Top 7 Benefits of New Customer Service Technology

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We all know that Customer Service has always been a critical component of all successful Businesses. However, you may not know about some of the latest Customer Service System Benefits.

If you are still using the same Customer Service Technology from 3 to 5 years ago, you may find this information helpful to help Increase your Customer Satisfaction, Improve Staff Productivity and Increase your Sales this year.


Here are the Top 7 Things New Customer Service Technology Can Do for You this Year:


1. Customer Service Feedback You can now automate customer surveys after each request for help is completed and get feedback on how you are doing.  If something went wrong or was delayed, this allows your customer an opportunity to give you the feedback directly vs publishing the feedback on a public social network like Facebook, Twiter, LinkedIn or Yelp.

2. All Customer Service and Support Requests are Consolidated in One Place The new systems allow you to consolidate the many ways your Customers want to request help or support.  Facebook, Twitter, Website Forms, Chat Forms, Phone Calls and eMails can be automatically converted to tickets or requests in the system.  Some of the new Customer Service Systems automatically convert a voice mail into a Ticket. Having all your requests, in one location, saves time and makes you and your staff much more productive.

3. Real-time Reports & Dashboard How fast do you respond to your Customer Requests for help? Do you know how many requests are overdue? Do you know the status of the top 10 critical customer service requests placed this week? How much time do you spend each month preparing activity reports for management? The new systems have real-time reports and special dashboards that give you this information 24 hours / 7 days per week.

4. Workflow Automation You can automate many aspects of your customer service workflow.  For example, when you receive a help request, you can automatically send the customer or prospect a confirmation that you received their request. You can also automatically send them updates as you progress answering their question. If a help request is received from a key customer executive or a manager, the request can be automatically escalated and put on a special report or flagged. These features greatly improves staff productivity and improves the Customer's impression of your responsiveness.

5. Knowledge Base for Employees You can replace procedure manuals with a Knowledge Base for your internal staff.  The new systems are easy to use and update.  You create one central location for all documentation.  New and existing employees can use them for references and training material.

6. Self Service Help for Customers and Prospects You can reduce the number of help requests by publishing easy-to-use self service help information for many customer questions. The new systems can help identify repeat questions that can be answered once and put on the Self Service Help page. Most people prefer Self-Help these days.  Surveys confirm that most bank customers prefer going to an Bank ATM machine now vs  going into a bank, waiting in line and talking to a Bank Teller.

7. Mobile App for Smartphones and Tablets In 2014, Smartphones will represent over two-thirds of all phones sold in America.  During the last two years, small 7” Tablets exploded in popularity.  Many of the new systems have Smartphone or Tablet applications that keep you updated all day long. You can process service requests at the office, at home, out having coffee or on-site at a customer.

These are just seven of the many ways the new Customer Service Systems can help you profitably grow your business. Some of the new smaller systems are free for 1-3 users and the larger systems can cost $200 per user per month.   Many of the Customer Service and Support Systems can be implemented in a few days or within 2-3 weeks.

Photo Credits: Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How to Print from an iPad for Under $20

When you run a Small Business you are always looking for ways to improve productivity by saving time and money.   Our last article on "18 Tips for using an iPad in a Small Business" focused on finding the top iPad Apps. After you use an iPad for a day or two, you quickly begin asking yourself... "How can I print from my iPad?"  Here's the good news.  After much research, we found a very easy way to print from an iPad for under $20.

There are a three good options for printing from an iPad:

1. Buy a new Printer that works with Apple iPad AirPrint

2. Transfer your data to a PC or Mac and then print from there.

3. Buy "Printer Apps" that are compatible with Apple AirPrint technology and will let you print on most existing printers in the office

 

Here are the Details.........

Option 1. Buy a New Printer You can print from an iPad on almost all the new Hewlett-Packard (HP) Printers and a few Epson Printers support Apple Airprint.  Prices run from $100 to $300, plus the cost of any extended maintenance contract. Tip: Plan on extra time to evaluate,  select,  purchase, install, test, check printer drivers for the new printer and recycle the old printer.  Click to see a list of  the top printers that work with iPad Apple AirPrint technology.

 

Option 2. Transfer your data to your PC or Mac and then print from there. Here are two good options for transferring the files from the iPad to a PC or Mac.

  • Use iTunes App (Free): You can sync an iPad with your PC or Mac using iTunes. After the sync is completed you can find the file on your PC or Mac and print it like any other file.
  • Use the DropBox App (there is a Free version):  If you use the DropBox App on your iPad, PC and Mac, you can just save a file in the iPad Dropbox Folder and then go to your PC or Mac and print the file.  The iPad App that created the page or file you want to print must be compatible with Dropbox. You can look this up on dropbox.com

 

Option 3. Buy a Printer App (NOT a new Printer) for your PC or Mac (Our Favorite - We Did This) After doing a lot of research, we found a printer App for our PCs and one for our Apple Macs. Here's what you need to do.

First install the appropriate printer app on any relatively new PC or Mac that is connected to an inkjet or laser printer. Then make sure you have a WiFi Wireless Network turned on in the office (or home).  Get the network Password... You'll need to enter the password in the printer software settings.  That's it... you're done!   Now anyone in the office (or home) that has an iPhone, iPad, iPod or Touch can print.  It is amazing to watch... and it just works.  Here are the two Apps we use and recomend:

  • Printopia - by ecamm Network:  Works on the Mac only and costs $20
  • FingerPrint - by Collobos:  Works on a PC or Mac and costs $10

 

Hope this helps.   We have not had any problems with both of these Apps since they've been installed.

Please add your comments for any other Wireless iPad Printing Options that work for you (and you would recommend to a family member)  :)

Give us a call @ 650-866-5517 or feel free to contact us to discuss how you can use the latest mobile technology to boost sales in your Small Business.