There are two primary customer service approaches in business: The outside-in approach and the inside-out approach. Until recently, the inside-out method is the industry go-to when dealing with customer service issues. Companies have historically acted in the company's best interest, regardless of what was best for the customer. There was pretty much an understanding that shareholder value was the only thing that mattered at the end of the day. Profit-centric service meant being as efficient as possible with all company resources, regardless of customer needs.
Thanks to the rise of social media, help desk services are evolving. Social media and other digital communication give customers a platform that never existed before for not only contacting companies but for telling others about their experience, whether positive or negative. Social media changed the way companies looked at managed help desk services as a result. Now, potentially millions of people could hear about a company's good or bad deeds at the whim of a single tweet.
Now that businesses see that this new climate can substantially impact a company's reputation, intelligent companies have abandoned the old inside-out customer service style favoring outside-in. These days, most businesses look at help desk services through what is best for the customer rather than what is best for only the bottom line. Today, industry buzz words include phrases like "customer journey," "customer experience," and "pain points." Thus, organizations can maintain a laser focus on keeping customers happy. A happy customer means a content company and happy shareholders.
Due to the rise in digital media, customer service soon became a new industry category. Reputation experience management is the result of combining customer experience with reputation management. Reputation experience management, also known as "RMX," or sometimes even "experience management, or "XM," came about thanks to a company named Qualtrics.
According to some industry experts, RMX will continue to grow in popularity as companies continue to look for ways to manage their reputations.
Companies are shifting from profit-centered service to customer-centered means also changing internal processes and relationships. With this new focus comes a focus on managed help desk services. Lately, customer success and digital marketing are all part of the same thing. Gone are the days when marketing was only a lead generation enterprise. Today, customer success and satisfaction are a prime concern of corporations when ignored mainly by executives in past years.
In the modern business atmosphere, businesses almost always rely heavily on technology to streamline operations. However, a downside to this is when there is a problem, the fallout can be immediate, requiring a quick solution. Therefore, most companies look for managed IT and help desk services on staff when things go wrong. However, it is becoming more common for companies to look to outsourcing. Here are some ways in which managed help desk services can benefit your business.
Reduce repeat calls
One consistent problem with technology is that many businesses use many different systems, often with technology that is not fully compatible. An outsourced managed service maintains a staff of experts who know how to solve problems best. In addition, people with specific expertise can make sure that they resolve the issue quickly, as downtime costs companies money.
Industry experts solving problems
Unless your company is IT-based, chances are it will be challenging to maintain a staff trained in the latest standards and equipment. Technology in this business changes rapidly, and IT managed service providers stay updated for you. In this way, your business will always be on the cutting edge in IT services. Cutting edge means you will maintain the most efficient use of services to maintain profits and customer satisfaction.
Decrease operating costs
The market for outsourced IT services is incredibly competitive. Thanks to this, costs for services remain low. Therefore, it makes sense to outsource IT help desk services to retain cost savings. Outsourcing means you do not have to worry about training, equipment, vacation time, or any other costly problem. Outsourcing keeps things easy to manage and at a fixed cost.
Enhance response time
Managed help desk services use many tools to resolve problems efficiently. For example, companies use remote access to take over a user's PC and fix issues within minutes of the problem. Many companies even stipulate how fast they must respond to meet contract obligations.
Focus on strategic goals
Your team needs to focus on what they do best, which is improving your products and services. IT problems can divert from people doing what they are best at by solving problems or not having access to what they need. With outsourced IT, your team does not have to waste their time and focus on other productivity areas.
24-hour support
For companies with a 9-5 schedule for most staff, managed support is with you full time when you are not around. If customers have problems outside of working hours, a system being down until the following day can be horrible for customer experience. Outsourcing makes sure you are protected at all times with managed help desk services always there for your customers.
Respond to changes rapidly
When a new product launches, there are often a lot of complicated moving parts. Product launches also can be problematic for IT departments as they need to be ready for issues. An outsourced staff is prepared to help manage this while you focus on what you do best.
Keeping customers happy has a lot of power in deciding the fate of your company. According to a study by American Express, top-notch customer service means an average of 13% more money spent with a company.
The most effective way to increase company satisfaction is with happy employees. Happy employees will go out of their way to make a company look good for your customers. Conversely, unhappy employees can even try to make the company look bad sometimes.
There are several ways to enhance a customer experience. However, the most effective way is a loyal, happy, HUMAN employee. Here are some ways happy employees impact your customer experience.
Happy employees are engaged employees who invest in the company's reputation and well-being. Employees who feel valued are usually committed to doing the best job possible to make the company look good.
There are more benefits to having happy employees than we can list here. Happy employees are more productive, and they are more committed to success. In addition, happy employees are more likely to stay with a company longer, which positively benefits the company.
When you have employees dedicated to the company and are happy, they are twice as likely to be top performers for your company. The reasons should be simple: when an employee feels that the company values them, they love the company. They invest in the company's success. According to Fast Company, happy employees are on average 12% more productive.
In addition, a happy worker feels personally invested in problems confronting a company. Happy workers collaborate more with others and are more creative in problem-solving. They are more invested in company and project success.
When a happy employee interacts with customers, they are more productive and invested in finding solutions than just being note-takers. Being invested in solutions means problems are solved more rapidly and lead to a higher satisfaction rate.
According to Harvard Business Review, employees tend to look for three main things in their employers that are key to being happy and productive:
Companies that place a priority on these goals for employee satisfaction generally improve morale. Employees will then begin to return the favor. Happy employees are committed to the success of the entire organization around them. These same employees are committed to the company's success. They are more likely to take in helpful advice for their improvement without seeing it as criticism. Happy employees invest in new perspectives and ways of doing better.
All of the above factors help facilitate a better customer experience. Higher morale equals higher customer satisfaction. A happy employee committed to success at work approaches conversations and problems with customers with a more positive attitude. It is much easier to show a customer faith in wanting to help if you genuinely believe it.
Just as employees desire a happy and positive experience at work, they crave a happy and positive experience with its products and services.
Customers are also invested in their experience. Many are willing to pay a premium for this experience. Epsilon found that 80% of U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for a product or service if they know they will get quality service.
According to Glassdoor, 53% of employees are willing to stick around longer with an employer over a company with which they are not happy. Strong employee retention means better trained and better-informed employees to better help customers. In addition, long-term employees better know the company's vision, policies, and products to be more helpful, especially in managing help desk services.
Another benefit to employee retention is customers can trust a company whose employees have been with a company a long time. When a customer is confident, staff will still be there in a year or two or five to help with a comforting problem. In short, managed help desk services improve customer satisfaction by keeping employees productive, happy, and better at their jobs. In turn, help desk services help them give more attentive and high-quality service to your customers.
At SSI, our help desk services offer multiple layers of highly-responsive and accredited support, 24/7. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to reach out to us today.