions.FeaturesAutomatic ticket escalationAutomatic ticket assignmentTemplatesSatisfaction surveysKnowledge base softwarePricing Mighty: $29 per agent/monthFantastic: $49 per agent/monthEnterprise: $69 per agent/monthEnterprise Plus: $89 per agent/monthFree trial: 14 days.5. HelpDeskHelpDesk is a ticketing system that allows users to develop personalized automated workflows depending on specific conditions and actions. The platform also automatically distributes tickets to agents based on their department, specialized skills, or area of interest.FeaturesAutomated workflows.Ability to perform bulk actions on tickets.Reporting and analytics.Automatic ticket prioritization.Canned responses.Customizable email templates.Pricing Team: $29 per agent/monthEnterprise: Contact sales teamFree trial: 14 daysUnlock productivity gains with help desk automationUsing these IT help desk automation ideas in a service desk can improve your customer service. Clients will have a good experience, and agents will be more productive. It is key to use help desk automation with the right qualities for the best customer service.Check outLIKE.TG, which uses workflow automation that enhances the customer experience. Get in touch with us to set up a30-minute live demoto see how it can revolutionize your customer service. Or, sign up for a 15-day free trial today.Related articlesAutomated Customer Service: The Complete Details7 Best Help Desk Workflow Automation Ideas5 Important Reasons Why Automated Ticketing System is Good for Customer Service
Release Announcement—December 2022 New Features
We are glad to announce the introduction of new features update and enhancements in BoldDesk. Keep reading to learn more about everything the upgraded version of LIKE.TG has to offer! Drive integrationThe integration of file drives is provided for Google Driveand Dropbox. Users can search for and attach large files from drives. Agents can use this option only when the marketplace module is enabled for integration.Agent or group performance dashboardThe performance dashboard assists you in analyzing the performance of a support agent or a group. This dashboard is one of the new features of LIKE.TG which helps you to gauge the performance of your team.Bulk ticket updateThis feature allows you to select up to 50 tickets and update their ticket fields. It helps to add mass replies or notes.Previous versions restore option of KB articlesIn the knowledge base module, you can restore the previous versions of knowledge base articles.View original email message for messages updated via emailWhen a ticket is updated via email, only the most recent update from the email is parsed and displayed in the ticket. This new option lets you view the entire original email content.Indication of email delivery failureA failed delivery icon will indicate when an email was not delivered to one or more of the recipients in a specific message.Let’s discover more about LIKE.TG’s newest features!Convert a ticket message into a knowledge base articleThis option helps you quickly convert any ticket message to a knowledge base article.Ticket export with time-log fieldsIn ticket export, you can find two new fields: total hours logged and total billable hours logged.Filter ticket viewsNow, you can filter the list of ticket views in the ticketing system.Default message filter preferenceYou can customize the default message filter preference. There are options for configuring this at the organization or personal settings levels. You can notice the reflection of configured settings in the message section of the ticket details page.Worklog report export option in Excel formatIn the worklog report, you can export data to Excel format. You can export a total of 1,000 records.User search dropdownThe option to search specifically for agent and customer helps to improve search productivity in the user dropdown. When you include the prefix @, you search on the agent list, whereas when you include the prefix #, you search only for customers. When you don’t use prefix, the search will look for both agents and customers.Automatically adding a tag to a ticket created with embeddable widget or formsIn the contact us and help widget, you have an option for automatically tagging tickets created with the embeddable widget or forms. You have to add a tag to the widget settings. When a ticket is created using the widget, a specific tag is added to it. Using this option, you can configure automations and auto assignments.ConclusionWe’re constantly striving to bring you the best possible experience with LIKE.TG. Keep an eye out for more great new features and updates in the future! In the meantime, you can try the free trial to experience how LIKE.TG can help you deliver excellent customer support. If you have any suggestions for how we can improve, or if you need help using any of the features, please contact us.
10 Ideal Ways to Help You Deal with Unhappy Customers
For an incline in your business, you have to deal with unhappy customers. Despite how fantastic your goods or services are, some clients will inevitably experience issues. That is an inescapable fact of doing business. However, you can still work with unhappy customers by handling them properly.Certainly, angry clients’ expectations and reactions will vary depending on how they interact with your support staff.If they have a bad experience, they might never use your company again. However, if they have a good experience, they might become a lifelong client.In this post, we’ll examine how your customer support staff can foster joyful interactions that stop unhappy customers from leaving. What makes customers unhappy?88% of clients believe that the customer experience provided by a company is as significant as its product or service. Therefore, in order for you to provide the best customer experience that keeps your consumers happy, you must first be aware of potential sources of annoyance and irritation.Below are some typical causes of irritation for clients:Negative or poor experiencesUntimely responses or being put on holdPoor-quality products or defectsIssues with bugs and technologyUnexceptional client serviceInaccessibility of a servicePoor communicationLimited payment optionsSlow deliveryCustomers’ opinions and recommendations are being ignoredAny of the above issues can frustrate and upset customers. They can even be a major cause for customers to leave your business.Therefore, you need to eradicate these issues to maintain your customers and win new ones.How to deal with unhappy customersAccording to a recent study by Zippia, 91% of customers won’t willingly do business again with a company that left them unhappy. When handled correctly, unhappy customers can turn out to be the most loyal. How can you make this transformation happen?Let’s take a look at the best steps to take when dealing with unhappy customers.1. Recognize the cause of customers’ unhappinessThe first thing to do when you realize a customer is upset is to identify the source of their problem. This will help you understand what you are about to deal with, thus allowing you to prepare.2. Communicate clearlyThe best course of action to deal with customer dissatisfaction is to communicate and obtain further information.Unsatisfied consumers who receive a prompt response are more likely to continue working with you. Therefore, you need to communicate clearly to unhappy customers that you will review their complaints fairly and without bias.Additionally, describe the procedure you are going to use to address their problem, tell them the follow-up time period, and provide a resolution to correct their situation.3. Listen to your customersPrioritizing listening is the best course of action when dealing with unhappy customers. Never forget that every customer is a benefit to your business.Therefore, when a customer is dissatisfied, you need to show them that you care by listening closely before you start resolving their issue.Let them share their problem while you take notes about the issue and mark further questions you can ask to fully understand what the problem is.Showing the customer that you care will reassure them while they may be having second thoughts about continuing to use your product or service.4. Consider yourself in their positionCustomer dissatisfaction is a result of a variety of reasons, but for businesses, understanding objections is essential to creating the ideal experience for the right clients.Before talking to unhappy customers, put yourself in their position. How upset would you be if you were facing the same problem? How would you want a support team to address the issue?With empathy in mind, use the customer feedback to suggest a solution that is both appropriate and assuages the customer’s worry.Similarly, give the customer the agency to drive the support process while resolving their issue (use their suggestions).5. Thank them for their feedbackRegardless of how negative the customers’ feedback is, the best way of dealing with unhappy customers is to listen to their concerns and thank them for their comments.Additionally, provide them with a level of customer service that not only meets but also surpasses their expectations.An initially dissatisfied consumer can become a devoted and satisfied one when you go beyond their expectations.6. Collaborate with your team and ask for helpDon’t be reluctant to ask for help in difficult circumstances, including when a customer is using abusive language or engaging in other improper conduct.If you’re unsure whether you need to end a customer relationship, ask a manager to step in and perform a qualitative assessment.They can examine the problem and find the best course of action for both you and the consumer.7. Be kind and respectfulNevertheless, dealing with unhappy customers is a part of working in customer service.Certainly, if you can’t handle that, you need to find a different line of work. Even when someone behaves horribly and rudely, you must always be respectful and kind.Remember that you are representing your firm. You are a brand ambassador, and what you do reflects on the business.8. Record every service and purchase procedureCustomers are often upset because of miscommunication. The best way to deal with this is to record all of a customer’s service and purchase processes from start to end.This will help you identify the problem’s root cause, if any, and begin to take corrective action in a methodical manner.Additionally, it provides clear information to both your customer service team and your clients on what went wrong thus avoiding future misunderstandings.9. Find and correct the main issue causing the unhappinessTo win back unhappy customers, find and capitalize on the largest issue that is making them unhappy about the current circumstance.Is it a major problem in the product or service, or is it a problem in the customer’s personal experience?Additionally, you must find what is profoundly important to the customer, and keep in mind that it may be something that your company is not capable of.Regardless, this helps unhappy customers escape their despair by helping them toward the resolution of the issue.10. Express regret for their troubleThe best way to deal with customer dissatisfaction is by apologizing for the trouble. Expressing your regrets will build a positive relationship. Additionally, it shows customers that you are willing to address inconveniences and wrongs.It changes the client’s mindset, thus improving their level of satisfaction.How can you prevent customers from becoming unhappy?Poor customer service can have significant financial repercussions for companies. Research indicates that it might require as many as 12 positive customer service interactions to make up for a single negative experience.Preventing customer unhappiness is, therefore, critical for running any business.Here are steps to take to prevent your customers from getting irritated.Offer the best quality productAll customers prefer a quality product over a high quantity of products. Therefore, you need to be proactive while designing your product and deciding what features to include in it.When you offer a quality product, your customers will use it for a long time. They will be loyal to your product and will be likely to recommend it to their friends, colleagues, and others.Provide lenient customer serviceRegardless of how simple your product is to use, not all customers have the same level of understanding. Therefore, you need to supply customer service that is generous to all customers.As a result, customers who reach out to you for support will be satisfied, thus increasing your company’s level of customer satisfaction.Additionally, a higher customer satisfaction score gives you the opportunity to promote your customer support, which will help you expand your business.Gather feedbackThe first step to making your customers happier is to understand what they enjoy and dislike about your product or service.Therefore, you need to gather information on:What your customers struggle with in your product.What features do they find enticing?Which areas do they want to see improvements in?By gathering information directly from unhappy customers, you can improve your product to increase their happiness.Reward your most devoted clientsCustomers who return to you repeatedly are your most devoted supporters. They are the ones that adore your brand and tell others about your product.You could reward them by providing them with something extra, like a bonus month of support, or even discounts.After all, this will benefit you since the customer will continue being happy with your business.Master the art of dealing with unhappy customersOne of the key elements that will determine whether your business is successful is whether your support team can handle upset customers. Even if your customers are satisfied with the value they get from your products and services, their relationship with your company can sour if you are not able to deal with them when things are going wrong.Ease their concerns with empathy and patience, and put their satisfaction first. Doing so will help lift your company to new heights!To advance your customer service capabilities, try using LIKE.TG.Contact usto schedule alive demo to experience firsthand how LIKE.TG’s capabilities can complement your efforts in dealing with unhappy customers. Or, start a free trialto get instant access today.
7 Best Ways to Build and Organize a Customer Support Team
Customers anticipate prompt replies when reaching out to customer support. A recent study reported that 71% of consumers agreed that customer experience can be drastically improved by quick customer support and customer service responses.Therefore, it is important that your customer support team is well-structured to ensure that issues are resolved swiftly to boost customer satisfaction.Here are some tips on how to build and organize a support team that will help your business thrive. What is a customer support team?A customer support team is a collection of representatives who provide assistance and help resolve issues for customers.Customer support agents are responsible for the following:Answering questionsTroubleshooting problemsProviding technical supportThey often execute clerical activities, make suggestions to enhance customer service, and uphold a professional attitude.Steps to build and organize a customer support teamTo build and organize a customer support team, you must be deliberate in everything you do. The following are the best steps to take for an efficient customer service team.1. Define the role of your customer support teamThe first step in creating your customer support team is to define what each member’s role will be. Will they be responsible for answering customer questions, resolving issues, or both?Will they be responsible for handling complaints, or will they direct customers to a more appropriate department?Clearly defining the roles of your customer support team members will help you craft accurate job postings and ensure that you know what skills and qualifications to look for in candidates.2. Hire the right peopleOnce you have defined the roles of your customer support team, you can begin to hire the right people. Look for individuals:Having strong communication skillsWith problem-solving abilitiesWith a positive attitudeWho can work well under pressure in a fast-paced environmentWith different backgrounds and experiences3. Organize your teamOnce you have hired the right people, it’s time to organize your team. One effective way to do this is to create small teams responsible for specific areas. For example, one team could answer customer questions while another would resolve issues.This will help ensure that customers are directed to the people with the most knowledge on their query and that problems are resolved quickly and efficiently.4. Leverage the right tools and technologyChoosing the right tools and technology can help communication, workflow management, knowledge sharing, and performance tracking. Start by investing in robust customer service software to enable efficient management of customer inquiries from multiple channels and allow you to track the performance of your agents.Employing an appropriate contact management system can also help maintain a unified view of all customer interactions, leading to improved service quality. Implement collaborative tools that promote effective communication and cross-functional knowledge sharing.5. Provide ongoing training and supportYour support team will need thorough initial training as well as ongoing training and support to be effective. The latter can include training on new products and services, as well as training on how to handle different types of customer complaints and issues.Additionally, provide your team with the necessary tools and resources they need to do their job effectively. This can include customer service software, access to customer data, and contacts for other departments within the company.6. Offer self-service optionsBy empowering customers with the tools and resources to solve their own problems, such as a knowledge base, FAQs, and an interactive chatbot, a company can reduce the volume of incoming support requests.This allows the support team to concentrate on more complex issues that require human intervention, thus reducing their workload and improving the quality of their solutions.This strategy can lead to a more scalable support structure, as resources allocated to self-service can handle a larger volume of inquiries without a proportional increase in support staff.Additionally, team leads can leverage insights from self-service interactions to identify common issues and trends, leading to continuous improvement and a more proactive customer support system.7. Regularly evaluate and improve your customer support teamOnce your customer support team is up and running, it’s important to evaluate and improve it regularly. This can include conducting regular performance evaluations and setting goals for the team.After everyone is accustomed to the technology and flow of the team, look for ways to improve the team’s processes and procedures, as well as ways to improve the overall customer experience.By regularly evaluating and improving your customer support team, you can ensure that your customers are always satisfied and that problems are resolved quickly and efficiently.Key qualities of a great customer support teamHiring the right people is the first step to building a stellar customer service team. You should look for the following customer service skills.Strong communication skillsGood communication forms the foundation for clear, effective interactions in which agents understand and fulfill customer needs. These skills involve not only the ability to convey information clearly but also the ability to actively listen, empathize, and respond appropriately to both verbal and nonverbal cues.Through strong communication, service representatives can build rapport, trust, and positive customer relations, which help in accurately diagnosing issues and ensuring customers feel valued and understood.Moreover, the skills enable a service agent to manage customer expectations and handle complaints or feedback in a professional manner, which can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.Customer empathyCustomer empathy is the skill of understanding the feelings of others. By actively practicing empathy, customer service professionals can better comprehend customers’ emotions and perspectives and address their concerns effectively and with genuine care.Empathy in customer service not only leads to a more personalized and satisfying customer experience but also builds trust, as customers feel heard and valued.Problem-solvingProblem-solving directly impacts the capacity to resolve the more complex issues that customers face efficiently and effectively. When a customer submits a unique ticket, the ability to assess the situation, understand the underlying issues, and devise a practical solution provides immediate relief and restores customer trust.Time managementSupport agents often receive a high volume of inquiries. Efficient time management skills enable them to prioritize tasks and accurately estimate the time required to complete them, reducing customer wait times and ensuring urgent problems are resolved promptly.A customer support agent with excellent time management skills is better equipped to navigate among support channels, providing consistent responses across platforms. This ability is essential for meeting service level agreements and maintaining high customer service standards.By valuing time management in the hiring process, companies are more likely to build a team of support agents to manage their workload effectively and contribute to a positive customer experience.TeamworkCustomer support agents often work as part of a larger team to provide comprehensive assistance to clients. The ability to effectively communicate, share information, and coordinate with peers ensures that customers receive accurate, consistent, and timely help.Team players can leverage the collective knowledge and skills of the team to solve complex issues, leading to more efficient problem resolution and higher customer satisfaction. Moreover, support agents who are good team players contribute positively to the work environment and foster a culture of cross-functional team collaboration that improves productivity and team morale.Adaptability and continuous learningConsumer trends, product details, and company policies are constantly evolving, meaning agents must be able to adjust their approach swiftly and effectively. An adaptable agent can handle unexpected situations, such as difficult customer interactions or technical issues, with composure and flexibility. This quality ensures they can provide high-quality service even under pressure or when faced with unfamiliar circumstances.With continuously changing products, services, and customer service tools, agents must also be committed to learning and self-improvement. They should be eager to adopt best practices and maintain expertise in their roles.The importance of organizing your teamA well-built and organized support team is essential for providing excellent customer service, giving you the following:Improved efficiency: An organized team can handle customer inquiries quicker and more effectively.Better customer experience: An organized team can provide more consistent and accurate support, leading to a better customer experience overall.Reduced errors: An organized team is less likely to make mistakes or overlook important details, reducing the risk of errors and misunderstandings.Increased productivity: An organized team can prioritize and manage tasks more effectively, leading to increased productivity.Better team collaboration: An organized customer service team can share information and collaborate on projects more efficiently, since they know who to contact for different situations.How to select the appropriate tools for your customer support teamsSelecting the right tools for support teams can be challenging, but it is essential for delivering quality customer service.Let’s discuss what to consider when selecting the best software for your support team.1. Identify your team’s needsDetermine your support team’s specific needs, such as ticket management, chat support, or knowledge base management.2. Assess the marketResearch various support tools available and compare their features, pricing, and customer reviews.3. Evaluate the integrationsConsider the compatibility of the software with other systems and software you are currently using.4. Test the toolTry out a demo version or free trial of the software to assess its usability and functionality.5. Consider scalabilityChoose software that can accommodate the potential growth of your team and business.6. Seek feedback from your teamGet feedback from your support team members on their experiences and preferences.7. Make a decisionBased on your research and feedback, select the software that best meets your team’s needs and fits your budget. By following these steps, you can select the support tools that will help your team provide effective customer service.Most companies are currently reviewing their support team management strategy in order to adapt to the new hybrid work environment.Help desk software is, therefore, one of the fastest growing markets as companies come to realize their value in these environments.Syncfusion’s LIKE.TG is a help desk software with seamless integration that improves the effectiveness of customer care. LIKE.TG software will empower you to:Automate repetitive operations.Facilitate cross-department collaboration.Collect actionable data about your service quality.Evaluate team performance with unmatched precision.Read our blog for more tips to help you choose the right help desk software.ConclusionIn conclusion, carefully creating your support team is an essential step for business improvement. By following the tips we’ve shared, you will create a well-structured and skilled team to provide excellent customer service.LIKE.TGcan help you organize and run a great support team. Contact us to set up a30-minute live demoto get a clearer idea of how LIKE.TG features and may be tailored to your company’s needs.Sign up for a 15-dayfree trialtoday.Related articles10 Most Popular Essential Customer Service Skills7 Best Help Desk Software Features for Boosting Your Customer Support
10 Common Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid
Providing the best customer service has become a key target for most businesses. When clients have a great experience with the customer service of any company, they tend to stay loyal to its brand.The standards of customer service that your business offers determine your customers’ satisfaction.Any slight customer service mistakes can make clients switch to your competitors’ brands. Clients always opt to do business with companies that value and service them best.For this reason, it is vital to know the mistakes in customer service you’re making and strive to fix them.This article discusses the most common customer service mistakes for any business and the solutions to curb or do away with them. Reasons for correcting customer service mistakesClients are inclined more toward companies that provide the best customer service experiences.When the level of customer service decreases, they often opt for competitors that offer better experiences. This leads to a decrease in the growth rate since profits will decrease.The following reasons are the driving force for always correcting customer service mistakes.a. Increase customer satisfaction levelWhen clients have a smooth experience with your customer service team, with fewer or no mistakes, they become more satisfied with the services you offer.b. Increase customer retention rateCustomers love quality customer service. The better the quality of the service, the higher the chances of these clients sticking to the brands of the same company. Customers will always choose the company that offers value.c. Increase in overall performance of a companyAn increase in customer satisfaction leads to client loyalty to a company. This translates to an assured increase in the way the business performs as profits increase.d. Improve business reputation on online platformsClients are the best free marketers of any business since they have actual experience with the company.When their customer service experience is good, they will recommend it to others.Equally, if the level of customer service is poor, they will discourage others from doing business with the company.Common customer service mistakesCompanies strive to provide exemplary customer service to their clients. However, mistakes are bound to happen that will make clients not have the best experience.These customer service mistakes include:1. Not actively listening to customersA Microsoft study reveals that brands that actively solicit and appreciate customer feedback are viewed more positively by 77% of consumers.Having great active listening skills is key in customer service. Support agents should listen to and consider their clients:OpinionsComplaintsSuggestionsFeedbackThis will help them to get insight into what these clients prefer or need.For this reason, the support team should listen and take the right and necessary actions.In addition, support agents should also listen keenly in order to provide the right answers or responses to clients’ questions or concerns.This will ensure continued customer satisfaction.2. Not training your customer support team often leading to customer service mistakesOne common customer experience mistake is a lack of proper, adequate, and regular training for agents.When the support team has limited resources to which they can refer, it renders them somewhat incompetent.They often fail to get the right solutions for client issues and might respond with wrong information.Agents need regular training on how to interact and handle customers and their issues in a proper way.Companies need to teach and empower their agents with the right knowledge on all processes. This will ensure they serve the clients while being informed. This will leave clients more satisfied with the customer experience.In addition, agents can be taught how to interact with clients in a courteous, friendly, and professional manner, which will increase their confidence in the business.3. Failing to deliver what you promisedIt is said, “A promise made is a promise kept.” The customer service mistake made by most businesses is that they fail to deliver as per their promises.When you make a commitment with a client to deliver within a given period, make sure to follow through. If your product description cites that it performs certain functions, ensure that is exactly what it does.If you say that you offer a given service, ensure the quality is as good as you have mentioned, if not better.Failure to deliver what you promised reduces the level of trust that a client has in a business. It also disappoints and leaves the client less satisfied with the customer service.4. Passing clients around from one agent to another many timesTossing clients from one support agent to the next can be very upsetting and frustrating to them. Unfortunately, this is a common practice among most businesses.Clients often get reassigned to different agents in an effort to resolve their issue. This can go on till the agent with the abilities to provide the right solution is identified.Clients get frustrated since the issue takes more time to resolve or get a response. Thus, customer satisfaction is reduced.In addition, passing clients around makes them assume that the agents are not skilled enough. This might make them opt for competitors.For this reason, it is vital to have a workflow that is well defined to avoid this customer service mistake.One solution can be to have anautomated workflow, which helps to define the roles and duties of each support agent and the right agents for each issue.5. Lack of proactive customer support solutionsGood customer service entails being preemptive in how you offer solutions to problems. Agents should reach out to clients first and take all the necessary measures to avoid future mishaps before they happen.However, one customer service mistake is that some support agents are usually unable to predict and resolve customer issues on time.Agents need to know what the clients need even before they reach out or inquire about anything. This helps to keep clients in the loop on the current events of a business. As a result, it increases customer satisfaction.6. Unavailable for customers at the time they need assistanceOne of the customer service mistakes made by the agents is not being present at all times to provide clients with the support they need.Customers prefer fast responses and resolutions. Most companies have clients located in different time zones.For companies that have a defined work schedule this becomes anissuefor their clients in other time zones.This is because their chances of reaching the support team before they leave will be low and limited.As a result, their issues go unresolved longer than expected and urgent issues become pain points.They might then shift to competitors that have a customer service team that is always present.This calls for a 24/7 support in order to assist all clients wherever they are, at any time.This will result in increased customer satisfaction and experience due to availability and fast response time.7. Not offering personalized customer service experiencesEvery customer service experience should be unique and customized to address each specific customer issue. Clients prefer businesses that offer personalized customer service.One customer experience mistake is to not consider what each client needs and prefers. Failure to offer apersonalexperience reduces customer satisfaction levels. In addition, clients do not feel valued.Each interaction between a client and a support agent should have an added personal touch to it.8. Delays in providing support to customersAccording to 96% of customers, rapid customer service is essential in their decision to stay loyal to a brand.When clients contact a support team for whatever reason, they always expect a quick response. This is not always the case.At times, the support team makes the customer service mistake of not answering the clientsfastenough.These delays can either be:Putting the clients on hold for too longIgnoring the clients completelyWhen the support agents fail to or delay to provide updates on the progress of an issue’s resolution, that counts as a mistake too.This is a wrong gesture, as it portrays that you don’t care about the clients and their pain points. This greatly reduces yourclients’satisfaction. As a result, they end up shifting to competitors who care more about them.9. Choosing and using the wrong communication channelsCustomers reach out to the support team using different channels based onwhat they prefer.With the evolving digital communication channels, most companies need to adapt and use different ones to interact with theirclients.If the options for contacting support agents for assistance are limited, clients are bound to be frustrated.Companies can choose several communication channels that most of their clients use in order to make their services easily accessible.These can include options such as:EmailsSocial media platformsThese will improve the customer experience because customers can have easy access to the company’s support team.10. Not storing and reviewing customer data historyWhen dealing with many customers, it is important to store and review the data history from any interaction.However, this has been a major issue since most companies fail to keep records of previous interactions with customers.As a result, clients are forced to repeat all the information that had previously been mentioned. This proves to be very hectic for clients and time consuming. This reduces their level of satisfaction.What can cause customer service mistakes?Customer service mistakes can stem from various factors, ranging from human error to systemic issues within an organization. Some common causes of customer service mistakes include:Lack of training: Inadequate training can lead to insufficient knowledge about products, services, or company policies. Without proper training, agents may struggle to address customer inquiries effectively, resulting in misinformation or misunderstandings.Understaffing or inadequate resources: Insufficient staffing or resources can lead to overworked employees and longer wait times. Overloaded agents may struggle to provide adequate attention and support to each customer, leading to dissatisfaction.Inconsistent processes: Lack of standardized processes or inconsistent procedures for handling customer inquiries can result in errors and inconsistencies in service delivery. Without clear guidelines in place, agents may struggle to address customer issues efficiently.System or technology failures: Technical issues with customer service systems, such as CRMs or databases, can lead to delays or inaccurate information being provided to clients.Poor communication skills: Communication breakdowns, misunderstandings, or language barriers between customers and support agents can lead to errors in conveying information or resolving issues. Ineffective communication skills, such as unclear explanations or failure to actively listen to customers, can worsen the problem.How do I avoid mistakes in customer service?Avoiding customer service mistakes is key for maintaining a positive relationship with clients and ensuring their satisfaction. Here are several strategies to help you prevent common customer service errors:Provide comprehensive training: Offer in-depth training to customer service representatives on product knowledge, company policies, communication skills, problem-solving techniques, and the use of customer service tools and systems.Employ standardized processes: Implement standardized processes and workflows for handling customer inquiries, escalations, and issue resolution. Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths to ensure efficiency.Use robust systems and tools: Invest in modern, user-friendly customer service systems, tools, and software that enable agents to manage customer interactions, track inquiries, and collaborate with team members.Provide adequate resources: Allocate sufficient staffing, technology, and other resources to support customer service operations. Ensure that agents have the necessary resources and support to handle peak volumes and complex inquiries effectively.Avoid customer service mistakes to create flawless customer service experiencesProvide the best customer experience and increase your customers’ loyalty, trust, and level of satisfaction by avoiding common customer service mistakes.Identify the mistakes your support team makes and look for possible solutions to counter them for the best customer service.WithLIKE.TG, offer your customers the best customer service. Try theLIKE.TG free trialpackage and counter all possible customer service mistakes.If you have any questions, contact theLIKE.TG supportteam. Please contact us to arrange a live demo and see how LIKE.TG can be tailored to meet your business needs.
How to Utilize Customer Feedback to Grow Your Business
Feedback allows you to measure the success of your business over time.By tracking customer satisfaction and identifying areas for improvement, you can see how your business is progressing and make necessary changes.You should pick a tool for gathering customer opinions through online surveys. With our platform, you can hear your customers’ voices and modify your business accordingly.In this blog post, you will learn ways of collecting customer feedback, the advantages of doing so, and the best practices for doing so.In this blog we will discuss what customer feedback is, the various types of client feedback, their importance and how to collect them. What is customer feedback?Customer feedback is information consumers provide about their experience with a product or service. It includes their opinions, suggestions, and complaints.Some of the common examples of how to collect customer feedback include:Customer feedback surveysSocial mediaEmails and customer contact formsCustomer interviewsOnline reviewsCommunity forumIn-app ratings and moreIt is a valuable tool that helps businesses understand their customers’ needs and preferences and expectations.Types of customer feedbackThe first step is to determine why you are seeking customer feedback. Are you looking to improve your product or service? Do you want to know how your business is perceived in the market?Clarifying your motivation will help you focus the feedback collection process and ensure you are asking the right questions.Consider employing these great ways to gather customer feedback.Customer feedback surveysCustomer feedback surveys are an effective way to collect feedback from clients and can be conducted online, by telephone, or in person.Surveys can be designed to elicit responses to specific areas of the customer experience, such as customer service, product quality, or pricing, and can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses in them.Social mediaSocial media can also be a treasure of a tool for collecting customer feedback.You can create polls or post open-ended questions and encourage your clients to engage with your content.Emails and customer contact formsCollecting customer feedback through emails and customer contact forms after interactions with your company allows you to gain valuable insights into what customers think and any issues they encountered.Customer interviewsOne of the most effective ways to understand the needs, preferences, and experiences of your users is through interviews.This method allows for an in-depth understanding of the user’s perspective, providing valuable insights that can be used to improve your product or service.By preparing well, conducting the interview effectively, and analyzing the responses carefully, you can make the most of this valuable feedback method.Remember, the goal of interviews is to understand the user’s perspective. Be respectful and empathetic, and always prioritize their comfort and privacy.Online reviewsOnline reviews are a valuable tool for businesses to gather feedback about their products or services.These reviews provide direct insight into what customers think, helping businesses understand their strengths and weaknesses.By encouraging reviews, monitoring and analyzing them, responding to them, and implementing changes based on the feedback, businesses can enhance customer satisfaction and ultimately, their success.Online reviews can also significantly influence a potential customer’s decision to choose your brand over a competitor.A majority of respondents in a Bizrate Insights survey said they often consult reviews prior to making a purchase, with 25% always doing so and 40.8%often doing so.Encouraging pleased customers to write reviews can boost your revenue.Community forumCommunity forums are a great way to gather feedback because they allow for open and honest communication.They provide a platform where users can freely express their thoughts and opinions, share their experiences, ask questions, and offer suggestions.The goal of gathering feedback through community forums is to improve your products or services and the customer experience.It’s important to take the feedback you gather seriously and act on it.In-app ratingsIn-app ratings is a feature that allows users to rate an application while they are using it.This feature is typically implemented as a pop-up that prompts the user to rate the application on a scale, usually from one to five stars.It allows users to express their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the application, and they give developers quick insight into whether the overall app is working well.By implementing in-app ratings effectively and responding to the feedback, you can create a better user experience and a more successful application.Why is customer feedback important?Customer feedback is essential to the success of businesses for the following reasons.1. Helps measure customer satisfactionSatisfied customers are likelier to continue doing business with a company and recommend it to others.After a customer interaction with your company, by making a purchase or requesting help from your customer support team, you should ask them how satisfied they were with that interaction (and purchase, if applicable).Negative responses can prompt requests for details, giving your company a chance to correct what went wrong, and thus their satisfaction with your company.Keeping a finger on trends in your customers’ satisfaction levels will alert you to issues quickly.2. Provides insight to identify areas that need improvementsCustomer feedback can help you identify areas of your business that could use improvement.Whether it is a product that isn’t meeting customer expectations, a website that is difficult to navigate, or a customer service response inadequate to the level of support customers need, feedback can help you pinpoint areas to examine for issues or inefficiencies.3. Helps you understand clients betterClient feedback is essential for businesses because it assists them in getting a clear understanding of their client’s preferences.By collecting customer satisfaction surveys, companies can find out what they are doing well and where they are falling short according to client expectations of products and services like your company’s.The best way to find out what your customers want is to ask them. This information can be used to develop better products and services that meet these expectations.4. Helps companies make better business-related decisionsBy understanding what customers like and dislike about their products or services, companies can make better decisions about what changes to make.Companies can gain an advantage over their competitors by understanding what features attract customers.They can update their products and services to incorporate those features faster than their competitors. And they can tailor their marketing to emphasize those features.5. Helps to understand the entire customer journeyUnderstanding the entire customer journey helps identify pain points and areas where customers may be dissatisfied.This information can be used to correct those issues and prevent similar ones in the future.Your client surveys should aim to extract this information.Different kinds of interactions might have different kinds of problems, so it’s important to offer customers a chance to point out problems at every step of their journey with your company.Understanding their journey helps you improve it.6. Provides insight into market trendsBy keeping track of consumer reviews, businesses can identify changes in customer behavior and adapt their products, services, and marketing accordingly.This helps the company to stay ahead of the competition and maintain its position in the market.For example, if there’s an upward trend in comments on environmental concerns among a company’s customer base, the marketing team can make the company’s environmental choices more prominent on its website and consider cost-effective ways of making more such choices.7. Helps with new client acquisitionPositive customer insights can be a powerful marketing tool for new client acquisition. Brands often use aGoogle review widget to showcase the best reviews they get on their website to engage more customers.When consumers share their positive experiences with others, they can attract new customers.Additionally, businesses that actively seek out and respond to customer reviews demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction, which can help build trust and loyalty among existing and potential customers.Therefore, by soliciting consumer feedback in the form of reviews, businesses can increase customer satisfaction and retention, and attract new clients, leading to business growth and success.Best practices for collecting customer feedbackAs you have seen, asking customers for feedback can result in great benefits for your company. However, some ways of going about it are better than others.Before you beginIt is important to decide why you’re gathering feedback and the best methods of doing so. Consider the following tips:Set clear goals for collecting the feedbackThere should be a purpose for every question you ask. Do you want a good review, need to know more about issues customers face or their interests or just want clients to feel like they have a voice? Answers to these questions will determine what kinds of questions you ask.Identify your target audienceWho are you targeting? For example, if you are collecting feedback from a large and diverse group of users, then a survey with multiple-choice questions may be more effective. However, if you desire more in-depth feedback from a smaller group, then a focus group or one-on-one interviews may be more appropriate.Consider the timing of your feedback collectionAre you looking for real-time feedback, or is it okay to collect feedback over a more extended period? Depending on your goal, you may choose methods for ongoing feedback collection, such as social media monitoring, or methods that provide immediate feedback, such as website surveys.Select the most suitable methods for your businessChose the technique for feedback collection that best fits your goals and timing requirements. Emails or client satisfaction surveys are appropriate for real-time interaction.Also, keep in mind that customers are busy and need to be able to complete their feedback in a short amount of time.Choose the right toolsConsider what kind of software will help you meet your goals through the methods you’ve chosen. The right software can make feedback collection and evaluation much easier.Integrate and assess feedbackOnce you have decided on your customer service goals and methods, you need to integrate feedback collection and evaluation into your company routine and culture.Depending on what you’ve decided, you can set up feedback collection on your website and in your sales and support software.When a customer makes a purchase, they will be sent a survey or review request after a set amount of time.If they use your support system, they will be asked about their satisfaction upon the closing of their ticket or chat session.Of course, collecting client satisfaction surveys does your company no good unless you evaluate it.This is another place software comes in handy, especially with close-ended responses. Gain insight into customer satisfaction, issues, and preferences, by laying out your data in appealing charts and other widgets.Turn conclusions into decisionsUnderstanding what your consumers desire and require leaves company leaders with decisions on how to meet those expectations.For example, if you receive feedback that your website is challenging to navigate, you could redesign it to make it more user-friendly.Then, you can track how people access the new website design to see if it has improved the user experience.How should you utilize customer feedback?Bill Gates once said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” This alludes to just how important it is for every business to listen to what its customers have to say.Here’s what to do with the feedback you collect:Identify improvement opportunitiesWhat customers say about your business, especially through complaints, is useful in making improvements to your products and services that customers actually need.For example, if multiple customers mention that your product does not provide a specific feature that your competitors may offer, try to address it quickly to improve the customer experience and avoid customer churn.Influence innovation plansCustomer suggestions can inform you about emerging market trends that you can adapt to more quickly to align with customers’ changing preferences.For example, if several customers are shifting from a web-only solution to a hybrid one on web and mobile, it’s in your company’s best interest to add a mobile experience to your development road map.Determine marketing strategiesYou can use feedback and reviews from your customers as proof of how good you are. With their permission, you can use your customers’ own words in your marketing materials to provide real-world testimonies of their success with your products.Simultaneously, your marketing team doesn’t have to work as hard to write copy that grabs the attention of potential customers.What’s more, your customers’ reviews will point out precisely the pain points your company addresses, helping you come up with the best marketing strategies to reach your target audience and attract potential buyers.Take your customers’ experience to the next levelCustomer feedback is a good starting point to adjust different aspects of your business to ensure your products and services are solving real problems for the right people.Aligning your business with customers’ expectations will ensure you always give them the best experience, leaving no room for churn.Utilize customer feedback to achieve business successCustomer happiness and business success go hand in hand. Gathering consumer feedback keeps your finger on both the market and the performance of your company itself. Ask them what they want, offer it, and they will come.One way to collect feedback easily after client interactions with your support team are through software like LIKE.TG. With LIKE.TG, feedback surveys can be created in the app and sent automatically when a support ticket is closed. Try a live demoto see howLIKE.TG can help improve your business. You can start a15-day free trial on BoldDesk. For more details and queries, contactLIKE.TG support.If you found our article helpful or have any suggestions and ideas to improve it, please leave a comment in the section below.
How to Improve the Customer Experience: 12 Techniques
The key to creating a customer-centric company is prioritizing customer needs and wants. Companies should focus on understanding customers’ expectations and creating a customer experience that meets them.Companies should also strive to proactively anticipate customer needs and provide solutions before customers can inquire.Companies should focus on building relationships with customers. This is achieved through loyalty programs and good communication. Companies should also focus on creating a customer-centric culture where online customer service is prioritized.This blog will discuss the best strategies for improving your customers’ experiences. What is customer experience?Customer experience is the sum of all customer interactions with a company, from pre-purchase research to post-purchase follow-up. It is the result of a customer’s journey with a brand and can be influenced by customer service and marketing.Why is customer experience important?A good customer experience is essential because it is the key to success in a competitive market.Companies that focus on creating client satisfaction are likelier to stand out from the competition and build a loyal customer base.Moreover, it can directly impact a company’s bottom line, as satisfied customers are more likely to spend more money.How to improve the customer experienceCustomers’ experience can be enhanced, and the first step in doing so is to place the consumer at the core of your company plan.To improve your customer service experience strategy, use the following suggestions.1. Personalize the customer experiencePersonalizing the customer experience boosts the customer journey by providing a more tailored and meaningful experience.Salesforce reports that personalized engagement that reflects past interactions is considered important by 59% of consumers when it comes to attracting their business.Companies can create a more individualized experience tailored to each customer’s needs and interests by considering customer preferences, purchase history, and other data points.This helps to create more customer satisfaction, as customers feel that their individual needs are being considered.Personalizing clients’ experiences can also help to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction, as customers feel that their needs are being met.2. Provide self-service optionsNot every customer issue requires individualized care, though.Self-service options can improve the customer journey by:Reducing wait timesGiving customers more control over their knowledgeAllowing them to access information and services quickly and easilySelf-service options can also help reduce customer service costs, as customers can often find answers to their questions in a knowledge base or complete transactions in a portal without contacting customer service representatives. This supports24/7 customer serviceby enabling customers to find solutions anytime.For example, you can create a community forum where customers can discuss their issues and help each other.This is a fantastic way to boost relationships and loyalty within your customer base.3. Get your priorities rightA customer-centric approach ensures that the company culture revolves around meeting customer expectations efficiently.This includes focusing on customer service, responding to customer inquiries quickly, and providing quality products and services.Building this into your company culture and rhetoric from the start will help your employees stay in this mindset. It will come out in their customer service, creating client satisfaction and building trust and loyalty.Additionally, it helps to ensure that customer feedback is considered and used to improve the customer journey.This ensures that more fundamental issues are addressed quickly and efficiently and proves to your customers that you listen to them.4. Constantly seek improvementBusinesses that want to enhance their customers’ experience should consider it a moving target.The market is constantly changing, and so are customers’ expectations. To address customers’ shifting demands, build improvement methods into ongoing processes.Your support agents and sales reps are your first point of contact with customers, so plan meetings to discuss what they’re hearing and present feedback results on a regular basis.5. Appreciate your customersYour business would be nothing without its customers, so show them some appreciation. Depending on your product or service, this can mean a thank you message after a purchase is made or a full welcome email with tips and resources.When you resolve a customer’s issue, thank them for their patience. When they send your company feedback, not only have a thank you message pop up, but follow that feedback up if it involved a suggestion your company ends up implementing.Explicitly teaching your support agents to keep their cool and always be polite goes a long wayin demonstratingcustomer value.Showing sympathy and gratitude to your clients for their support and loyalty helps to build a robust and lasting relationship with them.6. Build an omnichannel experienceBuilding an omnichannel experience boosts your customers’ experiences by providing them with a unified and seamless experience across all channels.No matter their choice of communication method, customers are provided with the same information and services when interacting with the company—be it via an application or the company’s website.By providing a consistent experience, you are more likely to provide a positive experience.Moreover, an omnichannel approach can help businesses increase customer satisfaction by offering alternative channels of communication that a customer may prefer.7. Collect customer feedbackBusinesses better understand consumers’ requirements, issues, and preferences when they ask them directly.Gathering customer feedback may assist them in identifying areas for development, improving goods and services, and designing better client experiences.Gathering client feedback offers insightful information about what people think and feel about your good or service.Using brief questionnaires, may rapidly get client input and learn their requirements and preferences. Implementing their suggestions proves to your customers that you listen to them, which makes them feel heard and thus invested in your company.Consumers usually have several alternatives, so offering a positive clients’ experience is essential to attracting and keeping them.8. Train your employeesEquipping employees with the right skills and knowledge enables them to handle customer queries more effectively.Training should focus not only on the technical aspects of the product or service but also on soft skills such as communication, empathy, and patience. This support also helps improve agent productivity.Employees who feel supported by their employer are more likely to convey confidence, positivity, and attentiveness in their interactions with customers.Enhancing the employment experience can significantly enhance the overall customer experience.9. Be honestHonesty is a key aspect of building trust with customers. Being transparent about your products, services, pricing, and policies helps customers make informed decisions.In the event of bad customer service or an unforeseen issue, being upfront about it and offering a sincere apology can go a long way in maintaining customer trust.Honest communication can also prevent misunderstandings and establish a reputation for reliability, which is crucial for long-term customer relationships.Customers appreciate businesses that do not hide information or mislead them, and they are more likely to remain loyal to a brand that has demonstrated integrity.10. Offer proactive customer serviceProactive customer service involves anticipating customer needs and addressing them before the customer has to ask for help.This can include monitoring for common issues and reaching out to appropriate departments for solutions before more customers experience a problem.This can come in the form of providing helpful resources such as FAQs or instructional content or sending reminders and updates about products or services.By identifying and addressing customer pain points in advance, you can create a more frictionless customer experience that keeps customers coming back for more.11. Provide an attractive user interfaceThe user interface (UI) is the point of interaction between the customer and the digital aspects of a business, such as websites, mobile apps, or software.A well-designed UI that is intuitive, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to navigate can greatly enhance the customer experience.It should allow customers to find what they are looking for with minimal effort and complete tasks without confusion.If customers can effortlessly use the digital tools provided by a company, their overall experience with the brand is better.12. Leverage AI and automation toolsArtificial intelligence and automation can enhance the customer experience. With AI-driven tools such as chatbots and virtual assistants, customers can receive instant responses to inquiries at any time of the day, without the need for human intervention.Moreover, AI can analyze customer data to deliver tailored recommendations and services, making interactions feel more relevant and satisfying.For instance, AI can track a customer’s purchase history and browsing behavior to suggest products they are more likely to buy, leading to a more curated shopping experience.Automation streamlines repetitive and time-consuming tasks, which can free up human employees to focus on more complex customer service issues.It also reduces the likelihood of human error, such as incorrect data entry, leading to improved accuracy in order processing and customer information management.Benefits of prioritizing customer experienceA good customer service experience is important for the following reasons.Improved customer retentionCustomers who are satisfied with their experiences are more likely to remain loyal to a company or brand and continue to do business with them. This, in turn, leads to a rise in revenue and profits for the company.Increased net promoter scorePrioritizing your customers’ satisfaction helps to build a better brand reputation.When clients have a positive experience with a brand, they are more likely to recommend it to others, creating a positive outcome of free promotion and new customers.Better reputationBy increasing brand loyalty among your customers, you are also gaining free promotion in the way of reviews.When researching products to meet their needs, people rely heavily on reviews from other customers. Making your customer journey a great one will result in great reviews.Ensure your products and services are listed on third-party platforms where customers can leave reviews potential customers will trust. Your company’s reputation will ride on these positive reviews.Competitive advantageOverall, focusing on clients’ experiences allows businesses to stand out from their competitors.Create a uniquely excellent customer service experience, and customers will remember and return for it.By focusing on the customer journey, companies can gain insight into customer needs and preferences that can be used to develop new goods and services that better appeal to customers.This way, firms can stay ahead of their competitors and increase their profits.Examples of good customer service experiencesHere are some examples of brands that consistently deliver good customer experiences.StarbucksStarbucks crafts a positive customer experience by blending a friendly atmosphere with convenience. They prioritize convenience with mobile ordering and drive-throughs while offering comfortable spaces to relax or work.By combining friendly service, customization, and efficiency, Starbucks creates a customer experience that keeps clients coming back for more.Southwest AirlinesKnown for its customer-friendly policies, like free checked bags and no change fees, Southwest Airlines creates a positive experience with less hassle and a commitment to on-time flights.Ritz-CarltonRitz-Carlton, the luxury hotel chain, is famous for its “empowerment” policy, where employees can spend up to $2,000 to resolve customer issues without having to seek an approval from a manager.This allows staff to address problems quickly and generously, leaving a positive impression on guests.Warby ParkerWarby Parker excels at customer experience by blending convenience and human touch. The eyewear company’s innovative Home Try-On program lets you pick glasses online and try them on at home, while their stores offer friendly staff and access to your online order history.This focus on both digital ease and personalized interactions, along with their mission-driven approach, creates a shopping experience that feels frictionless.DisneyDisney excels at customer experience by creating a seamless and immersive world. From highly trained cast members focused on guest happiness to detailed park upkeep, Disney strives to exceed expectations.They leverage technology for convenience, prioritize emotional connections with characters and stories, and actively seek guest feedback to refine the magical experience.Elevate your customer experience with LIKE.TGIn summary, delivering good customer experiences requires ongoing effort. However, this is effort well spent.One way to make the process easier is through a help desk likeLIKE.TG.Try theLIKE.TG free trialto see how it can streamline your support system and thus raise your client satisfaction levels. Feel free to contact theLIKE.TG supportteam if you have any questions. For more information in general, please set up alive demo to get a clearer idea of how LIKE.TG works and how it can be tailored to your company’s needs.Recommended readsCustomer Experience Strategy: How to Create and Improve It7 Best Ways to Utilize AI for Customer Experience9 Effective Customer Experience Optimization StrategiesTop 12 Customer Experience Metrics for Your Support TeamUnderstanding the Difference: Customer Service vs Customer Experience
10 Best Practices for Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSAT)
Starting with the customers’ wants is the first step in understanding the experiences that they hope for from your company. If you don’t have solid information on what your clients need, how can you satisfy them? Pure guesswork will not help. Therefore, you need to rely on research conducted about the market and your competitors. Your customers will provide the most reliable information about their expectations.Many companies use customer satisfaction surveys (CSAT) to gauge customer satisfaction with their brand. These surveys also provide insight into customers’ propensity to make further purchases from the company and tell others about it.In this article, you will learn some best practices for writing CSAT surveys to improve your business. What is a customer satisfaction survey?CSAT surveys are a collection of questions used to gather different customer experience metrics from consumers to figure out their degree of satisfaction with a good, service, or company.Best practices for a perfect CSAT surveyDo you get the impression that it’s not always a good idea to ask your client to spend additional time on the phone to answer a few questions? This is because it prevents them from doing the CSAT survey on their own schedule. Most of the time, only really happy or completely dissatisfied consumers wish to share their opinions. The participation rate and, more crucially, the range of experiences are influenced by many factors around the presentation and content of a CSAT survey. Let’s look at some best practices to follow to create a good CSAT survey to raise participation rates and record a wider range of experiences.1. Provide several survey mediumsSend surveys to customers via a variety of channels, including chat and email. Instead of using real-time surveys that are offered at a time that is most suitable for the company, focus more on delayed response channels such as email or text to make it more enjoyable for consumers to take part in the survey whenever is best for them. You have a better chance of getting more responses and earning their engagement if you respect their time.2. Reduce the number of questionsAt the end of a sale or service, most customers are not disposed to taking a survey. They assume it will be long and they just want to get on with their day. Keep your survey brief—no more than three or four questions—so that they aren’t irritated by the survey. Use a survey tool that enables you to ask a few questions randomly selected from a larger pool. By doing this, you may acquire a sufficient sample size for a range of queries without overwhelming each consumer with an in-depth survey.3. Always send survey questions at an ideal timeDid you know that the success of any survey is heavily dependent on its timeliness? No one likes it when notifications pop up while they are busy doing their daily activities. Therefore, it is critical to choose an ideal time to send your surveys. Precisely, the best time to send a survey is immediately after a customer purchases your product. Similarly, you can conduct a survey after resolving a customer issue by asking questions like, “How was our customer service?” In such cases it will be easier for your customers to reply.4. Train agents to write CSAT surveysHaving a training program for creating CSAT surveys is more crucial than ever. Many organizations devote a tremendous amount of time, attention, and effort to their sales training but do not put the same amount of care into teaching agents how to write quality CSAT surveys.Identify key points that should be followed when creating a survey and make sure every agent understands them completely. For example, one of the first things to inquire about through a CSAT survey is whether the brand promises and your customers’ satisfaction line up. Knowing which questions to write and how to write them helps your company identify and work on imperfections.5. Pick the most appropriate survey metricsThere are many survey metrics you could gather. Each of these can aid your company in unique ways. Therefore, before choosing any metric to track, always identify the one that will provide the most insight into what you want to learn about your customers’ experiences. Similarly, you have to know which data can truly assist you in the development of your organization. To know more about customer experience metrics, refer to 12 Crucial Customer Experience Metrics for Your Support Team | LIKE.TG.6. Provide a reward for participation Although rewards are not a strange idea, it is rare for them to be used in CSAT surveys. Therefore, you need to be particular when offering them for completed surveys. For instance, you can use modest rewards like coupon codes for discounts on future purchases or offer an instant purchase discount.Unsurprisingly, discounts that can be applied to the purchase or service that the consumer is currently using are the most potent incentives. Moreover, it’s important to remember that customers will tolerate answering several questions more readily if the reward is bigger but be careful not to overdo it. The insights learned from the customer may not be worth the cost of the discount to the company.7. Carefully plan your survey processBefore you conduct any survey, the essential first step is to plan effectively for every process you expect to follow. For instance, you can plan for the survey to be verbal (through calls) or online (through email, dedicated forms, ticket responses, etc.), and even plan for the exact resources you need to run the survey. This helps you save time and resources since you’ll already have an image of what you want to do and how you will do it. Moreover, planning also gives you the advantage of assigning every agent their designated tasks thus easing your management load.8. Thank your consumers for their suggestionsBy carrying out CSAT surveys, you will inevitably take some course of action in response to the findings. Otherwise, why would you be doing them in the first place? Therefore, showing gratitude and letting customers know that you’ll put measures into action in accordance with their responses shows them that their feedback matters. This also promotes their continued engagement with your company. Furthermore, it shows them that you are willing to put in extra effort to meet their needs and that their needs come first.9. Use images in your surveysImages can help explain concepts that are tough to explain in words. That’s why images used sparingly and effectively can be helpful in CSAT surveys. The right images can prompt rapid understanding and boost response rates. Even something as simple as using face emojis in place of qualitative answers like “strongly dissatisfied” and “very satisfied” can be beneficial to use in your CSAT surveys.10. Measure results post-CSAT surveyBusinesses that focus on doing CSAT surveys but fail to measure customer outcomes beyond the survey end up with an incomplete picture of their customers’ experiences and satisfaction. It is therefore critical to have a final phase in which survey results are analyzed in the context of customers’ continued business with your company or lack thereof. This helps you gauge your past performance and prepare for the future.In summaryOne of the most effective ways to learn more about and understand your customers is by using CSAT surveys. The survey responses can help you improve brand awareness, customer satisfaction, and client retention. Understanding your customer’s expectations is the first step toward good customer service and a thriving business. So when writing a CSAT survey, carefully choose the questions you’ll use and pay attention to the survey design and delivery. Most importantly, be sure to utilize the feedback obtained!To enhance your success with achieving high customer satisfaction, try using LIKE.TG, modern help desk software that turns customers into fans.You can start a LIKE.TG free trial. Feel free to contact us for any inquiries.
3 Simple Knowledge Base Article Templates
Who likes being placed on hold by customer service? We would much rather figure out solutions on our own. Clients prefer resolving their issues independently through a company’s website knowledge base rather than contacting customer support.In fact, a study by Higher Logic Vanilla indicated that 84% of customers try to solve support issues on their own before they contact customer support.Another study by Nuance Enterprise affirms that 67% of clients would rather use self-service options like online knowledge base articles and frequently asked questions over speaking with a representative on the phone.Knowledge base article templates enable you to create and post content faster and smarter. Let’s find out more in this blog. What is a knowledge base article?A knowledge base article is a self-serve online document that contains information about a product or service. It is designed to provide users with answers to questions, helping them to understand, solve, and prevent issues.Knowledge base articles may include answers to frequently asked questions, how-to guides, troubleshooting guides, and tutorial videos.Your team can create knowledge base articles to offer FAQs and documentation to customers. You can also create an internal repo where your team shares tips, tricks, and other information they don’t necessarily want clients to read. With these resources, no one ever needs to start from zero.In your knowledge base articles, there should be answers to all your customers’ basic inquiries concerning your goods and services. They get answers that are standardized and have been approved by everyone.Types of knowledge base articlesThere are two types of knowledge base articles:Internal articles- Consists of information only accessible to company employees. Internal knowledge bases may contain instructional guidelines, employee roles and benefits, or even documented answers to customer queries.External articles- Provide clients with more information about a company’s offerings, empowering them to handle issues they encounter when utilizing goods and services.External knowledge base articlesmay contain information on billing and pricing, contact information, product descriptions and frequently asked questions.Components of knowledge base articlesA knowledge base tool has features that work together to make information available and serve its purpose. The following are the main features:Unlimited articles: Contains many comprehensive articles for various brands.Workflow: Has an efficient workflow for creating and managing content.Instant search feature: Includes a strong search engine that helps users get instant answers.Auto-suggest: Suggests relevant articles by analyzing keywords as users input them into the search box.Tags: Uses predefined tags to organize the knowledge base in categories and sections.SEO and social-friendly tools: Improves the search engine and social media optimization of your resource center material.Article performance tracking: Provides knowledge base article insights using metrics like the number of views, likes, dislikes, and comments.Knowledge base templatesKnowledge base templates are prewritten outlines of content that have a predetermined form, structure, and sequence. The development of knowledge base articles with a standard format is made easier by these ready-to-insert content snippets.Here are a few advantages of using knowledge base templates:Efficiency: Knowledge base templates provide a clear framework to follow when creating articles. This allows you to create articles more efficiently, reducing the time and effort required.Consistency: Knowledge base templates provide a consistent format and structure for the whole knowledge base solution. This makes it easier for users to find the information they need.Improved user experience: By providing a standardized structure, users become familiar with the layout of the articles, making it quicker and easier for them to navigate.Easy to update: When information changes, templates make it easier to update the articles and ensure that all relevant sections are addressed.Quality control: Knowledge base templates ensure that all necessary information is included in each article, improving the overall quality of the knowledge base domain.Improved scalability: Templates allow for easy expansion of the knowledge base solution as they provide a ready-made structure for adding new articles.Types of knowledge base article templatesSome general types of knowledge base article templates are:Troubleshooting articlesTroubleshooting articles address a particular problem a consumer is having and provide step-by-step solutions. Each article should be centered on a specific issue and labelled accordingly, with appropriate tags, keywords, and synonyms so that it will come up for variously worded searches.The article’s introduction should dive right into the problem it fixes, describing what it might look like to the client experiencing it so that they can confirm this is the proper solution. Then, the article goes through the various causes of the problem and possible solutions.Customers can use troubleshooting articles to try to solve their problems before seeking live assistance or when support staff is not available. They can serve as resources for agents to refer to while assisting a client with challenging troubleshooting procedures. Here is an example below.## Title:[The issue’s title]## Problem:[A brief description of the problem faced]## Reasons:* [Explain the problem’s root cause]* [Explain the problem’s root cause]* [Explain the problem’s root cause]## Resolution:[Explain how to fix the problem]## Additional reference:* [Insert link to related content]* [Insert link to related content]* [Insert link to related content]FAQ articlesFAQ articles are knowledge base articles that compile a list of questions and answers about a particular aspect of your product or service.Questions concerning the same subject are listed on a single page in FAQ articles. Both general and specific inquiries are covered.A knowledge base should include frequently asked questions since they are helpful to consumers at all phases of the customer experience.Following is an example of an FAQ article template.## Frequently Asked QuestionFind answers to the most frequently asked questions.### Question 1:[Answer]### Question 2:[Answer]### Question 3:[Answer]### Question 4:[Answer]Product overview templateKnowledge bases aren’t just made to provide answers to questions. To educate potential consumers on how a product functions and the advantages it may provide, some knowledge base content can be informational materials and even sales tools.Typically, descriptions of your products and services are made specifically for potential customers interested in learning more about your company.These product overview articles respond to “what” questions, concentrating on the operation of your service or typical queries regarding your product offerings.Here is an example of a product overview template.## Title:[Module name]### Feature 1:[Feature description]### Feature 2:[Feature description]### Feature 3:[Feature description]### Additional reference:* [Insert links to related content]* [Insert links to related content]* [Insert links to related content]Characteristics of an effective knowledge base articleFor a knowledge base article to fully serve its intended purpose, it should possess the following features:User-focusedWrite about the topics that your specific target audiences may contact you for help with.Well structuredYour article should have a distinct start, middle, and end.IllustrativeWhen you can, provide illustrations, images, or videos.InteractiveSet up a survey tool to collect article feedback. For example, you could include a question such as ‘Was this information helpful?’ and a section for feedback at the end of each article.ComprehensiveInclude all relevant information, both important and nice-to-know, to help your consumers.How to write a knowledge base articleAn excellent knowledge base article needs to be instructive and applicable to users. It ought to answer questions, offer solutions, and comprehensively address the concerns of both customers and the support staff.The following are some effective best practices to consider when writing a knowledge base article.Choose the right titleIt’s crucial to develop a title that accurately describes the subject the article addresses. Use names that reflect user expectations wherever possible. Keep them concise and keyword-rich, and refrain from utilizing unnecessary technical terminology.Add visuals to your contentMake step-by-step instructions more comprehensible by using screenshots, GIFs, animated videos, etc. Graphics enhance your supporting material and keep consumers interested in the more marketing-oriented pages.Include additional reading suggestionsAt the conclusion of an article, include relevant links for additional reading to assist readers in finding more information. This way, readers can learn more about the subject, narrow down what they’re looking for, or discover related features and updates of which they were unaware.Include keywords to optimize searchesIt’s a good idea to incorporate keywords that your customers are likely to use when searching for information. This helps optimize your knowledge base article for search engines. You can utilize an AI help desk’s capabilities to auto-generate a sitemap, optimized keywords and an appropriate meta description for the knowledge base article.Achieve effective writing with knowledge base article templatesCustomers want solutions that are clear and simple. Standard knowledge management templates will help your support team add articles quickly when needed and help your customers navigate your KB more easily.LIKE.TG provides the best knowledge base software in its help desk. To see how LIKE.TG can enhance your support team, sign up for afree trial. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the LIKE.TG support team.If you would like to see how LIKE.TG works and can be customized to fit your business’s requirements, please contact us to arrange alive demo.
How to Create a Knowledge Base in 7 Easy Steps
Customers often look through a company’s online self-service tool first when they seek solutions to their issues or questions.Given that 92% of clients claim they would utilize a knowledge base if it were available, top-tier knowledge base undeniably lays the groundwork for successful self-service strategies.It is, therefore, important for a company to create a knowledge base that will provide these customers with the necessary answers and solutions.In this blog, we’ll discuss the main steps for creating informative articles that will best serve customers and the support team. In addition, you’ll learn the elements to include in your self-service platform as well as the importance of having an effective tool for self-service purposes. What is a knowledge base?A knowledge base is defined as a self-help tool comprising helpful information about the products and services offered by a company. This information is stored in one central repository and helps customers resolve issues on their own. An internal knowledge repository is a reference point for the customer service team on additional information regarding a company or its brands.Businesses mainly build a knowledge base as an online resource center for customers and support teams to have easy access to useful information on company products and services.Main elements to consider in your knowledge baseWhen you build a knowledge base, consider including the following main elements for optimum results.Frequently asked questions pageHow can you relieve your support team of giving repetitive answers to different clients with the same question? With a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section, your clients can get answers to common questions without contacting your team.When clients have a question or need clarity on an issue, they visit the FAQs section first for fast answers. They only contact your support agents if the answer they seek has not been addressed in this section. This FAQs section reduces tickets and allows agents to focus on more complex issues.Company support team contact optionsWhenever clients are unable to resolve issues on their own, they will need to reach out to the support team for assistance. This is where the Contact Support option comes in. It is vital to include it in all your articles or content to make it easy for clients to contact your support team.This option gives clients a personalized customer service experience. In addition, it reduces the resolution time. It also increases customer satisfaction due to the ease of access.Search text box optionOptimize your knowledge base with an instant search function to make it easy for your customers to search through the information with keywords. Imagine how fast it will be for clients to get answers if they use this easy navigation tool. It saves them time and effort.How-to videosWhen you create a knowledge base, include videos through online video editor where possible. Videos demonstrate practically how different features of a product function and give directions on the right way to use them.For instance, here is a sample knowledge base article that includes a how-to video.These demos make it easy for clients to use the products without contacting the support team for help.Benefits of building a knowledge baseHaving an effective self-service tool that provides helpful information to your customers is very important.The following are the benefits that you can reap when you create a knowledge base:Improved productivityProviding a central information repository makes it easy for agents to access solutions. Knowledge base features such as search and auto-suggest make the hunt for information fast and easy.Also, building a knowledge base empowers clients to resolve issues on their own, allowing agents to focus their efforts on more urgent tasks.Preserves the knowledge of the organizationA well-documented knowledge base allows businesses to retain valuable information even when an experienced employee leaves.Promotes collaboration among staffA knowledge resource promotes collaboration by enabling staff members from various departments to contribute and update information as required.It encourages teamwork and facilitates problem-solving as colleagues work together to identify and document effective solutions.Seamless knowledge transfer to new staffAnother advantage you get when you create a knowledge base, you help bridge knowledge gaps by providing new employees with reliable guidance, thereby eliminating the need for constant consultation with senior employees.Helps deliver more consistent customer supportRegardless of an agent’s level of experience, a knowledge base can serve as a reliable support source, contributing to a consistently exceptional customer experience.Provides users with 24/7 access to useful informationAnother advantage you enjoy when you create a knowledge base is providing users with round-the-clock, location-independent access to resources and solutions. This allows them to find answers to common problems even when support agents aren’t available.Simultaneously, this knowledge base equips agents with all the necessary resources and information, enabling them to operate from anywhere and at any time.How to create a knowledge base effectivelyA study by IBM reported that companies with a well-established knowledge base are 3 times more likely to innovate and grow rapidly than those without. Thus, it is important to carefully create a knowledge base for it to be effective.Let’s explore the best practices you should consider when you build a knowledge base:1. Define the purpose of your knowledge baseDo you want an effective knowledge base? First, and most importantly, define your purpose! How can you know what to include in your knowledge base if you don’t even know why you need it?With that said, it is important to set clear goals before you start to create a knowledge base. Important details like the audience you aim to reach with your knowledge base will determine what to cover.Purpose of different types of knowledge base:Internal knowledge bases include documents not meant for the public’s eyes as well as unedited technical information that may be difficult for a general audience to understand.On the other hand, an external KB could contain solutions for current customers or more general information for potential customers.With a clear purpose, your team will have a seamless process when they build a knowledge base and publish it.2. Prepare the design and structureDeciding on the right design and structure to best present your content for your audience is an important step. The information should be organized in a simple manner that end users can easily find. Separate your content into categories and further subcategorize based on the different data types and purposes. Think out your internal links. This makes navigation easier.In addition, the design you decide on should be relevant and easy to use. Clients should find the chosen structure and design to be user-friendly. As a result, it will allow them to have easy and fast access to the information they need.3. Choose the topics or content to coverWhich topics should you cover, and in what order? To know the right topics to cover:Identify popular and trending topicsFirstly, check the trends on the most searched topics on your website or on the Google Analytics tool. With this analytics tool, you can get insight into the most searched and trending topics in your field. You can have an overview of which keywords most people are searching for. This will help you choose more general topics to include in your self-service portal.Track common ticket issuesSecondly, go through your ticket history list and check for the common issues that need to be addressed.Involve support teamLastly, you can ask the support team for the most recurring customer issues and questions that can be resolved or answered using articles.The most common issues give you an insight into the topics that you should cover first when creating knowledge base articles. For instance, if tickets on password resetting are the most common, consider writing an article called “How to reset your password” to address that issue.Remember, it is ideal to start with the basic information, followed by how-tos from the start-up process, and finally fixes to specific issues. This will ensure you cover all the important and essential content.4. Provide simple content to reach all audiencesMake sure the content you write for an external knowledge base is relevant and comprehensible for any type of audience, knowledgeable or not. Explain to them in the simplest language possible. Avoid jargon. Make them understand the entire content very well for the information relayed to be useful to them.From the title you choose to the introduction and, finally, the topics and subtopics, make them very simple and logical. Give your readers an easy time reading through articles and understanding the information they contain.Where possible, add links to related articles to the content being written to give readers more information on the current topic of discussion.5. Include visuals when creating knowledge base contentWhat can you do to make your content more audience-friendly? Consider adding attractive visuals such as images, business videos, GIFs, and graphs or charts where they’d be good complements to your text.Take screenshots of related pages from the company website and include them in the article you create for clarity. Such visuals make customers understand the information better and increase their engagement with your knowledge base page. Additionally, makes your content more attractive.6. Make your content SEO optimizedHow can people find your knowledge base articles online and discover your brand or company?Optimize your self-service repositoryFirst, optimize your knowledge base to make it easy for interested users to find your articles on your website.Index your knowledge baseSecond, index your self-service portal using the right search engine optimization (SEO) tools. This will make your articles visible to any internet users browsing in popular search engines like Google.Use keywordsThird, ensure you include keywords for each article. Any internet users looking for information on topics like the ones you have published should find your article in the list.Add the knowledge base linkLastly, make sure to add your self-service portal’s link to any platform you get an opportunity to. The more places you include your link, the higher the audience reached. This is a great marketing strategy for your brands. A great informative article can be all that a potential client needs to get on board and do business with your company.7. Evaluate, maintain, and regularly improve your articlesGauge how your articles perform by analysis of the client’s feedback and clicks. Check data reports to see the number of users who read them. Gain insight into what users think of the content. Was the information provided of any use to them? This insight will help you know what your clients need and, thus, the topics to cover.With every new improvement made in your products, ensure you update the articles in your self-service tool as well. The content should always be current. This will ensure the information stays relevant to the end users.Take the first step in creating your knowledge base!Follow the guidelines in this blog to create a knowledge base that is relevant and informative for self-service purposes. With your knowledge base, provide your audience with relevant and helpful information and improve their satisfaction with your company.LIKE.TG provides an effective customizable knowledge base software for your clients and support team. Contact us to schedule a 30-minutelive demoto experience the best tool for your support team and customers. You can also begin a15-day free trialto discover how LIKE.TG’s features can be customized to meet your business’s needs.Recommended reads3 Simple Knowledge Base Article Templates7 Essential Knowledge Base Metrics for Enhancing Self-Service
11 Effective Ways of Reducing Agent Effort in Customer Service
Equipping your support agents with the resources they require to succeed is the first step in providing a fantastic client experience. Agent effort is frequently over stretched under the pressure to uphold crucial customer service criteria.Consider this: how can you design low-effort interactions for clients if your agents find it challenging and time-consuming to find answers to customer questions? The easier the experience for your agents, the happier they will be, and happy clients come from happy employees.Let’s explore some practical strategies for reducing agent effort in this blog. Agent effort in customer serviceAgent effort is the amount of work a customer service agent must put in to please a client in accordance with your company’s requirements.This encompasses being prompt in your responses to customers, resolving customer issues quickly and efficiently, and providing helpful and friendly customer service. It also involves staying up to date on company procedures and policy.Why is reducing agent effort necessary?Reducing agent effort in customer service is essential for businesses to remain competitive and improve customer satisfaction.Reducing agent effort can:Increase efficiency.Reduce costs by eliminating the need for additional staff.Build better relationships with customers by allowing agents to focus on more meaningful interactions.Produce a better company culture.Improve morale of employees.Techniques to lower agent effort in customer serviceYour agents are an integral part of the company, so making their jobs simpler will benefit everyone. Try the following actions to let your agents know that you value their efforts and are paying attention on them.1. Ensure easy access to information and resourcesCustomers want timely, precise responses to their inquiries. For support representatives, this isn’t always simple.When information is hard to find, agents waste a lot of time looking for the answers, consulting their neighbors, or holding out for a supervisor to aid them.This slow response will lower your customer satisfaction ratings and result in an increased average handle time (AHT) and longer wait times. To improve how agents access information:Remove document duplication.Reduce large amounts of text to chunks that are simple and straightforward.Create an internal knowledge base as a central repository for all company information and product troubleshooting:Make it easy to search for keywords.Have a simple process for adding notes and new articles.Provide templates for articles to ensure uniformity and easy skimming.Implement knowledge base software to make all of this much easier.2. Prioritize communication with agentsNo matter the company or business, change is the one constant in our fast-paced world. Therefore, it’s critical that agents are made aware of any significant product modifications, price adjustments, or new business rules.This makes sure that if your company evolves, your support agents will transition smoothly, and clients will continue to enjoy the same high standard of customer care.3. Provide effective training to enhance agent efficiencyAgents need to have a clear grasp of their role and the services they offer to clients. When agents start working, they will make a lot of mistakes if they discover they are uncertain about a wide range of topics and situations even after training.Your training should provide agents with the know-how and abilities to do their duties, including where to find crucial information and who to ask about specific subjects.By doing this, agents won’t feel lost when they begin their jobs and will be sure to know where to turn for help if they do.4. Elevate your agents to boostOne of the ways to elevate your team’s performance is by creating a friendly workplace where everyone is respected and acknowledged.This will strengthen their loyalty to your business and provide them the motivation they need to work at the top of their game.Teamwork is another crucial component of the system. Agents’ distinct abilities start to converge when they collaborate and engage in open dialogs, creating a high-performing team.5. Offer comprehensive self-help tools to the customersSupport agents in most organizations are extremely busy. The work can occasionally get to them if the workload is heavy. A comprehensive knowledge base as a self-service option can empower customers to find the information they require to solve their own problems independently without requiring agent assistance.By offering a knowledge base that is easy to find and use, the number of tickets created decreases, thus reducing the workload of agents, allowing them to focus more on critical tasks.6. Have clear policies and proceduresAgent effort is significantly impacted by business restrictions on their ability to provide transparent client experiences.Processes can be challenging for agents to follow due to complexity, abbreviations, industry jargon, and structure.By dividing lengthy procedures into manageable parts and organizing them logically and visually, you may make your processes simpler to follow. Use plain language for your policies and provide example scenarios for applying them.7. Encourage a unified interfaceThis means that all customer service agents should be using the same interface for all customer service activities.Agents having to switch among several different apps in order to answer one customer inquiry is a pain. Productivity will undoubtedly suffer, and eventually, so will customer satisfaction.Having a unified interface helps to reduce the amount of time spent learning new systems and navigating different interfaces.Additionally, a unified interface helps to ensure that customer service agents are able to access the same information quickly and easily to provide fast, accurate customer service.This reduces the amount of time spent searching for information, which in turn reduces the amount of effort required from customer support agents.8. Automate reminders, alerts, and notificationsTo complete repetitive, manual operations, create customized workflows with automation to decrease manual labor and boost agent efficiency.Clients can receive automatic notifications when their issues have been received and when the status of their tickets changes. This keeps agents from having to personally notify clients of progress.Before the resolution deadline, assigned agents can get an alert as a reminder. This way, agents don’t have to worry about forgetting tasks, reducing their stress.9. Use SLA escalations to improve agent productivityAutomatically set response and resolution deadlines using service-level agreements (SLAs). An SLA defines how quickly your support team should respond to and resolve a problem.If a ticket is not resolved on time, use support software to escalate it automatically to a team lead. Both the agent assigned and the team lead get alerts.The team lead can then notify the customer of a delay and find out why the ticket is still open. If the original agent is unable to solve the issue, the team lead can reassign it to an agent with better expertise or a lighter workload to ensure customer satisfaction.10. Measure and monitor agent effortWhat you don’t measure, youwon’t be able to impact. Leverage modern data technologies to get more precise insight into agents’ performance and where they can improve. Help desk software can offer data tracking and measurement mechanisms such as worklog reports, agent performance reports, and customer satisfaction reports.You can also regularly check in with your agents to see if they’re having issues not evidenced by data. Demonstrating your concern will go a long way toward enhancing morale and, consequently, performance.11. Recognize and reward good performanceA little gratitude goes a long way. An employee will go above and beyond to assist the company if they feel valued and recognized. A worker will begin to hate their job and eventually lose motivation if they are continually given extra work without any recognition.Reward your support agents for attaining their immediate objectives. With these short-term rewards, agents believe their goals are attainable, which boosts their motivation to work for the longer-term objectives of the company.ConclusionReducing agent effort in customer service is critical to providing outstanding customer experiences. By implementing the techniques described in this blog, you can minimize agents’ workload and stress, which can improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your customer service operations.Get the best help desk software for boosting customer support efficiency and agent success with LIKE.TG. Sign up for a free trial to see what it can do for your team. If you have any questions, the LIKE.TG support team is always available to help.To get a better understanding of how LIKE.TG can be tailored to your business’s needs, please contact us to set up a live demo.
Looking Back at LIKE.TG in 2022: A Year in Review
What better way to begin the new year than by looking back at all that happened in the last one? In this article, we’ll recap everything that happened with LIKE.TG in 2022. From our biggest achievements to the most popular blog posts of the year, we cover it all. Major features introduced in LIKE.TGWith its easy-to-use interface and helpful customer support resources, LIKE.TG makes it effortless for customer service teams to maximize their impact on customers. Keep reading to find out more about the following major features offered by BoldDesk.Knowledge BaseTicketing SystemReports ModuleCustomer Satisfaction (CSAT) SurveyIntegrationsDeveloper REST APIAudit LogsUnlimited AgentsKnowledge baseWe introduced a knowledge base module for creating unlimited self-help articles for different brands and products. You can organize and group your knowledge base articles using categories and sections. You can also apply tags to articles to better manage your content library.A powerful built-in search function allows your help center to get instant answers from the knowledge base. Moreover, it even searches for relevant articles based on keywords in tickets. Two types of knowledge base are supported in LIKE.TG: a public knowledge base for customers and an internal knowledge base for support team agents. Learn more about the module by perusing the knowledge base page.Ticketing systemThe ticketing system in LIKE.TG was included from day one with features and benefits designed to create an effortless experience for customers. Some of its most impressive features include:Bulk ticket updateConvert ticket message to KB articleDelete brand option in admin moduleMerge contactMerge ticketEdit message or note in ticketMultiple file upload option in ticketShare ticket with specific agent or groupMessage tagging for classifying and filteringBrand-based email templatesEmbeddable web widgetEmbeddable web formsAlso, you can get more details about these features from the product updates.LIKE.TG Reports moduleIn the reports module, LIKE.TG provides both dashboards and reports that are useful for analyzing the effectiveness of your support and making informed decisions based on ticket data. Some of the reports support advanced data filtering and saving filters as views. The following reports are built into LIKE.TG:Support monitoring dashboard: Tracks the current status of support tickets and visualizes data based on created tickets and their stats. It helps identify the busiest time of the day for your support team by tracking created tickets, agent replies, and customer replies over a period of time.Support traffic dashboard: Tracks and analyzes the inflow of tickets over time. This dashboard provides a summarized view of the activities done on tickets. This helps the support team manage their tasks effectively.SLA dashboard: Tracks SLA breaches and accomplishments and visualizes the corresponding data at a specific point in time.Customer satisfaction report: Tracks and analyzes customer satisfaction feedback to get insight into customers’ satisfaction with the service they receive.Ticket conversation report: Helps agents view message updates in tickets.Worklog report: Tracks the billable and non-billable time spent by support agents on their tickets.Customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveyThe CSAT survey allows you to obtain consumer feedback on the service provided. This helps support team leads quantify and better understand customers’ experiences with the support team. Moreover, it aids to rectify customer complaints and retain customers by modifying the support provided to the level they expect.IntegrationsTo provide fast and stellar customer service through LIKE.TG, we knew certain features were needed to enhance team cooperation. To this end, we created several integrations and made some significant improvements.JIRAJIRA integration with LIKE.TG allows the support team to collaborate and stay on top of issues. In addition, agents can view details such as comments, status, and priority on the ticket list page.SalesforceThe Salesforce integration helps support teams view customer-centric data in BoldDesk. Agents can view data such as account, contact, lead, and opportunity on the ticket details page.Custom appsWe built Custom app integration into LIKE.TG to get data from any third-party source. By integrating your custom app, you can collect customer data, revenue, order details, and more from the ticket details, contact, and contact groups pages.Google DriveThrough the integration of Google Drive, agents can share files with customers when adding replies to messages, private notes, and public notes in tickets. Also, you can access and view all files and folders in Google Drive through this connection. Additionally, a search function makes it easier for LIKE.TG users to navigate through their files.DropboxJust like Google Drive integration, Dropbox integration lets agents share files with customers when adding replies to messages, private notes, and public notes in tickets. Through this integration, you can access all Dropbox files and folders and view them. The search option makes it finding the right file super easy.Developer REST APIThe REST API helps third-party applications interact with LIKE.TG programmatically. It supports read, create, edit, and delete operations, usually in JSON format. Tickets, contacts, contact groups, fields, and other items can be handled using the REST API.Audit logs for administrators’ control and maintenanceAudit logs provide a crucial service in modern companies by systematically and securely logging the history of every action that is performed. Information about individual events or operations, including access, changes to details, who did an activity, and more, are available through audit logs. They allow admins to track any change. Audit logs can keep even the busiest, most complex systems safe, as each action is automatically recorded and saved for audit analysis. This has great utility for future problem-solving and historical reporting.Audit logs can also be used to improve operations and increase efficiency since agents can use audited information to analyze past trends within their company.Unlimited agentsThe pricing structure of LIKE.TG has been designed to provide all the best features in an affordable package. Notably, we modified the price to make it simpler to manage subscriptions and payments. You’ll never have to worry about having enough licenses for your help desk—you get unlimited agents at an unbeatable price.What’s next in LIKE.TG?We are always looking for new and creative ways to upgrade our products in order to stay competitive and keep customers engaged. After assessing our goals and objectives for 2023, we’ve decided that the following new features are our highest priorities in upcoming releases:Multi-language supportMobile app for agentsApproval systemTask managementScheduled reportsConclusionThe brief time that has passed since the release of LIKE.TG has presented us with unique challenges and chances. As we look back on all that we managed to accomplish in that time, we are grateful for everyone who has taken the time to try out LIKE.TG and given us feedback on how to make it the best help desk software on the market. Here’s to another exciting year!WithLIKE.TG, give your employees the best help desk experience and satisfaction. Try theLIKE.TG free trialfor your employees to thrive. Contact theLIKE.TG supportteam if you have any questions.
Release Announcement—March 2023 New Features
Announcing the newest features update for LIKE.TG! Our latest release offers exciting features that will make it easier than ever before to offer efficient and effective support to your customers.Are you aiming to improve your team’s productivity through smarter processes? This is one update that shouldn’t be missed! Read on to find out more about our new features and how they can revolutionize the way you approach customer support.Let’s find out more about LIKE.TG’s most recent features! Activities module for task managementThe activities module allows you to create tasks, calls, and meetings. These activities can be linked to a ticket or contact, or they can stand alone. Activities can also be assigned to a specific agent.This helps with ticket organization. For instance, when multiple teams are involved for a particular ticket resolution, then multiple subtasks can be added to a ticket and assigned to different agents.Ticket approval featureThe ticket approval feature allows your agents to create approval requests in the context of tickets. For example:An approval request to a manager for giving a discount to a customer.An approval request to a manager for purchasing new hardware.Global search page for agentsA global search page in LIKE.TG allows agents to search tickets, contacts, contact groups, and the knowledge base.Perform email actions without logging into portalUsing the email actions feature, you can modify certain ticket properties, such as status, assignee, and requester, without logging into the portal. This way, you can quickly and easily manage your support requests through email, even when you’re away from your computer.New integration support in LIKE.TG—OneDriveIn LIKE.TG, users can browse for and attach files from OneDrive. This option is available in the ticket create and reply sections only when the OneDrive integration is enabled from the marketplace page.Look for a ticket within a specific viewin ticket moduleIn the ticketing system, when you look for a particular ticket, you can search by specific tickettitleor ticket ID within a specific view. This feature helps narrow down the search time and effort.Prevent email notifications for ticket creation and responseIn some cases, an agent may not need to send an email alert for a ticket or posted message. For this scenario, we’ve provided an option to skipthe email notification.When this option is selected, no email notifications will be sent to agents or customers. Furthermore, no automation will be triggered for that specific event. This option is available at the time of creating a ticket and posting a message.Changing the default columns for a ticket gridviewWhen creating or editing a ticket’s view, you can save the default columns inthe gridview. Also, you can customize the default columns for each ticket view.When you specify a default column at the time of choosing a specific view, only that column is shown inthe gridview by default.Conditional email templates supportWith this new feature, you can create more personalized and relevant email notifications by inserting conditional statements in your email templates. In LIKE.TG, we are using the Liquid template language. It allows you to build conditions that check for specific user or ticket properties such as categories or custom field values and sends different content accordingly. For more information, refer to our knowledge base article.Separate page for tags in customer portal knowledge baseIn the customer portal, a new page has been added to filter articles by tag. This helps us find relevant articles easily. When you click a specific tag, all the articles with thattag will be listed in the article details page with pagination.Preventing conflicts while editing articles in a knowledge baseNow you can avoid conflicts when more than one agent is working on the same article. A warning message will be sent when a user works on and saves the older version of the article. The user can get the latest version of the document by reloading the page and then making their changes.File attachment and weblinks support in contact and contact group modulesIn contact management, you can attach files to the contact and contact group profile pages. You can also include external website links in the profile pages, such as a contact’s LinkedIn profile link.Now, you can add a maximum of 25,000 contacts to a single contact group under contact management.Excelexportimprovements forworklog reportsIn this LIKE.TG release, some enhancements have been made to the worklog report export option:The exported file includes a summary of the work that has been logged.There is an option to export the results of the work logreport grouped by fields, such as ticket ID, requester, contact group, and created on.Get the underlying data for agent performance dashboard metricsThis option helps you view the underlying data for metrics based on SLA in the Agent Performance Dashboard. By clicking on themetric, you can view its details.Secure contact list in admin moduleIn some cases, you may be required to add an external user as an agent. In such cases, you may want to restrict external agents from viewing the contact or contact group list, even if it is in a dropdown.To achieve this, you can disable the view contacts permissions. This way, the agent will be unable to view the contact list, even in the dropdown fields. This keeps the data more secure.File drive integration for customer portal and knowledge baseIn the customer portal and knowledge base articles of LIKE.TG, support for OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox has been provided. Customers can attach files from these drives when creating and replying to tickets in their customer portal. Agents, too, can add attachments to the articles from the drives.ConclusionWe hope our new features make the LIKE.TG experience even better for customers. With top-notch scalability and customization options, LIKE.TG stands out as a great choice among other help desk software providers in the industry. These new features introduce exceptional flexibility into the system, allowing you to tailor every aspect of your help desk system to meet your exact demands. Also, you can explore more about the new features from our products update page.We believe our help desk service with these extra features can provide customers with a first-class service. Contact us today to find out how you can make your customer support efficient and hassle-free with BoldDesk. To learn more about LIKE.TG’s features and how they can be tailored to your company’s needs, schedule a 30-minute live demo. On BoldDesk.com, you can also start a 15-day free trial to try it out for yourself.
Syncfusion LIKE.TG is Now SOC 2® Type 2 Compliance Certified!
LIKE.TG is proud to announce that we have successfully completed the SOC 2®Type 2 compliance certification!This is great news for our esteemed customers as it demonstrates our commitment to their data privacy and security. Moreover, this proves we are worthy of our customers’ trust and confidence in our brands.Let’s have a brief look into what it means to be SOC 2® Type 2 compliant. What it means to be SOC 2® Type 2 compliantSystem and Organization Controls (SOC) 2® Type 2 compliance certification is an internal controls report given to SaaS companies that meet the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) highest security and data privacy standards.An external auditor evaluates the procedures and controls specified by a company to ensure that security and data privacy protection are upheld.Difference between SOC 2® Type 1 audit and SOC 2® Type 2 auditThe SOC 2® Type 1 report evaluates the details of the procedures and the control measures put in place by a SaaS company while the SOC 2® Type 2 report audits these procedures and controls over a period of time.Why is SOC 2® Type 2 compliance certification important?LIKE.TG being SOC 2® Type 2 compliant means it has successfully proven to AICPA that it meets all the necessary data privacy and security standards.With this certification, customers are guaranteed of the security of their personal information and the protection of their data privacy.ConclusionAt LIKE.TG, we consistently strive to ensure we give our clients the best experience and earn their trust and confidence. That is why we take the highest measures possible to ensure our clients’ data is always safeguarded and their privacy is protected. This SOC 2® Type 2 compliance certificate is proof of how much we value and prioritize our customers’ privacy and security!You can start a free trial of LIKE.TG and deliver top-notch customer service with outstanding data security and privacy. Reach out to our support team if you have any questions.
LIKE.TG Wins Crozdesk’s Quality Choice Award and Happiest Users Award!
We are elated to announce that LIKE.TG has earned the Quality Choice Award and Happiest Users Award from Crozdesk, the prominent business software review website. What is LIKE.TG all about?LIKE.TG is modern, sophisticated help desk software that streamlines customer service through first-rate customer support tools and self-service features. It includes a robust ticketing system, knowledge base, efficient automations, extensive customization options, a user-friendly customer portal, insightful reports and analytics, and top-notch security.Learn about the awardsThe Happiest Users Award is given to solutions that attain a high satisfaction rating from delighted customers. To earn this badge, a product must have a user rating of at least 4.5 out of 5.0. According to Crozdesk, a mere 10% of solutions reviewed on their website receive this award.The Quality Choice Award is granted to vendors that distinguish themselves in the market. This prestigious recognition is exclusively given to solutions that achieve a Crozscore (Crozdesk’s predictive scoring algorithm) of 80 or higher, with 100 being the highest possible. According to Crozdesk, only 1/3 of the solutions they review pass this threshold.Check out our awards on LIKE.TG’s Crozdesk profile: https://crozdesk.com/software/LIKE.TGHow are Crozscores ratings updated?Crozdesk uses an automated scoring algorithm known as Crozscore. The algorithm uses artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to analyze quantitative and qualitative data about a product to produce a summary review of products on the market. This aids businesses in finding and selecting the best products and solutions to meet their needs.SummaryWe at LIKE.TG are very proud of the badges from Crozdesk. They are proof that we provide our customers with a high-quality service. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our customers for their reviews and ratings of our products, and we are incredibly happy to have elevated what businesses can expect from customer service and support software.To learn more about LIKE.TG and our other products, please contact us or schedule a live demo.
10 Effective Ideas for Help Desk Software Customization
Get ready to experience even higher levels of efficiency and streamlined customer support with the amazing, game-changing new features included in the LIKE.TG May feature updates!Experience powerful, cutting-edge latest features, like:Multilingual help deskMultilingual knowledge baseActivity module enhancementsNew contact dashboardInsights on raw data behind different dashboardsAdvanced ticket search enhancementsLaunching soon: Generative AI feature powered by ChatGPTLet’s learn more about the latest features in LIKE.TG! LIKE.TG May release updatesThe following feature updates have been added to the LIKE.TG product to improve customer support experience.Multilingual help deskCustomers who don’t speak English can now enjoy LIKE.TG with the new support for multiple languages. This multilingual help desk smooths interactions between support agents and clients by allowing them to set up the help desk in their preferred language.Currently, LIKE.TG can be customized to the following languages:EnglishGermanFrenchSpanishItalianPortugueseCzechNote: More languages will be supported by LIKE.TG in the near future.The multilingual support options have been added to the following features: customer portal, fields and forms, embeddable widgets and forms, email notification templates, and satisfaction surveys.Multilingual knowledge baseCommunication and information sharing in the LIKE.TG knowledge base tool has also been elevated with support for multiple languages. Clients can now effectively communicate in their preferred language.What’s more, content in the knowledge base can now be written in multiple languages. This ensures a personalized and engaging experience for end users.The key new features of multilingual support in the knowledge base include:a. Primary and secondary language supportAllows multiple language support in the help center. This enables you to quickly and easily set up your help center in your customers’ preferred languages.b. Translate categories and sectionsTranslate the categories and sections in your knowledge base so users with non-English languages can find relevant information fast.Translating the categories and sections of your knowledge base into multiple languages ensures a wider audience can access your knowledge base.c. SEO metadata for different languagesSet up SEO metadata like titles and descriptions in an article’s specific language.d. Article translation statusTrack the status of your article translations as either outdated or up to date. This makes it easy for authors to identify which articles require further work to keep clients supplied with current and accurate information.e. Keep different article versions and restore options in various languagesMaintain several versions of your articles in various languages. You can restore the articles to previous versions if necessary.f. Language-specific history and metricsMonitor your knowledge base article performance to ensure you optimize your content for better customer service.g. Multilingual tags and search optionsUsers can search for and tag articles in the help center in multiple languages.h. Search function improvementsWe have improved how search queries are processed and how search results are ranked to make the search function more effective and efficient.i. Knowledge base access restrictionsLimit who can access and view the knowledge base portal. You can allow either all users or just logged-in users.New features in activity modulePerforming activities within the ticketing system has been made easier with the following new features in the activity module:Attach files and images in comments: More easily share information and collaborate with othersFilter activities: Filter activities based on their type, date, and status to find any needed information.Add watchers to activities: Watchers get notifications whenever a new comment is added to an activity.Activity module filter in the global search page: Searching for activities in the global search page to easily find activities relevant to your work.Mention agents in comments: Get the right user’s attention.Clone activities: Create new activities based on those that already exist.New Activities tab in contact profile pageA new Activities tab has been added to the contact profile page in BoldDesk. It provides a list of all activities linked to a specific contact so you can quickly view that contact’s recent activities.New reports and analytics feature: Contact DashboardA new Contact Dashboard has been added to the reports and analytics of LIKE.TG for visualizing data based on contacts and contact groups.With this dashboard, you can see statistics about requests, tickets, and SLAs. You can also apply filters to inspect specific data sets.Insights into raw data behind different dashboardsYou can now view the raw data used to generate charts and graphs for SLA and agent performance dashboards. This gives you a deeper view of your customer service information.New advanced ticket filter optionsTo help you find tickets, new fields have been added to the advanced filter in the ticket module.These new fields include:Last Modified By: Filters tickets based on the last person to modify them.Last Replied By: Filters tickets based on the last person to reply to them.Ticket External Reference ID: Filters tickets using external reference IDs.Not All operator in the Tag field: Excludes all tickets with the specified tags.Multiple selection of the Subject field for keyword filtering: Allows you to search for tickets that have multiple keywords in the subject line.New generative AI integration coming soonA new generative AI feature powered by ChatGPT integration will be launching soon! This new feature will have the following exceptional capabilities:RephrasingShorteningElaborationGrammar CorrectionSummarizationSummaryWith these exciting feature updates to LIKE.TG, your customer support operations will thrive! Clients and support agents alike will have incredible experiences with the new features, like the multilanguage support and advanced ticket search options.With LIKE.TG, elevate your support team’s productivity with a highly efficient ticketing system and provide the best customer experience possible with the new features added in this release.Request a live demo or give these latest features a try with a LIKE.TG free trial. Reach out to our LIKE.TG support team if you have any questions.
7 Techniques to Improve Your Knowledge Base Design
A knowledge base is of no use unless individuals can locate the appropriate information, comprehend it, and apply it to their queries. The first impressions of 94% of website users are influenced by the website’s appearance.Undoubtedly, visuals greatly enhance the allure of a webpage or website. However, what role does design and visuals play in a knowledge base? In this blog, we will look at techniques to improve your knowledge base design and visuals. Tips to improve your knowledge base designAn effectively designed customer-facing knowledge base, utilizing self-service tools, can revolutionize a brand’s image. When designing a knowledge base website, visuals are an important aspect to consider.To find out more on best practices to improve your knowledge base, read this blog.Here are some visual design techniques to consider:1. Concentrate on the design aspectIn the realm of self-service tools, how can one define exceptional design? It ultimately boils down to the absence of friction. A design with minimal friction allows users to seamlessly benefit from a product.Consider the needs of your customers and choose a design that aligns with their requirements.Your customers desire quick answers, and it’s your responsibility to ensure they get them. To achieve this, you can:Incorporate a prominent knowledge domain search for users to instantly locate the information they need.Include links to your most popular articles on the homepage to prevent customers from navigating away immediately.By doing so, customers receive the answers they seek without sacrificing visual appeal.2. Your knowledge domain should be quick to loadOne factor that can deter your customers is the inability to view certain sections of an article.According to Go-Globe, 39% of individuals will cease engaging with a website if images wont load or take too much time to load. Ensuring a quick load time involves optimizing various elements such as:Using appropriate file formats: When it comes to images and other media, choose the right file format.Optimizing image size: Large image files can significantly slow download times. Resize and compress images to reduce their file size without compromising on quality.As users, we understand that each second spent waiting online can feel like an eternity. Therefore, confirm that your site loads as quickly as possible.3. Ensure your knowledge domain is device-compatibleYour knowledge base software must cater to users accessing it from various devices, such as smartphones and tablets.It is essential to enable your customers to self-serve from any location, and for this reason, ensuring your site displays accurately on different devices is crucial.A responsive knowledge base design provides an enhanced user experience regardless of whether a customer is using their laptop at home or browsing on their smartphone.Furthermore, search engines rank sites with responsive designs higher than those without them.4. Design to enhance readabilityWhen creating the appearance of your articles, it is essential to optimize them for readability, ensuring that users can easily comprehend your content.Large blocks of text may deter users, so it is crucial to utilize an appropriate font size and break up the text using bullet points, numbered lists, headings, and other formatting techniques.It is also essential to:Ensure that there is sufficient spacing between lines of text to prevent them from appearing too condensed.Refrain from using all capital letters in your articles, as it can be challenging for some individuals to read.Avoid underlining text within your content and reserve this formatting method for links.5. Ensure your knowledge center is interactiveIt is essential for your knowledge base articles to engage with your clients. An interactive self-service tool can significantly improve user experience and engagement by providing visually appealing and easy-to-navigate content.You can practice the following to make the self-help center more interactive:Use interactive elements such as quizzes or surveys to engage users and push them to interact with your articles. This can help reinforce learning and keep users interested in your content.Motivate users to share their opinions regarding your knowledge center content and use their suggestions to make improvements. This can assist you to identify areas where your content may need to be more interactive or visually appealing.6. Incorporate visuals in your self-service toolA picture holds the value of a thousand words, which is especially accurate in knowledge base software. Since individuals process visuals quicker than text, investing in this vital aspect of your design is advisable.Optimize your articles by incorporating visual components like images, videos, and screenshots to cater to various learning styles.To optimize the influence of your knowledge center, it is essential to incorporate relevant and captivating visuals that enhance your material.7. Ensure that your knowledge center is in line with your company’s brandYour website architecture needs to be designed with purpose, ensuring that the structure of your knowledge domain complements the information it contains.This involves maintaining visual consistency with other sections of your site and aligning the copy within the knowledge center with your overall site copy and brand tone.Elements such as UX design, tone of voice, grammar, and visuals should all represent your brand and feel intuitive to the customer.Possessing a comprehensive understanding of your intended audience will make this aspect of the process more manageable.Benefits of design in your knowledge base softwareWhat roles do designs play in a knowledge base?a. Designs embody your brand’s personaThe appearance of your knowledge base establishes your company’s identity.b. Improved design enhance the knowledge domain experienceBy providing better design representation, organization, and navigation within the knowledge base.c. Boost the authenticity of your messageEnsuring that your knowledge center aligns with your company’s branding guarantees that your customers recognize it as the official knowledge base.d. Transmit information more quicklyUndoubtedly, information presented in bullet points is easier to comprehend. However, when the same information is conveyed through images or videos, it is processed even more rapidly.e. Enhance the retention of informationPeople remember information better when it is presented visually rather than in text.f. Simplify complex informationDesigns can help break down complex ideas and concepts into more easily digestible formats. By simplifying complex information, designs can make the knowledge center more accessible and understandable to a wider audience.g. Designs are engaging and attention-grabbersThe design appeal of your knowledge center plays a crucial role in capturing the user’s interest.ConclusionOverall, the design of your knowledge base should be user-centric, visually appealing, and easy to navigate. By incorporating these knowledge base design techniques, you can design a knowledge domain that is informative, engaging, and effective.LIKE.TG provides the best help desk software with the best knowledge base design to enhance user-friendliness. Register for a free trial to explore its potential for your team.The LIKE.TG support team is constantly ready to assist with any inquiries.To see how LIKE.TG can be customized to suit your business requirements, kindly reach out to us to arrange a live demo.Related linksThe Importance of a Knowledge Base in an Organization7 Proven Best practices to improve your knowledge base7 Important Tips to Creating a Knowledge Base Effectively
