Customer service is traditionally a reactive space. At first glance, this makes sense. A lot of time is spent waiting for people to come knocking with their requests, right? Well, there’s a lot more to it than people might think. The traditional approach of grouping request tickets into broad categories and funneling them down a chain of standard protocols may have brought efficiency during its heyday, but this no longer cuts it in the modern world.

Fulfilling incoming requests merely keeps things running. It’s average. Passé. Five out of 10.  More importantly, it does not help a business to remain top-of-mind in consumer consciousness. Practically anyone with an internet connection can set up a website these days, and paying customers seek more than passive customer service agents to convince them to open their wallets.

So, what really keeps customers coming back for more?

It is proactive service that goes beyond their expectations. That is, offering what customers would not think to demand, or did not even know they needed.

Case in point: ever since a colleague raved about how he got a free burger with double patties as compensation for a missed order, I’ve been ordering take-out from the same burger franchise every week for a month! It was not something that he had expected to receive, and neither was the business obligated to deliver the extra burger to his doorstep. But this burger joint has has become a part of our department’s weekly lunch rotation thanks to their proactive initiative.

This was by no means an anecdotal experience. Research by Gartner has shown that 82% of customers willingly switch service providers after experiencing a value-enhancing service interaction, and 97% of customers go on to offer positive word-of-mouth reviews.

But what exactly defines a proactive approach? After all, everybody is using the term proactive these days. You also might be thinking, can we be proactive without annoying customers with unwanted calls and flooding their inboxes?

Fulfill customers’ needs before they bubble to the surface

Here’s a simple rule from the hospitality industry that we can all follow: always re-fill your diner’s glass before they ask for it.

Depending on the type of business you operate, proactive customer service may take on several different forms, including contacting customers to:

  • Ask if they would like to renew their subscription before the next billing cycle
  • Introduce product features that address their feedback and existing needs
  • Offer returning customers additional options that are suited to their increased usage

Not only do these proactive customer service initiatives signal that you are invested in your customers’ journey, it also provides an opportunity for you to establish your brand as an expert in the field. This can only be good for your business in the long run, as more customers visit you for both purchasing and recommendations.

Give customers timely updates—until they keep themselves in the loop

More than just bombarding customers with the latest promotional bundle, sending out relevant, useful information can greatly streamline your customer service workflow (think fewer incoming calls and messages).

If, for example, you know a popular item will soon be out of stock, you can save your customers the effort of picking up the phone or making a trip to your store by sending out alert notifications in advance via SMS or messaging apps. If possible, provide the option to pre-order, so that you can lock in the sale, or recommend an overlooked-but-actually-just-as-good offering.

Such proactive notifications do not have to be product-related. As an expert in your field, you can give your audience early insight into emerging market trends. Sending rich content, such as images, links, and even videos via chat apps is a quick and simple way to portray yourself in a personable manner. And customers appreciate such gestures. The ultimate goal is that your customers find themselves coming back to you again simply because you took the time to communicate with them—and not via a mass-market email.

Offer your customers to do the work for them

The last thing you want to do after putting in all that effort to win a customer is to overwhelm them with cumbersome admin work. We get that you might need the information to perform deliveries or conduct market research, but it’s good practice to collect only the information required to get your product or service from point A to point B. Anything more than that and you’re likely to annoy your customers.

There are more engaging ways to conduct customer surveys. Why not try sending SMS with an embedded link to a survey right after a successful purchase or delivery? Some chat apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger allow you to create polls, which customers can answer with a simple tap. If you connect with your customers in a timely manner, you’re more likely to catch them while they’re in the mood to move their thumbs. This will translate into far more authentic customer feedback, especially when compared to hastily filled forms with neutral responses.

Nudge customers across the purchase decision journey with proactive offers

If your customers are like me, they might take days or weeks before coming to a decision and then end up getting cold feet anyway. Sometimes, all it takes is a little warm initiative (and perhaps a timely discount) to remind them why they need your product in the first place. There are simply too many choices in the market these days, with the multitude of potentially better options just one homepage away.

Proactive customer service is really all about who can reach customers at the right time with a personalized offering.

If you’re wondering how to get and keep your customers' attention without overhauling your existing systems, 8x8 offers a range of embeddable communications and API solutions that you can add to your sales arsenal.

8x8’s APIs and real-time communications tools give you multiple ways to reach your customers, so that you can connect with them through the channel they are most comfortable with. Spice up your messaging strategy with rich audio and video content, and ensure that none of your customers miss out on your next big offering.

Reach out to us at hello-cpaas@8x8.com to learn more.