3 (surprising) benefits of proactive customer service

3 (surprising) benefits of proactive customer service

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In an era where customer expectations are at an all-time high, businesses that respond promptly and accurately win. But what if you could do one better? What if you could anticipate your customers' needs and address them before they even have to reach out?

Now, you might be wondering — why bother? Well, according to Salesforce, over half of customers expect companies to anticipate their needs. And if you meet or exceed these expectations, you can:

Boost sales: Proactive customer support helps you recover lost sales or get new customers by spotting the right opportunities. From abandoned carts to upsells, proactive customer support can significantly boost your sales.
Build customer loyalty: A positive customer service experience encourages customers to continue buying from the same brand. By creating personalized experiences across touchpoints and addressing customer concerns upfront, you're building the foundation of a long-lasting customer relationship.
Reduce the need for support calls: Solving requests before they become bigger customer problems reduces the need for support, freeing up time for proactive customer service.

With all the tasks on your plate, being one step ahead, anticipating customers' needs, and acting promptly may seem impossible. But it's well within your reach. Here are just a few ways to consider:

Build out your self-service content: Map out the most common customer questions and problems that appear and create helpful resources to tackle them proactively. This will decrease the number of support calls and improve the overall experience.
Automate any customer scheduling: With automated appointment confirmation texts, you can avoid missed appointments and avoid creating bottlenecks in your day-to-day work. Check out these templates for inspiration.
Be transparent when your team makes a mistake: Informing customers about an issue even before they are aware of it can help you build trust. In fact, it's proven that customers can be more loyal after you've righted a wrong — it's called the service recovery paradox.

Proactive customer support practices can transform your business, leading to improved efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction.

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OpenPhone feature spotlight

Proactive customer service is often a team sport. This is where OpenPhone comes in, where you can easily collaborate with colleagues to communicate better with your customers.