{"id":27965,"date":"2022-08-23T14:45:47","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T13:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=27965"},"modified":"2024-10-22T17:54:16","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T16:54:16","slug":"drive-retention-from-customer-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/drive-retention-from-customer-support\/","title":{"rendered":"Drive retention from customer support with 4 easy steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Customer retention has never been more critical to business success than it is today. With increasing business costs and reduced headcount, companies are feeling the squeeze as they also grapple with rising consumer expectations.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why companies should look to support \u2013 and retain \u2013 the customers they have. Shifting focus to customer retention can actually be twice as powerful as customer acquisition.<\/a> While a 1% increase in acquisition might boost your bottom line by about 3%<\/a>, a 1% decrease in churn can boost it by 7%<\/a>! But what role does customer support play in this effort to retain customers? It\u2019s more significant than you might think\u2026<\/p>\n

Why great customer support is the key to customer retention<\/h2>\n

Support plays a critical role in customer retention, with 32% of consumers<\/a> citing bad customer service as the main reason they discontinued business with a brand. 24\/7, accessible, and instant in-product support<\/a> is now the standard customers expect \u2013 and if your current customer service doesn\u2019t embody that, you risk losing your customers to a competitor that does.<\/p>\n

“93% of customers are more likely to remain loyal to companies with excellent support”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Your support experience is an opportunity to delight your customers \u2013 by better educating them and resolving their issues, you can improve the relationship they have with your brand. In fact, 93% of customers<\/a> are more likely to remain loyal to companies with excellent support. So, with a great support strategy you can reduce churn, improve customer lifetime value, and overall boost your bottom line.<\/p>\n

But what makes a support experience worthy of loyalty? Here are four areas where you can supercharge your strategy.<\/p>\n

How to drive retention from customer support<\/h2>\n

Let customer data drive your efforts<\/h3>\n

80% of consumers<\/a> are more likely to do business with a company that offers personalized experiences. So, with the expiry of third-party cookies on the horizon, businesses should make collecting, analyzing and acting on first-party data<\/a> a priority.<\/p>\n

Chatbots<\/a> can help your support team automatically gather rich information about each customer \u2013 like which plan they\u2019re on, what company they work for, and whether they\u2019ve been in touch before with a similar issue.<\/p>\n

This data fuels personalized interactions at every touchpoint \u2013 whether that\u2019s through personalized answers from chatbots, by preemptively answering questions with proactive messages, or via live chat with a support rep. Plus, rich data can help you identify problems with your customer experience as a whole, so you can preemptively address them and maintain an experience worth returning for.<\/p>\n

Lean on automation and self-serve support for speedy resolutions<\/h3>\n

Modern customers now expect instant interactions<\/a> \u2013 especially when it comes to support. If they have a query, they\u2019ll settle for nothing less than a fast, accurate, personal response.<\/p>\n

Use modern support tools (such as chatbots<\/a>, automation<\/a>, and proactive messaging<\/a>) to preemptively and contextually resolve simple queries and answer FAQs. This empowers you to provide 24\/7 support, fast responses, and give customers the choice<\/a> to self-serve, particularly for simple queries.<\/p>\n

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81% of customers<\/a> will attempt to resolve their own issues before reaching out to a support agent \u2013 so if you can facilitate self-serve support<\/a> and instant, high quality responses, your overall customer experience stands to benefit. Now who would want to leave a business that provides service like that? \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Meet customers in the right place and the right time<\/h3>\n

72%<\/a> of consumers say relevant content delivered at the right time and place boosts their trust. By delivering personalized help in the moment customers need it (while they\u2019re using your product, website, or app) you can strengthen your customer relationships \u2013 increasing the likelihood they will stick with you for the long run.<\/p>\n

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Customers still expect to be able to contact you by phone and email of course, but that\u2019s where adding an in-context approach to support<\/a> comes in. By adding a messenger<\/a> backed by rich customer data to your website or product, your team can deliver accurate one-to-one help (whether that\u2019s via an automated bot or a support rep) while the customer’s query is top of mind. This turns every conversation into a chance to build trust, connection, and deep loyalty.<\/p>\n

Focus on improving team efficiency<\/h3>\n

Great customer support starts with your support team members. If they are happy in their work, are using the right tools, and have access to the right data, it will be reflected in your customers’ experience.<\/p>\n

“Your support tech stack should seamlessly connect your customer communications tools”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

43% of support teams<\/a> are now prioritizing increasing workflow efficiency \u2013 and so should you. For optimum efficiency, your support tech stack<\/a> should seamlessly connect your customer communications tools (such as a messenger<\/a>, powerful inbox<\/a>, email, and phone) and allow the right teams to easily access the right data.<\/p>\n

With all of the data and conversation history they need at their fingertips, your team:<\/p>\n