Of all the characteristics required to provide excellent customer service, being “information aware” is the most important, according to Gartner Research Director Oliver Huang. She defines this trait as “being in possession of not only the correct knowledge to address a customer’s issue, but also knowing the customer’s context at the time of contact.”
For reps to be information aware, two things need to happen. First, the rep needs to understand the context of an issue. That means knowing if the current problem is a recurring one and what the consequences of the issue are for the client if it is not resolved. Second, the rep needs the correct training and tools to have instant access to information that can address a customer question. Here are three ways a mobile CRM software solution can help reps in the field be more information aware and provide outstanding customer service.
1. Quick Information
When a client approaches approaches a rep with an issue, they expect it to be addressed intelligently and quickly. For example, say a retail manager asks a rep how many facings their product should have on the self. A rep could make a call to a manager or another rep to get the answer, but this presents two problems. First, it says to the client that the rep does not have the necessary information to help the client themselves. Second, there is a chance that the person the rep calls will not answer, making the client wait around for an answer. Cloud-enabled tools like mobile CRM solutions allow reps to access data quickly and independently of other team members. With this type of tool, the rep could pull up past photos from merchandising audits to get an answer quickly.
2. Organized Information
To be truly aware in a customer service situation, it is very helpful for a rep to have the client’s data history available to them. For example, a rep may come in each Thursday afternoon to have a retail manager put in a product order - but what happens when he goes on vacation and leaves the responsibility to a lower employee? The employee may ask the rep, “how many does the manager usually order?” With a system of paper organization, it likely that the information would be jumbled with other client product orders. The time it would take to locate it would frustrate the client and may lead them to ordering what they think is right. A rep with a mobile CRM software tool, n the other hand, could simply pull up the client history on their mobile phone or tablet and take a look at how much product was ordered the last few times. Tools like these systematically organize client information so that reps may easily gather the information they need.
/iStock-503492356-min.jpg?width=811&name=iStock-503492356-min.jpg "Mobile CRM systems give reps the data they need to be information aware.")
3. Contextual Information
Being able to quickly access organized information is just one half of being information aware. The second part is being conscious of the context surrounding a client issue. This is where mobile CRM solutions can be used by the back-office managers to produce increased customer satisfaction overall. For example, a back office manager could create a custom customer service survey to try and discover what pain points are universal across all client accounts. The results come back, and the manager discovers that a majority of clients are complaining that their stock is going low too fast. After sharing this information with the field team, a rep hears the same complaint from an individual client. Instead of responding with surprise and frustrating the client, a rep could say “many of our clients are experiencing the same thing. Let’s order an extra case for you this week.” By having the context of the issue available to him, the rep is able to offer a more intelligent response and solution.
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