SPONSORED — Remember the last time you wrote a letter to a company regarding a product or service you purchased? No? You’re not alone. These days, most consumers are saying goodbye to “traditional” forms of customer service communications like letters or phone calls.

With consumers becoming more and more technologically savvy, the business of customer service must follow suit. That’s why these three new trends in customer care are quickly gaining traction.

1. Self-service is king

In a recent survey, Forrester found that self-service models were by far the most widely consumer-embraced forms of customer service. By and large, consumers are looking for ways they can quickly and efficiently solve their issues. In fact, 2014 was the first year self-service surpassed phone calls as a customer service preference. That being said, customers should always have the option to pick up the phone and talk to a human.

2. Social is a must

With the ubiquity of social media in today’s society, incorporating customer service into social platforms is essential. Unfortunately, according to Forbes, many businesses are resisting customer service options through social media. That’s likely because these companies are hesitant to give up legacy technologies or foot the bill for new technology. However, since customers are taking their issues socially — whether businesses like it or not — not going social isn’t an option anymore.

3. Connections are made anywhere — and everywhere

Snail mail and phone calls may be dinosaurs in today’s business world, but that doesn’t mean customers don’t want to be engaged. The trick is to engage them where they spend the most time — like on their mobile devices. Today, texting and customer service smartphone apps are becoming a crucial way for businesses to communicate with their customers.

Businesses struggle to make the change

Businesses fear this change for a number of reasons — cost always topping the list. But a large capital investment is not always necessary. There are low-cost solutions available to help businesses transition.

In addition to the initial cost, many businesses simply don’t understand where and how to get started. That’s where third-party consultants and customer service technology providers can be an invaluable resource.

Free customer care seminar for business

Frontier Communications and leading provider of customer care solutions, Avaya, are co-sponsoring a free customer experience workshop on March 25, 2015 to inform and educate IT professionals and customer care decision makers on emerging customer needs and multi-channel customer communication.

Armed with the learnings from this workshop, companies can build confidence in their customer care decisions and understand how customer service technologies create an effortless interaction between customers and employees. This information can maximize customer communication efficiency and revenue growth.

For more information on this Free Customer Care Seminar, go to www.FrontierBizEvents.com.

Customer Experience Management Seminar
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Time: 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Location: Tulalip Casino, Evergreen Room
Cost: Free to IT professionals and customer care decision makers
Pre-registration Required: Go to www.FrontierBizEvents.com.