Contact centres sit at the heart of every customer-centric business. They’re often the first interaction point for potential new prospects and determining how existing clients experience your brand. But how is on-demand customer service transforming the way we do business, and why is it important to stay ahead of the competition?
Ultimately, contact centres build and mould customer relationships and determine their loyalty and willingness to give your company repeat business. In today’s ever-growing digital world, speed and agility are essential to success in any industry.
As technology advances and customer expectations rise, companies must stay on the cutting edge of service experience trends to remain competitive. One of these trends is on-demand customer service, which is transforming how businesses deliver support and meaningful interaction with their customers.
On-demand customer service allows you to offer your customers support, in real-time, 24/7, without expensive call centre infrastructure. Instead, customers can contact your company through an interactive chat or messaging app and receive help almost instantly.
Think of how customers experience brands like Uber or Airbnb — this shift to on-demand customer service is driven by the increasing popularity of chat messaging and self-service apps. In fact, according to BuildFire’s mobile app statistics for 2023, there are over 6.3 billion smartphone users worldwide — with 88% of screen time spent on apps.
Let’s explore what on-demand customer service is, the link between and the importance of agility in business and customer care, and how it can increase overall customer acquisition and retention in the long term.
The Impact of on-demand customer support on team infrastructure
On-demand customer service is growing increasingly popular in today’s ever-changing business world. And there’s good reason for this — customers are now more demanding than ever, and they expect business integrations to be able to meet their needs at a moment’s notice.
According to Microsoft, accelerating digital transformation and reducing the cost of innovation yields positive results for both businesses and their clients. What’s the takeaway? As a business, you have to be agile in your approach to customer service, especially in the fluctuating peak and burst seasons, which can be challenging to support team infrastructure.
If you’re considering adopting an on-demand customer service model, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Costly infrastructure
Ensuring that your team has the necessary infrastructure to support this customer service model is crucial. This includes having enough staff members available to cover all hours of operation and investing in the right technology to enable quick and efficient responses to customer inquiries. Unfortunately, this infrastructure can be costly, especially for small businesses.
Maintaining agility within your team
Since you’ll need to be able to respond to customer needs at any time, day, or night, your team must rapidly adapt to changes in demand. This means being flexible with staffing levels and schedules and having processes and systems in place that can quickly scale up or down depending on activity levels.
Customer service agents
Make sure you have the right mix of customer support agents and technology. Too few agents and you will be overwhelmed with requests; too many and you won’t have enough queries to justify their employment. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle.
Automation
Use automation to free up your customer support agents for more complex tasks. Automation can take many forms, from simple chatbots to more sophisticated AI-powered solutions.
Quality over quantity
It’s better to have a smaller team of high-quality customer support agents than a large team of mediocre ones. After all, when it comes to on-demand customer service, quality trumps quantity — every time.
Training
Train your customer service professionals on new systems and procedures. On-demand customer service is different from traditional customer service, so your team will need specialised training to get up to speed.
Flexibility
Be prepared to be flexible with your on-demand customer service model. As demands change, you may need to adjust your staffing levels or the types of requests you handle. So again, the key is to be flexible and adaptable.
Partnering with an on-demand customer service agency
Partnering with a global talent matchmaker is a great option if you’re looking for on-demand customer support. You get access to a team of customer support professionals available to help your customers 24/7, allowing you to focus on your core business goals while ensuring your customers always have someone to turn to when they need assistance.
On-demand customer support agencies can offer various services, including live chat, phone support, email support, and social media monitoring. They can also provide detailed reports on your customer service metrics, so you can see how your team is performing and where there is room for improvement.
Most importantly, they offer flexibility when it comes to seasonal fluctuations. For example, our Burst and Seasonal solutions support you in the ways that matter most. You can ramp up or down for short-term or long-term gigs to adapt to your business cycles. Essentially, we’ll handle global sourcing, screening, and payroll so you can focus on scaling and managing your team.
Partnering with an on-demand customer support agency is a terrific way to improve your customer experience while freeing up your time to focus on other areas of your business.
How on-demand customer service can increase business agility
1. Faster response and resolution times
Agility encourages businesses to respond and adapt quickly to rapid market changes or customer needs, meaning you can maintain a competitive edge and keep your customers happy. It can also lead to cost savings, helping you avoid the need for costly equipment or facilities that may become outdated quickly.
2. Flexibility in staffing and resources
Customer service is often one of the first places customers can feel a lack of agility. If your business can’t adapt its customer service offerings quickly enough, you may lose customers to your competitors. On-demand customer service can help overcome this challenge by providing a flexible, adaptable solution tailored to meet changing customer needs.
3. Improved scalability
Scalability, which concerns a system’s capacity to accommodate an increasing workload, compliments business agility. To increase a system’s overall effectiveness, you must add more resources or modify current ones. This is especially true for businesses in the Software as a service (SaaS) industry, where agility and scalability go hand in hand.
4. Greater adaptability to changing customer needs
One of the critical advantages of an agile business is that it can more easily pivot when necessary. If your customers’ needs change, you can quickly change your offerings to match. This flexibility is essential in today’s evolving world.
Notably, an agile business is better equipped to deal with unexpected challenges. For example, if you suddenly need to support customers in a new country or language, an agile company can more easily add this capability. On the other hand, a company that is not agile would likely struggle to make these changes promptly, leading to customer dissatisfaction and a possible loss in revenue.
The benefits of on-demand customer support
When it comes to customer support, on-demand is the way to go. Let’s look at three major benefits that would benefit any organization, regardless of size or industry.
1. Timely support
On-demand customer service provides customers the support they need — when they need it. This is especially important in our fast-paced, always-on world where customers expect instant gratification. Moreover, customers who feel supported and experience positive customer support are more likely to stay loyal to your brand.
2. Competitive edge
With increased agility, businesses maintain a competitive edge by making them more accessible to their customers.
3. Cost saving
By partnering with a trusted external CX agency, on-demand customer service can help businesses save money, as they no longer have to staff traditional call centres.
How on-demand customer support delivers a better customer experience
Not only does an on-demand customer service approach benefit your business, but it also benefits your customers’ experience. Here’s how:
1. Increased convenience for customers
With on-demand customer service, customers can reach out and receive the help they need without scheduling an appointment or waiting on hold. As a result, it’s a huge time-saver for busy customers who don’t have the time to wait for a call centre to open during regular business hours. In addition, on-demand customer service support can be accessed from anywhere, so customers can get help even when on the go. Convenience here is key.
2. Personalised and efficient service
Businesses with on-demand customer service providers have access to a team of human experts who can help resolve even the most complex customer issues with empathy, professionalism, and courtesy.
3. Greater satisfaction and loyalty
Happy client, happy life. Customer loyalty is the key to success in business. Loyal customers are worth their weight in gold because they’ve reached a level of trust, familiarity, and affinity for your brand.
By being available in real-time and offering high-quality and personalised service, on-demand customer service can provide a level of convenience and responsiveness unmatched by traditional in-house customer success methods. As a result, you’ll see increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue.
The verdict is in
On-demand customer service is an invaluable tool for e-commerce businesses and any business in the digital age. With its ability to provide customers with prompt, personalised and efficient help desk support, you can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty while increasing agility within their knowledge bases.
On-demand service allows you to quickly adapt your business to changing market conditions and customer needs to maintain a competitive edge. Additionally, companies can ensure that their customers feel appreciated by investing in the right technology, resources, and personnel necessary for this type of customer experience model. It’s a win-win.
Thinking of ramping up your customer support game?
Keep a few things in mind if you’re considering adopting an on-demand customer service model for your business.
First, it’s crucial to choose a reputable provider who can offer high-quality service. You’ll also need to determine your specific needs and how on-demand customer service can meet them. Finally, you’ll want to consider how you’ll integrate on-demand customer service into your existing operations.
Partnering with Cocoroco means we would provide your brand with a specialised, flexible customer support solution that matches you with high-quality assessed customer service agents to add to your in-house team when you need them.
Book a virtual demo or get in touch to learn more about how we can meet your on-demand customer service needs.
