how to deliver great customer service
studies of customer service have centered on creating the perfect online experience the first and most difficult factor is the multiplicity of channels today s customers expect to get service through whatever app or device they happen to be using at the moment that may be a mobile device or a laptop a social media site a text app or live chat once again the focus has been on packaging how to content and related resources that are designed for self service increasingly sophisticated data analytics also are being used to identify dissatisfied or low engagement customers but as always the most effective customer service needs to incorporate human contact if only as a last resort customer service channelsthere are a number of different channels to deliver customer service many companies especially larger ones use more than one way for consumers to reach them smaller businesses may use one or just a few of them and in the age of social media it s become even easier to get in touch with businesses to get questions answered and problems resolved the following chart highlights some of the most common customer service channels companies can use customer service automationfor decades businesses in many industries have sought to reduce personnel costs by automating their processes to the greatest extent possible this led many companies to implement systems online and by phone that answer as many questions or resolve as many problems as they can without a human presence but in the end there are customer service issues for which human interaction is indispensable creating a competitive advantage amazon is an example of a company that is trying to automate a vast and complex operation it has to given that it delivered a staggering seven billion packages with same or next day shipping in 2023 2 nevertheless amazon still offers 24 hour customer service by phone in addition to email and live chat services most successful businesses recognize the importance of providing outstanding customer service courteous and empathetic interaction with a trained customer service representative can mean the difference between losing or retaining a customer the average annual salary for a customer service representative in 2023 according to glassdoor3customer services job requirementsmuch is expected of customer service representatives yet the pay for the job is low the estimated total pay for as of 2023 is 42 135 per year with an average salary of 39 599 3some of the job expectations 