A time for everything in customer service

“Time is money.” – Benjamin Franklin.

This quote stands true, especially in business, because time is the most valuable resource we have. As companies crash and millionaires are made in a matter of days, there is no debate to the importance of making good time in business.

Customer service is a subset of this concept, more so than others because it’s not just the business’s time involved. The customer invests their time on the clock with a brand when they ask for help. Every extra minute that the business takes to resolve an issue hurts both parties. The customer could lose time-sensitive deals because of the issue, and businesses could lose the customer because of it.

Even if bad response times don’t always come with consequences, it still stunts your agents’ productivity. It’s prudent to remember that the faster you resolve a ticket for your first customer, the shorter the wait for the second one.

So what can you do to help your customers and make good time while doing so?

“This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

First Response Time comes first

When you receive a ticket, acknowledge it as soon as you can. A worried customer who has raised a ticket will expect a response as affirmation that they can count on your help. Studies have clearly shown that customers are willing to spend more with a business that responds quickly to their questions. When you improve your first response time, you boost revenue while making customers happier. Win-win! 

Automate the little things away

Small, recurring tasks don’t need your attention each time they need to be carried out. Having macros in place to run redundant tasks frees up small chunks of time, which quickly add up to a lot of time saved.

Prioritize your tickets

Each ticket you receive is important. The order in which you choose to work on your tickets, however, has a direct impact on how productive you are. Start off with tickets that haven’t been responded to and let them know you’re listening. Move on to tickets that you can resolve quickly, that need your attention. Plan in advance to make enough time for the more complex tickets that follow.

Have a Knowledge Base at your beck and call

It’s human to not know all the answers, even if that’s what is expected of you. However, what you do need to know is where to find those answers and retrieve them whenever you need to. A Knowledge Base with a comprehensive set of solutions that’s readily accessible while working on tickets can be a lifesaver, as well as a time-saver. For simple problems, KBs do you a favor by helping your customers help themselves.

A cause for collaboration

Each agent has seen their share of tickets that have left them with a sense of uncertainty. They may be unsure of the solution to the problem, the right person to handle the problem, or even of the problem itself. This difficulty is magnified even more for remote agents. However, the right instant chat tool can save a great deal of effort. A customer service team that communicates seamlessly, discussing tickets and pitching in at the right time collectively saves more time together than a single agent would at their best.

Businesses are hard-pressed for time, trying to improve and grow at every turn. Making time for yourself while keeping the customer’s best interests in mind is a step in the right direction. When you keep trying, you keep growing as a successful and customer-centric business.

“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb