Why Businesses Need to Offer 24/7 Customer Support

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The rapid dissemination of information has led to the highest informed customers in history, which has raised the customer’s level of expectation they have from each business. In order to present yourself as a customer-centric organization, you must understand that great customer service and support are no longer only provided within normal business hours. Today, what truly matters is your ability to offer uninterrupted 24/7 service and support to your customers. The fact of the matter is that every business that offers a product or service is really in the “NOW” business. Their customers are looking for products, services, answers and solutions “NOW”, and if you can’t provision it “NOW” they will just go to the next company they find on Google, Facebook, Yelp, Angie’s List, or whatever to get it. Being in the “NOW” business is a key differentiator as it not only enhances the overall customer experience, but also allows you to capitalize on important opportunities for proactive customer engagement. Customers view round-the-clock availability as one of the most valuable assets of an organization, and being able to provide them with on-demand service and support paves the way towards loyalty and retention.

“Time – the one asset none of us are ever gonna get more of.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Here are just a few reasons why it is imperative for businesses to be in the NOW business and offer uninterrupted support for their customers.

Customers Demand Accessibility NOW!

Serving customers real-time, without any delay is the key to success for today’s business. Customers want complete and unhindered accessibility to support. Businesses should ensure that they don’t allow geographical boundaries or time zones to come in between provision of support. That means there’s never a “we are closed, go to the website” option, or a “leave a message and we will return your call/email during regular business hours”, message option. If that’s your plan you might as well leave a list of competitors phone numbers on your message. You’ll receive thank you letters from your competition!

The quality of customer support is one of the basic elements of a business that a potential customer looks at. You cannot expect customers to choose your company unless you assure them that you would be available to attend to their needs at all times, aka “NOW”. Keeping this in mind, it is essential for you to offer a well-rounded support strategy which enables customers to get in touch with you and get assistance whenever they need it, by which ever channel they choose.

Customers Don’t Like to Wait…..at all.

Businesses should ensure that customers are not put on hold for any reason. Statistics suggest that customers have a high tendency to switch brands if customer support does not quickly address and resolve their issues. Similarly, for businesses using channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn to resolve customer issues, it is of utmost importance to make sure that questions are answered within minutes. Expected response times are shrinking by the day. Customers and even potential customers expect real-time answers……”NOW”, and if you won’t give it there are a Gabilion other companies that do what you do right there on the same app waiting and ready to scoop up your customer.

Consider that scenario where your company does not possess the resources for instantaneously responding to customer inquiries, complaints or providing solutions to any problems they might be experiencing. Are you in a position to lose 20%, 30% or maybe 60% of your reoccurring business? Because scenarios like this would only drive customers away to other businesses that invest time and effort in being always available. This is exactly why outsourcing this type of work has become so popular and effective.

Being Available 24/7 Demonstrates High Responsiveness

There are a ton of web applications and solutions businesses can use to provide customers with 24/7 support and service. For example, adding live chat on your website is one the most effective ways to offer uninterrupted, real-time online customer support. Ensuring 24/7 availability on your website via live chat support will indicate to your customers that you’re in the “NOW” business and hyper receptive to their needs. Time is of the essence and with a service such as live chat, customers can get immediate assistance at all times.

The internet has made consistent interaction infinitely easier, and businesses should fully utilize new technologies to keep them up and running throughout the year.

But we can’t afford to staff this!
But we are set up technologically to support this!
But we don’t really want to carry that much staff.
But this is for big brands that can afford to run like this. How can I compete?
I do have a solution for you!

At Leading Edge Connections we are constantly evaluating the market and looking around to see what’s “NOW”. In that evaluation we see a very big need for the SMB arena to have BIG BRAND Support style. That’s why we created THE EDGE Membership model. It allows any small business to have 24/7 multi or omni channel support “NOW” because after all we are all in the “NOW” business.

Eric Sims
Eric is a Contact Center Outsourcing expert who specializes in helping businesses help their customers. He is the Cofounder & CEO of Leading Edge Connections, LLC, America's #1 fully remote outsourced contact center. He is also the host of Preventing Brand$laughter. A weekly podcast that helps business gain the insights and information to protect their brand from self-inflicted sabotage.

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