In today’s highly competitive market, companies need to look for a differentiating factor based on the relationship they have with their customers, generating trust from the first contact with the brand, during the purchasing process and then in subsequent purchases. Timely and efficient customer service is a must, especially when situations of conflict or non-compliance arise no matter what channel is used.

In order to understand the importance of a satisfying relationship and good customer service, all you have to do is read the report put together by Walker, which says that by 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator.

The Culture of Complaint in the Digital Age

Social media is a very useful tool for any business, connecting companies with potential customers and creating a solid community, but it can be a double-edged sword.

The anonymity and distance of social media foster a culture of complaint. Attacks are more direct and aggressive than in other media and more users tend to join in on the criticism, creating a snowball effect if the problem isn’t dealt with quickly and correctly.

Complaints as Opportunities

Complaining is a way of communicating dissatisfaction towards a product, service or improper treatment. These complaints arise when a company does not deliver on their value proposition.

Most companies mistakenly view complaints as something negative, but they are in fact a very valuable opportunity to learn first-hand information about a product or service that is not meeting customers’ expectations.

If managed correctly, a complaint can become a very useful tool for improvement, as it provides information that we would never learn otherwise. For every customer who lodges a complaint, there are 26 others with the same problem who don’t.

In the digital age, the customer has control and makes the rules. Organizational culture should be customer-oriented through a CRM strategy, combining business processes and technology to offer customized, efficient service across channels.

CRM Platform for Customer Service

84% of customers feel frustrated if the person that is providing them service does not have information about their case. There are several points of contact throughout a customer’s lifecycle.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service empowers companies to deliver an omni-channel customer service. Social media tools allow agents to interact with customers through a variety of social channels and with machine learning you can detect feelings and intentions in social media, enabling your service organizations to identify those individuals that need help or might harm your brand reputation. You can create support cases from social media and route them to an appropriate agent for quick resolution.

It is critical to identify the conflict on time before other users join in on the complaint. A swift, appropriate intervention that offers solutions will make a world of difference. If a crisis takes place, having a pre-established protocol for these cases is key.

It is simpler and cheaper to make a sale to current customers than new ones, hence the importance of an organizational culture focused on customer service. Proper relationship management that allows us to access customers’ data and histories facilitates decision making, customer loyalty, all the while diligently satisfying customer demands.

Every interaction matters. Earn loyalty, empower agents and stay agile with a single unified customer service solution. Find out how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service can help you better engage with your customers.