The transformation of customer service

Published on 18 Nov 2020

Topics: The Microsoft World

A recent article by Microsoft takes a look at modern expectations surrounding customer service.

Let’s dive into what Microsoft discovered.

Comparing 2015 with the subsequent years, the results of Microsoft's 2019 State of Global Customer Service survey polled 5,088 people from a variety of countries across the world to try and better understand how customer service affects brand choice, loyalty, experience and more.

At TNP, we pride ourselves on providing the best customer service you could experience from a Dynamics NAV and Business Central partner!

But what did the study show? After showing the breakdown of results from the various questions about customer service, Microsoft found that customers have ‘higher expectations than ever before’ and believe that ‘customer experience will overtake price and product as a key brand differentiator in 2020 and beyond’.

Interestingly, as part of the study they asked the question, “What do you feel is the most important aspect of a good customer service experience?” and the most popular answer was “getting the issue resolved first time”. Closely behind was the importance of a knowledgeable agent, which has experienced a five-point increase since 2015.

Arguably, these go hand in hand – a knowledgeable agent will hopefully provide the answer first-time round. TNP strive to place knowledgeable support teams on the front line, meaning that when a customer calls, they can either address the query immediately or direct the request to someone who can.

Microsoft also said:   

“Empowering the agent with access to the customer’s journey is equally as important. A 360-degree view into the customer journey arms the agent with the information needed to better serve the customer. This inside view reduces any friction the customer may encounter during the experience and provides the agent with the opportunity to personalise the customer experience.”

"At TNP, we pride ourselves on providing the best customer service you could experience from a Dynamics NAV and Business Central partner!"

Luckily for customers of TNP, this ‘360-degree view’ into the journey of the customer is exactly what we’ve been doing for years. The unique ‘Day in the Life’ process helps TNP to better understand the customer’s business and how they use their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution, meaning that when the support team is called, they can understand the issues that the customer may be facing from a much more informed level of understanding.

Furthermore, although Microsoft found out that 86% of consumers expect online self-service options which can include a searchable knowledgebase, dropdown FAQ or a support community, voice remains the preferred channel to contact customer service. TNP’s online self-service option is the Customer Portal, which is designed to let you log, review and update support tickets easily. As well as that, on TNP’s website there are a variety of resources available such as webinars and how-to videos, which are available to both customers and non-customers when they have a user query. Still, the support team at TNP are still on hand to pick up the phone and help whenever they are called.

Overall, Microsoft learned from their study that ‘customer service is the epicentre of delivering a positive customer experience’, and TNP strive to deliver the positive customer experience that is expected from the company who prides themselves on the best quality customer service.

 

To read Microsoft's eBook click here.

You can access TNP’s Customer Portal by clicking here.

Written by
TNP
TNP