Best digital customer service

4 Keys to delivering the best digital customer service.

Digital customer service, which includes providing support through channels like email, chat, SMS and mobile apps, has given consumers a host of convenient and effective options for how they interact with businesses. These choices include both agent-assisted and self-service methods with response times ranging from immediate to up to a day or more. This means customers can choose the channel that best matches the complexity and urgency of their issue, which is a very empowering scenario.

Consumers are increasingly embracing digital support and many organizations are responding by offering the best digital customer service they possibly can. But is it enough? Shifting preferences and evolving technology make it hard for businesses to keep up. Will Generation Z and Millennials be fully satisfied with only optimized email and chat service? Our research shows they're ready for more options.

The writing is on the wall - digital customer service is the future, and the future is now.

Here are 4 keys to implementing the best digital customer service.

1. Embrace second wave digital channels

Fear not social messaging! Don't shy away from virtual assistants! Many of your customers use these in their daily lives, so why not meet them where they are? First generation digital channels, like chat and email, have proven the appeal and effectiveness of digital. Now it's time to explore and embrace the emerging digital channels.

2. Provide your agents with an integrated inbox

If you want your agents to be able to provide the best digital customer service, empower them by giving them the right tools. An integrated inbox combines contacts from all digital channels, eliminating the need for multi-skilled agents to access multiple systems. Plus, automatic prioritization directs them to the highest priority contacts to focus on.

3. Offer an omnichannel experience

With the addition of more channels, it becomes increasingly important to allow customers to move seamlessly across them. So, the best digital customer service includes an omnichannel experience. If a customer starts off in a Facebook Messenger chat and switches to a phone call, no problem! The phone agent will be able to access the Messenger transcript. Not having to start from scratch will result in a happy customer.

4. Holistically manage it

Providing the very best digital customer service often means transforming your contact center. Agents have to be trained and managed differently, and they need new transactional and performance monitoring tools. Supervisors need to be able to lead multi-skilled digital teams. And workforce managers need to be able to incorporate digital volumes into forecasting and scheduling efforts.