Quick response times and customer concerns addressed efficiently are essential to fostering brand loyalty. Meanwhile, slow customer response times will result in loss of customers and revenue.
However, you also have other tasks that might need more immediate attention. You need strategies and systems that will make responding to customers more efficient. Here are 4 ways your business can improve its customer response times.
1. Use an Email Autoresponder
An email autoresponder is a script that automatically replies to emails. It can’t actually address a customer’s concerns, but it can be used to tell them that you will reply soon, what your team’s opening hours are, and link them to a FAQ page or manual.
Though an email autoresponder won’t completely satisfy your customers, it will show them that their email has been received and that you care. When you finally respond, they’ll see you made good on your promise.
2. Draft Canned Responses
To speed up email writing, draft canned responses addressing common concerns and for fulfilling common tasks. For example, if you often get tasks that have a common first step like asking customers to fill out an intake form, you can draft a canned response asking customers to do so.
When you need to wait for more information to be able to respond to an email, set up a time-based email alert to remind you to respond within a reasonable timeframe.
3. Automate Recurring Customer Support Processes
Automation is necessary for reducing customer response times.
Resolving concerns involves many manual, recurring steps. You can automate many actions, like assigning priority, following up on appointments, document collection, contact information updating, and many more.
By automating tasks, you streamline processes and clear up more of your time. This lets you focus on the touchpoints that require your specific input.
There are also a variety of other benefits for your business that comes with automation. It increases efficiency, is less expensive than hiring an employee to do repetitive tasks, and reduces the risk of human error when completing mundane tasks.
4. Hire a Virtual Receptionist
The simplest way to increase customer response time is to simply hire someone to respond to them. Virtual receptionists are available 24/7 and can screen and take calls for you.
A virtual receptionist can take messages, email recaps to multiple users, and schedule and confirm appointments for you. Unlike full-time employees, they’re fully dedicated to providing your customers with quality service, improving impressions of your brand.
A virtual receptionist will also work with you to develop call handling instructions so they can effectively address callers’ concerns, leaving you with only matters that require your direct involvement.
By delegating some of your more menial tasks to a virtual receptionist, you have more time and energy for handling high-priority customer concerns.
