Outsourcing email support: A step-by-step method to bettering your customer service
For organisations, email support is a crucial technique of aiding clients. Resolving client complaints via email saves time and human resource engagement, lowering the cost of technical assistance in the long run. Customers can be guided through proper step-by-step troubleshooting techniques that are emailed to them.
According to Statista, 20% of customers choose email help for customer care, with after-call support coming in second. Businesses must provide immediate email assistance to ensure that clients receive a prompt response and are satisfied with the resolution of their problems. You may equalise the demand between peak and off-peak hours by using email support outsourcing services.
What is the difference between chat and email support?
Email and chat are becoming increasingly common in customer support, but they have their own set of differences. Let’s have a look at some of the major distinctions.
Time to respond
E-mails should not be expected to be answered immediately. For improved efficiency, contact centres might arrange them during off-peak hours. Chat support, on the other hand, necessitates a quick response, but organisations rely on one person to handle three chat engagements at once. Chat help is now less than half the price of call support.
FCR is a term used to describe a (First Contact Resolution)
It’s preferable to attain high FCR rates with email assistance if a customer service staff has adequately identified Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and agents are well trained and can quickly understand the client’s problems and deliver the appropriate solutions.
Chat assistance allows for a more flexible answer as well as the opportunity to explain the customer’s comprehension both before and after a solution is provided.
How may email support outsourcing benefit your company?
Email support services, as the name implies, are given through using email as a means of contact between a company and its clients. These services provide a convenient way for customers to contact the company and vice versa. The actual benefit of email support services is how simple they are to use. Unlike a direct phone discussion with a call centre representative, which may interrupt the customer while they are working on anything else, emails are securely saved. Customers have the option of accessing them at their leisure, making them the most basic and non-interruptive type of communication available to brands.
Email help is frequently requested by consumers who prefer not to phone or chat with a representative. It is then the brands’ job to ensure that they are imparted with care. However, due to a lack of competence and the availability of necessary technologies, not all firms are capable of offering email assistance at the needed level. As a result, it is preferable to outsource email assistance to a seasoned outsourcing partner. The following are some of the primary benefits of outsourcing email support services:
Software for managing email responses is available:
Today’s email volume is so large that it may be difficult for a company to respond to all of its customers’ emails. Of course, this could lead to missed emails and inaccurate responses, jeopardising the company’s economic prospects. Email response management software is used by an email support outsourced provider to ensure that all emails are correctly answered. It also generates data reports that provide managers with information on their employees’ productivity. It improves your CSAT score and has a good impact on your overall performance.
It connects you with specialists.
You’ll require the services of a skilled team with in-depth expertise of email response management software to ensure that it’s used correctly. With email support outsourcing, you gain immediate access to a workforce that is well-versed in your technology.
Email services at a reduced cost
Having a full-fledged in-house email support department can be costly for a company. The costs of acquiring infrastructure, putting agents on the payroll, and giving benefits to employees can all have a negative impact on your bottom line. Outsourcing email support services, on the other side, lowers your operating costs. Furthermore, you benefit from the currency exchange rate if you offshore to a firm in a country with a lower currency value than yours, such as a corporation in the United States outsourcing to a company in India.
Allows you to concentrate on the main task at hand.
You won’t have to worry about managing a second team when you outsource email support. This frees you up to concentrate more on your core company, allowing you to improve the quality of your product and service. You and your new outsourcing partner also share the weight of your business, giving you peace of mind.
Outsourcing email support best practises for better customer service
Outsourcing email support should be adapted to the needs. Use a variety of customer support email templates, but don’t rely on a generic response too often. When responding to an email from a consumer, you should:
Read the email carefully.
The quality of your response is more important than the speed with which you respond. Read the customer’s email carefully and absorb as much information as possible. If you don’t have all of the information you need, you can ask the consumer to furnish it.
Call the consumer by his or her name.
To create a personalised CX, you must address your customer by their name. This also gives the impression that the customer is speaking with a real person rather than a bot or an IVR.
Demonstrate empathy for the customer.
Tell the customers that you recognise and appreciate their dissatisfaction with the situation. Express yourself succinctly and positively, rather than in a generic customer service manner. Customers will now believe you are on their side.
Make no excuses; instead, concentrate solely on the answer.
You may be obligated to explain why the customer encountered this problem if the consumer requests it. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever Instead, concentrate on resolving the customer’s problem.
Provide pertinent web page URLs.
If the solution to the problem necessitates the consumer navigating your company’s website, it is preferable to provide them with a link to the desired page rather than guiding them there.
Dress casually but formally.
Email support necessitates a more formal approach to client communication. Customers should, however, have the impression that they are talking with a live person. In your emails, strike a balance between formal and informal to make your customers feel at ease.
Stay true to your brand.
Allow your customer support representatives to be themselves while being true to your brand’s ideals. If your brand is known for being quirky, and the problem isn’t too serious, you can encourage your agents to use humour in their engagements.
Make a promise and follow through on it.
Let your consumers know that their concerns will be addressed as soon as possible, and give them a realistic yet short time period for resolution. Most importantly, you must be able to complete the resolution within the time frame specified.
Be generous to customers who deserve it.
You get your fair share of irrationally irritated customers working in customer service. Having said that, some consumers are deserving of special treatment. Whether they are die-hard fans of your brand or have legitimate worries. Never be afraid to go above and above for your deserving clientele.
Use your real name and include your custom email signature.
Customers may be put off by your anonymity and use of a generic email signature. Your customer should be able to tell who they’re speaking with and whether or not they’re dealing with a real person. Your consumers will feel more at ease with you if you use your name and signature. This will strengthen your relationship.
Always express gratitude to your clients.
In every customer service situation, making your customers feel valued and appreciated is critical, and appreciation goes a long way. Always thank your consumer for contacting you, regardless of the tone or content of their email.
Customer satisfaction should be measured.
After you’ve finished, make a note of how the consumer felt about their experience with your company. You can do this by sending them a link to your survey page or an automated CSAT survey email.
Create your own email outsourcing strategy.
As a convenient customer care channel for resolving emergency client concerns and issues for a service or product, email assistance has become mission-critical for all online enterprises. Long-term success is dependent on customer retention, which is primarily reliant on after-sales services. Consider the following factors when outsourcing email support services:
Appropriate Pricing
Many tech support organisations provide various email packages, including “pay per email,” to businesses ranging from small startups to huge and rapidly expanding online corporations.
Outsource email support services with a budget in mind. This aids in comparing the pricing plans provided by numerous agencies and selecting the one that best suits your company’s demands. After all, every organisation seeks cost savings, particularly when outsourcing a major corporate function.
Customers are concerned about five service dimensions:
- Do you follow through on your promises?
- Assurance: Is your company a safe place to work?
- Do you present your firm in a professional manner?
- Are your team members empathic and able to address difficulties on their own?
- Is your support crew responsive? Do they respond to queries in a timely manner?
The technique is critical in determining the trustworthiness of the email support outsourcing partner in order to assure customer satisfaction.
A reputable tech support company will gladly provide customer feedback on a regular basis. So, look for honesty from their end in this regard, because it’s the only way to know if you’ve chosen the proper agency.
Verify your email support outsourcing company’s areas of competence.
You are hiring the personnel of the agency company when you outsource e-mail support services. As a result, it’s critical to pick a firm that employs engineers who are well-versed in your industry’s knowledge and skills. How else can you make the most of email support outsourcing?
Many agencies exist on the market that specialise in only a few industries. Check to see if the tech-support you’re seeking is enthusiastic about and has relevant experience in your sector.
Increased sales and client retention are dependent on good service. As a result, check their knowledge by looking at their track record of performance and quality.
Examine their previous claim work for companies in similar industries to yours.
Ascertain that they deal with qualified people and utilise cutting-edge technology.
Cultural compatibility is necessary for effective communication.
Remember that your consumers are accustomed to your tone of voice. Outsourced customer care services can make or break your business image due to a lack of cultural context. As a result, many businesses are hesitant to outsource this critical business function.
You must ensure that the voice of the external tech-support team you hire matches that of your in-house tech-support team. So, how can you get over the language and cultural barriers?
Provide a set of tonal guidelines to the agency that spell out the dos and don’ts of interacting with your customers. To be exact, create a brand voice.
Specify the customer service standards that your firm expects.
Giving the agent company a cultural background will make it simpler for them to relate to the clients.
You should examine legal compliance before employing an email customer service provider. Before granting the tech-support agency access to your papers, have your legal team assess your company’s internal security. You can limit their access to sensitive client data to some extent once they’ve identified it. Nonetheless, dangers exist. As a result, it’s critical to assess if the outsourcing partner you’re considering hiring conforms with your client information confidentiality policies. Make sure your info is safe!
Make sure your outsourcing contract includes a well-written service legal agreement, which is a requirement because it sets the standard for both parties’ expectations. It serves as a framework for creating goals and accurately monitoring success.
Outsourcing email assistance to a seasoned supplier might help you quickly resolve these difficulties while also increasing client satisfaction. By delivering precise responses to email queries, Votiko can assist you in gaining new clients and increasing customer satisfaction. Outsourcing email support can help you save money on staff and costs while increasing income.
