BUSINESS RESOURCES
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phc September 2021 www.phcppros.com
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020 revolutionized many aspects of business, particularly the way we communicate with our employees, colleagues and customers. Amid constant change, the ability to deliver efficient and adaptable customer service was more vital than ever. That, combined with agile communication, is what kept business afloat. The first half of 2021 has been a chance to recover and rebuild. The last few months before we launch into 2022 allow us to analyze what business decisions have been working since the adjustment and what we can improve. It is an ideal time to ask yourself some fundamental questions about your operations and communications so you can adopt the technology resources that will optimize the way you do business. Let's start with one of the most important questions you can ask yourself: "How can we create a great customer experience while also collecting data that we can use to market ourselves and improve operations?"
Collecting data
Data collection is a critical business opportunity. Whether it's for marketing, training, improving the customer experience, or any other purpose, data is something you'd rather have and not need, than need and not have. Not knowing why you need data or how to use the data is a missed opportunity to build a better business. Somewhere out there right now, a customer service representative is wrapping up a phone call and closing a ticket, and is about to hang up without recording any meaningful data. Tomorrow, they'll be able to summarize the call if asked about it, but they won't be able to determine anything of value, or be able to analyze it down the road. And that's a wasted opportunity. Was the caller a current customer or a prospect? If they were an existing customer, how frequently has that customer had to call, and why? If it's part of a call spike, what's changing in your business to prompt existing customers to call more? If it's a prospective customer, how many other prospects have called from their region? What's changing in a specific region to encourage prospects to shop around? In either case, did the call require escalation to a manager? If so, was that because of the complexity of the issue or the knowledge of the representative? The answer to each question is a business opportunity, and companies can reap immense benefits from the simple act of tracking a call with the right software. In the case above, if the caller were a prospect that didn't convert into a job, a simple look at the data recorded on the call would equip a supervisor with the necessary information to reach out to the customer and drive a win. You can create reports to show which representatives are performing at their best, what's driving the most interest in your business, and where you need to make changes to do better. All of that data creates opportunity, and marketing benefits the most from this.
Marketing opportunity
Companies spend 5-15 percent of gross revenue on marketing communications. Businesses can best use that money by being strategic in their customer outreach by creating marketing campaigns based on data- driven knowledge of customer needs and interactions. However, many companies are just marketing according to their best guess, not the data, because they're either not capturing the interactions or lack a meaningful data collection and analysis process. In a competitive industry like home service, marketing is vital
Putting Data to Work: Create a Better Customer Experience with Technology
BY URIAH MATTHEWS
Whatever the purpose, data is something you'd rather have and not need, than need and not have.
Today's mobile technologies also enable on-the-spot digital presentations that empower customers to make informed choices between good, better or best repair options and decide if they want to use financing right from a tablet.
The last few months before we launch into 2022 allow us to analyze what business decisions have been working since the adjustment and what we can improve.
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