A fruitful conversation and a customer support ticket lie at the two ends of the customer experience management spectrum. Occasionally a raised ticket may be followed by a healthy conversation between a customer support agent and the complainant. A lot of customer support teams pride themselves on quick ticket resolution – and that’s great!
But the true aim in high quality customer support, should be to:
a) Encourage interactions or conversations with customers
b) Utilize convenient communication modes, especially in real-time (chat, call, social media etc)
c) Curb customer action towards raising a ticket in the very first place
So, what is wrong with tickets?
Multiple companies around the world have realized that tickets are impersonal in nature. They do not treat customers as the individuals that they are. Tickets may alienate customers from a brand rather than open up communication lines to solidify a valuable, mutually beneficial relationship. This is especially true of B2C consumer brands that are vying to play an increased role in customers’ lives.
That’s the crux of this blog and issue.
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But let’s go deeper and find out why some customer support set-ups may be inviting more tickets than conversations.
1) Inadequate Preliminary Information
Customer purchase decisions are based on product images, features, benefits and applications. If a customer wishes to enquire further about these or more, the quickest method is via a chat support system.
Many companies offer an FAQs section. This section however needs to be comprehensive (or it can just get frustrating!). It also needs to be supported by a chat or call option. Tickets are often raised by customers not getting the products they thought they were ordering, as there was not enough information at their disposal at the time of purchase.
2) Lack of Omnichannel Customer Support
A cloud-enabled, omni-channel customer support platform is the latest technology in customer support. It combines multiple communication channels such as audio and video calling, chatbot and human chat, social media messaging, AR/VR supported tools, email, customer support for Whatsapp and ticketing. This unified platform enables seamless transitions from one mode to another, without the customer repeating the entire story via every new customer touch point.
Also Read: Why The Modern Consumer Prefers Omni-Channel Communication
Due to wide and diversified customer preferences, offering multiple channels of communication is a winning solution. It gives customers opportunities to connect with sellers or brands in whichever mode they feel comfortable with. An omnichannel customer support platform that offers AI powered customer service goes a long way in triggering conversations over stern tickets.
Related: Choosing The Best Cloud Telephony For Your Customer Support
3) Gaps in Product Orientation And Training
Technical or complicated products such as software, appliances or gadgets require after sales training. Though most brands post videos on YouTube to help out their customers, not all issues are covered. Then a customer is forced to raise a ticket.
A better option is to offer the means to communicate with a customer support agent over a video call and receive personalised attention. With everyone turning to video calling during the COVID-19 times, the option of sharing problems and ideas over video is no longer an uncomfortable thought!
Some products and brands are also investing in AR-based training for their customers that takes into consideration various products limitations, applications or compatibility issues.
Lastly, customer conversations can give companies valuable insights into customer habits, preferences, personalities and lifestyles that tickets cannot. In a world where every business is run by data, conversations with buyers offer brands the advantage of knowing their customers better. Likewise customers feel an emotional connect with the brand and ensures trust and long term loyalty. Brand persona cannot be depicted with tickets. Instead, warm helpful conversations that offer prompt help (unlike tickets) make customers feel special and valued.