If two things have taken the business world by storm since 2020, it’s remote work and cost reduction.
The pandemic forced everyone to explore technical solutions they had never tried before, and the economic upheaval has everyone cutting costs wherever possible.
These two concepts come together in perfect harmony when it comes to the idea of remote customer service. Embracing a remote-first approach to customer service not only allows you to offer the remote work experience many employees are clamoring for but also holds the possibility of saving you a significant amount of cash.
This post will cover four ways switching to a remote support approach can pad your bottom line. Let’s take a look at how you can save some money and increase your customer and employee satisfaction at the same time.
What does it mean to offer virtual customer service? Simply, a virtual customer service team refers to a team of service agents who work with your customers to solve their issues promptly, working from a location that is not your physical office location. Once, such a solution would have been unthinkable. Still, with advances in remote support software and other tools, it’s possible to offer your customers an excellent customer experience with a fully remote support team.
Blitzz offers one of the most advanced remote video support tools on the market, all with the shortest onboarding time. If you’re interested in seeing how Blitzz Concierge can help you get a virtual customer service line up and running in record time, try Blitzz free today! Now, let’s examine some of the ways virtual customer service can not only provide a solid customer experience but can also save you money.
Leasing adequate office space is a high cost for any business. As your business grows, your team grows. And as your team grows, you need more offices, chairs, phones, and computers… right?
Wrong.
If you pursue a virtual customer service solution, you can grow your team to any size you need without ever needing to invest in more office space or equipment. The savings go beyond just desks and keyboards, though. By forgoing a physical customer service office, you can also save on utilities like gas and electricity.
You will need to invest in a quality remote support service tool for this model to work, but it is generally easy and inexpensive to add more users, making it simple to scale your support team to any size.
Offering remote work to employees has been a hotly debated topic for several years. There are undoubtedly challenges associated with transitioning to a remote team, but there is also an opportunity to pad your bottom line.
Firstly, remote work is a benefit many workers appreciate. This can help your business with recruitment and retention. You also have a far larger candidate pool when your customer service center is remote. Instead of narrowing your search to one city or region, you can find the best candidate at the best rate, regardless of where they live.
Another cost-savings opportunity related to remote employees is an increase in worker productivity. A lack of commute eliminates tardiness issues, and 50% of employers in this survey report that the convenience of remote work resulted in lower absenteeism in their workers.
A concern many business owners have when considering virtual customer service is the worry that virtual service lines will be slower or inferior to in-person support. Often, the reality is just the opposite.
If your support team is spread across multiple time zones, you may have the opportunity to offer extended service hours without placing any workers onto higher-rate shifts. This is just one way that remote support allows your customers to get the help they need when they need it, without breaking the bank for you.
Technological solutions like remote video support allow for easier problem solving than traditional customer service line methods. Tools like Blitzz offer features such as augmented reality (AR), screen capture, and more. These tools can help your service agents walk a customer through their support issues on the spot. Essentially, the customer gets all the benefits of having a support agent on-site without scheduling an appointment and waiting for the agent to commute to their location.
We all know that it is much cheaper to retain an existing customer than to bring in a new one. When it comes to customer retention, offering high-quality customer service is essential. The benefits of great service extend beyond just retention. 1 in 4 customers are willing to pay up to 10% more for excellent customer service.
With a virtual customer service line, you’ll be able to offer your customers excellent support. A remote-first model will allow you to recruit top talent without worrying about worker location. Lower worker absenteeism rates will also result in more balanced workloads for your support agents, and happier employees almost always translate into happier customers.
A remote visual assistance tool will let your support agents walk customers through their issues quickly and efficiently. This will increase your customers’ trust in your business and help them feel supported and cared for as your customer.
Managing your bottom line is crucial to the success of your business, as is customer satisfaction. By saving on infrastructure, exploring the flexibility of hiring remote workers, providing faster service, and keeping your customers happier, you will be able to save money, retain customers, and recruit top support talent.
Switching to a remote model has been proven to cut costs. One analysis found that even sending a single worker 50% remote can save their employer an estimated $11,000/year.
Curious about exploring this option for your business? Blitzz can help! Start a free trial today to get a feel for how our software can enable your business to provide incredible customer service virtually.