The relationship between businesses and consumers is more customer-oriented than it has ever been before. With so many products and services to choose from, consumers have the advantage of basing their purchase decisions not just on quality and price but on their overall experience. A study by Microsoft found that 90% of American consumers decide whether or not to engage in business with a company based on customer service. In order to stand out from their competitors, businesses must prioritize the customer experience.
What Is A Customer Service Workflow?
Customer service workflows offer companies an opportunity to increase efficiency while improving customer satisfaction. In essence, a customer service workflow is a sequence of steps that need to be taken in order to achieve a customer service objective.
“Workflows provide a step by step guide of the customer service process,” explains Mary Rainey, a business writer at Elite assignment help and OX Essays. “On top of improving the customer experience, they can make the process easier for employees as well.”
To be effective, a customer service workflow must be repeatable and easy to understand. Employees can then repeat the process to continuously replicate success.
5 Best Customer Service Workflows That Improve Customer Experience
Here are five of the best customer service workflows proven to boost efficiency and ensure a positive customer service experience.
1. Customer Onboarding Workflow
Customer onboarding is crucial to the growth of any company. A customer onboarding workflow can promote higher customer engagement and boost conversions.
An example of a customer onboarding workflow could inform the consumer of an upcoming product or service release or offer discounts and free trials. Depending on your customer engagement objectives, you can create a customer onboarding workflow to better connect with interested consumers.
A sample workflow could be:
Customer signs up for newsletter -> Send welcome email with discount or trial offer -> Customer creates account -> Customer makes a purchase
Determine whether customers are engaging with emails to decide further action. “If customers are not engaging with the emails sent, it might be best to reduce the frequency of emails sent to them,” warns Jamie Owens, a marketing blogger at UK Writings and Revieweal. “The last thing you want as a company is for the potential customer to get annoyed, unsubscribe, and label your emails as spam.”
2. Customer Cart Workflow
A customer cart workflow may be the difference between a consumer following through with a purchase or closing the window with items in their cart.
A sample workflow could be:
Customer adds product or service to cart -> Customer checks out -> Calculate price after taxes and delivery -> Provide option to purchase as a guest, sign in, or create an account -> Customer adds address and payment details -> Display a review of the order -> Customer confirms purchase -> Send confirmation email with invoice
3. Customer Order Workflow
A customer order workflow describes the process after a consumer makes a purchase. They communicate updates to the customer.
A sample workflow could be:
Customer confirms purchase -> Send confirmation email with invoice -> Ship order -> Send shipping confirmation with tracking number to customer
4. Customer Issue Resolution Workflow
Out of all the customer service workflows, this one is the most important to get right. A customer is four times more likely to switch to another brand because of poor customer service according to research by Bain and Company. The way your company handles a customer issue determines whether that customer chooses your products or services again.
A sample workflow could be:
Customer contacts support -> Assign ticket and priority -> Agent confirms the details of issue -> Agent resolves issue
5. Customer Feedback Workflow
A customer feedback workflow collects valuable feedback from customers while letting consumers know that you value their opinion.
A sample workflow could be:
Customer receives product or service -> Send email requesting review -> Thank customer for feedback
Workflows bring clarity and focus to your customer service processes. They provide an easy to follow recipe for your employees to deliver excellent service that will improve the customer experience. With more competition than ever, consistent high-quality customer service produced by workflows is crucial to your success as a company.