In this blog we look specifically at the Microsoft Dynamics 365 solution and identify 6 tips on how it supports various channels and gives companies a 'joined-up' approach to omni-channel customer support.
Mistakes, or lack of commitment to the customer across the many messaging channels that exist today can cause huge issues for companies. We can all name brands over the last 20 years that have lost significant brand value and revenues because of mistakes and poor-quality customer service.
So what tips can you use to make the most of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service’s most important capabilities and benefits?
- Ensure you offer omni-channel support for issues
- Integrate mature Service Level Agreements
- Take advantage of a unified core service support with field service management
- Utilise AI for customer service
- Employ the intelligent BOT framework
- Use integrated customer satisfaction (CSAT) and other related survey capabilities
1. Ensure you offer omni-channel support for issues
Customers want to use a variety of channels to resolve issues and this includes formal traditional channels such as email and phone. However, customers today expect much more than this. If you sell direct to consumers then you should expect them to use Twitter and other social channels to flag issues about you and your brand.
The option of webchat has grown in use and adoption substantially. Some customers want to use secured support websites to create, monitor and work together with customer service agents on their issues.
Support expectations and demands go from self-service only all the way up to premium service levels, and therefore often many discrete channels for service need to be used.
2. Integrate mature Service Level Agreements
Corporate clients differ from private consumers and quite often, corporate support contracts will include defined levels of service support. The ability to define standard service level agreements, and then have automated monitoring and escalation rules built into the software is very powerful and critical.
SLAs give management a powerful indicator of the success or failure of the customer service organisation. Then the organisation can trend the performance against SLA to see if business is improving in this area.
3. Take advantage of a unified core service support with field service management
Many companies we’ve talked to over the years use completely different systems from different vendors for core service management and field service management.
Most businesses need to offer some capability to come to the customer and fix issues. Not only that but most discrete manufacturing and utilities customers have very heavy requirements to dovetail customer service agents with the field workforce.
Dynamics 365 has a completely unified suite for core service and field service. This joined up approach delivers better communications for the end customer, better scheduling of engineers, better visibility of performance and an optimised approach to resourcing.
Service needs to be viewed not in silos but as an end-to-end, joined up approach to deliver quality support to the customer.
4. Utilise AI for Customer Service…
The use of AI is emerging as one of the most powerful and valuable differentiators for the best customer service-focused companies.
Microsoft has blended Dynamics Service with its Azure services seamlessly and is using the inbuilt Cognitive services inside Azure to analyse and interpret trends. This interpretation is then surfaced through a service of dashboards and interactive systems areas so it can:
- Deliver recommendations to the business
- Streamline customer service further
- Identify drivers that improve first time resolutions for issues
5. Employ the intelligent BOT framework
In some companies and in some scenarios, a BOT can intervene and be the first port of call for a customer when they interact with the service organisation through webchat.
Microsoft has released an advanced technology that gives companies an advanced framework for automated conversations and responses with clients. This gives customers quality support without always needing a human agent on the other end of the transaction.
6. Use integrated customer satisfaction (CSAT) and other related survey capabilities
A lot of companies use siloed survey tools to follow up and check satisfaction levels of the customer. Microsoft Dynamics 365 has a built-in capability to send a follow up survey to the customer. The business can then use the response data to analyse the performance of the customer service organisation.
The survey engine is completely embedded inside Dynamics 365 and stores customer responses inside the customer profile.
In summary…
We’ve highlighted the business imperative for quality customer support, the way that customers have changed and their expectations from the companies they work with.
Customers have much higher expectations for post-sales service. Some modern companies can deliver much higher standards of customer support, while other brands and vertical markets have not yet been able to make that transition.
Microsoft has delivered a set of capabilities via the Customer Service functions in Dynamics CE that will undoubtedly give companies the ability to change for the better. It’s now up to businesses to modernise.
The power of outstanding customer service and experience
Great customer service can go a long way. As can poor customer service. There's a lot to consider which is why we created this all-in-one guide to customer service and experience. Click the button below and you'll learn how to improve your customer service and create that experience your customers are craving.
