How Data, Analysis and Reports Effect Customer Service
Data analytics and reporting have a critical role to play in supporting a company’s efficiency, productivity and bottom line. But few companies have considered the opportunities for optimizing customer service using data, analysis and reports.
The only reliable way to improve customer service is by analyzing data and implementing changes based on insights from that data. Customer service data can come from a variety of sources, including online customer reviews and feedback on social media. So why has the trend of data collection, analysis and reporting been so often ignored when it comes to customer service?
Customer service is vital to a company’s success, and its importance spiked dramatically with the rise of the Internet. Any customer can publicly review your level of service via social media, review sites and many other channels. As a result, potential customers can compare your reviews with other companies’ and choose to do business with whoever they find most favorable. In this century, using data analysis and reporting to optimize customer service has become increasingly critical.
How can gathering and reporting on data help boost an organization’s customer service? Let’s take a look at how customer data can be collected and how to generate actionable, insightful reports for better service.
The Service Gap
A company’s perception of how good their customer service is does not always line up with reality. In fact, one study showed that 80 percent of companies believe they provide a high level of customer service. Yet less than 10 percent of customers said they actually received good customer service.
Ways to Collect Customer Service Data
The only way to close this gap is by collecting and analyzing data on what customers think that you, as a company, are doing right and wrong. How can you harness this data? There are a number of ways:
- Send out customer surveys via email.
- Analyze the number of support calls you receive and the level of satisfaction that the customer indicates.
- Search for mentions of your company on review sites and social media.
Tips for Analytics and Reporting
Collected data serves little purpose. You need to do something with it. Start by organizing and consolidating your data using some form of a data warehouse or another tool. This way, you can give equal weight to each source of data, such as online reviews and caller information, as well as avoid overlooking a data source entirely.
Your company needs an effective method for generating customer service reports based on data analytics. Find a software program that matches your needs for data collection and analysis. You may consider dedicating a department solely to collecting and analyzing customer service data. If you do not have the necessary resources, consider outsourcing to a professional analytics company.
The business world thrives on Big Data. It’s important to realize that there are nearly countless data points you can use to make your business more efficient and productive. Using data to upgrade your customer service can be extremely beneficial to your bottom line.
How is your company using data analytics and reports to improve customer service? Do you have additional manufacturing advice on current trends? Leave a comment below!
