2. Give customers more channels for speed and personalisation

The phone has traditionally been the most common channel of reaching a customer service team. But increasingly, customers are finding the long wait times to be inconvenient, which can lead to poor experiences.

New digital channels like messaging platforms, chat and video calls are gaining favour among customers due to their speed and personalisation. Video calls for example can be effective for establishing a personal touch, especially for consultations and clarifications while chat services can automate responses personalised to each individual customer’s profiles.

This means that SMBs need to have more than just the phone as a channel for customer service. Think of how you can leverage various digital platforms to make it easy for customers to get the support they need. This could be through a self-service portal that shows essential info about products along with a checkout feature and options to schedule a video call or talk to a chatbot on your website.

3. Back up customer-facing data to the cloud

To help customers research before purchase, it is important for some essential webpages such as those containing information on products (their features, price and any photos or other media), and checkout pages, to be always available. This means that these pages have to be backed up to avoid downtimes in the event of a cyber-attack or system crash.

If your website also collects customer data, you will need to ensure that this data is protected. Today's sophisticated cybercriminals are capable of deploying dangerous malware that can damage your server or network, and in the process steal sensitive customer data. Backing up such data is essential for retrieving it in the event of a breach and also for complying with data regulations.

To ensure that such critical data is backed up and protected, SMBs can explore cloud-based solutions such as Singtel Cloud Backup and Recovery that automatically consolidates backups and protects against cyberthreats. It can back up data from common sources such as Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace as well as endpoints and servers.

5. Ensure customers are updated of any delays

Delays in delivery or response, although inevitable, can be sources of frustration for consumers. Businesses may encounter delays due to supply chain disruptions and uncertain economic conditions, such as what we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This can only lead to more frustration among consumers who may then move to a competitor.

It may be impossible to avoid delays altogether but what businesses can do is to keep customers updated at all times. If your business relies on logistics and delivery teams to ship products regularly, make sure that they are equipped with the right tools to notify customers about potential delays on the go.

Apps like Microsoft Teams can help in coordinating logistics and keeping field workers connected, while the Singtel Teams UC Direct Connect add-on can allow them to make calls from the app using an office number.