Currently, companies invest a lot of money in order to deliver good customer service. This makes it necessary to ask ourselves: Does the quality of the service delivered justify the very high expenses? Or more to the point, is there a way to reduce current costs without reducing quality? Let's explore how it is possible to reduce customer service costs and optimize service for employees and end users in 4 strategic steps.

1. Establish self-service platforms and knowledge bases

All customers and users are different. However, they have one thing in common: when faced with a problem, their first choice is to try to find a solution themselves. Different studies show that over the years, the preferred customer service channels have changed to digital channels. In the short term, self-service and digital channels such as Chatbots will predominate. Channels that can be accessed through a smartphone or personal computer without the need to download an application or contact a customer service agent directly.  

It is possible to reduce service costs through knowledge management. This consists of optimizing the information resource by creating content to be able to transmit it effectively to other people. It is about establishing self-service platforms accessible to our customers. Public knowledge bases that allow users to find quick answers on their own.  

Today's customers don't feel the same inclination as before to interact with someone in a Call Center. They want to feel in control of the situation and be self-sufficient. There are many ways to build a content hub in the form of tutorials, manuals, and videos to help customers solve their problems on their own.

Direct benefits:

• Reduces operational costs: Can reduce inbound calls to customer service centers by 30%. Promotes lower equipment wear and tear and decreases agent stress levels.  
• Improves agent productivity: With self-service options, support requests are reduced. Your employees can focus on responding to customers with major issues or handling priority requests.  
• Increases satisfaction: Your customers can find solutions and answer questions on their own time, whenever necessary.  
• Generate effective reports: It is possible to generate reports on the use of our knowledge base, where we can find the most frequently asked questions from customers, and take into account their needs to implement improvements.  
• Educate customers: You can expand the knowledge and skills they need to solve other similar problems in the future. They identify better with your brand.  

2. Integrate a CRM solution to reduce errors

One of the most costly aspects of customer service processes is errors or incidents. You've probably encountered a situation where your manager got confused when filling in contact details. Maybe an agent mixed up products in a package and sent them to the wrong customers. Maybe an unforeseen event occurred, and your agents didn't know in time or simply didn't remember that a potential customer was expecting a second call.  

Using specialized CRM solutions makes it possible to manage information flawlessly. Technology solutions like Freshworks' CRM can take customers through the sales funnel and provide agents in charge with instant suggestions on what tasks to perform. In addition to keeping records of interactions, requests and sales processes.  

Direct benefits:

• Increases positive recommendations: These portals help reinforce brand reputation by creating positive interactions with customers.  
• Allows you to maintain quality: It makes customer service seamless and keeps it consistently at a high level, your existing customers will recommend you, encouraging your business to grow for free.
• Effective management: With a CRM system, the likelihood of human error is radically diminished. Every manager knows what to do according to the company's strategy, and communication is enhanced.
• Decreases waiting time: This is not only for customers, but also for employees. If a problem arises, there can be a quick response. In addition to having information accessible 24/7 for urgent cases.  
• Increases loyalty of potential customers: Construction of campaigns tailored to customers. Real-time data sharing to improve loyalty.

3. Unify all conversations with your customers in one place

There is no better way to reduce customer service costs than unifying customer service channels. Omni-channel customer service is a model where all communication channels are aligned.

Unifying all channels on a single platform ensures consistent service. Regardless of the touch/contact points used by customers. This helps customers interact when, where, and how they want, giving them a better experience.

In an omnichannel approach, companies operate effectively, making use of social networks, email, WhatsApp, chatbots, and websites. Managing the information received through the same software or platform.  

Direct benefits:

• Get to know your customers better: Implementing an omnichannel strategy helps companies better understand the customer lifecycle and their conversation history to offer personalized assistance.
• Optimize the work of your employees: customer service agents can interact with users and customers, answer requests and formalize sales through a single channel.  
• Identify preferred channels: It is possible to identify favorite customer communication channels and optimize interactions.
• Records and histories: You can trace the customer journey and receive valuable information about your past interactions. It helps you make smart and accurate decisions.  
• Reduce customer churn: Customers expect instant response and when served through their preferred channels in real-time, there is a significant reduction in churn rate.

4. Automate repetitive work and save time

Another element that generates high customer service costs is that your employees must perform repetitive operations on a daily basis. Through automation, it is possible to move mundane activities to technology and perform multiple tasks with a single click.  

The list of repetitive jobs is long: registering contacts, sending confirmation emails, requesting assets, maintenance, and reporting a problem. Also, generate requests for other departments, open or cancel tasks/tickets and generate reports.  

With intelligent technologies such as machine learning, companies can automate ticket categorization. This gives service agents more time to focus on value-added interactions.  

Automated recommendations help service reps find the right answers and solutions. Shortening resolution times and customer satisfaction. In addition, chatbots could eventually reduce costs for businesses by $8 billion USD by 2022 (according to a CNBC report).

Software like Freshdesk can help your business automate all these tasks. Significantly decreasing operational, maintenance, and human resources costs.

Direct benefits:

• Send messages in bulk: With automation, it is possible to send messages to multiple people and through multiple channels at the same time.  
• Make work easier: Pre-designed responses, contact logging, and interaction history can make the work of your customer service agents easier and smoother.  
• Build customer trust: Chatbots use insights from previous customer service touchpoints and apply them to current customer interactions.  
• Enhance organization: Open tickets, receive daily progress updates, and coordinate tasks in conjunction with other departments.  
• Reduce wait time: Thanks to chatbots, AI, and Machine Learning, you can generate automated responses to serve your customers, manage their requests, and assign them to specific customer service agents.  
• All-around support: You can interact with your customers 24 hours a day to answer frequently asked questions and increase customer satisfaction. Even if your agents are not 100% available.
• Collect details about customers: It is possible to collect information when a conversation starts and then transfer that information to the appropriate team or self-service options.  

Effective customer service is the sum of two things: low cost and high quality.

Freshdesk is a complete tool, perfect for reducing customer service costs. Automating tasks, unifying service channels, generating reports, and offering self-service platforms. With Freshdesk's customer service solution, you can improve your team's productivity. Giving them all the support tools and information they need to deliver quality care.

Contact us and request a free demo! Find out how to improve and cut customer service costs with Freshdesk!