The Value of Customer Service in a Technology-Driven World
Like any other technology-driven system, security solutions require ongoing service and support to keep up with the end user’s expectations.
Customer service is important regardless of the size or type of a company. Great customer service can be offered offline (when customers visit a shop) or online (through a website, or the various social media). Excellent customer service improves the customer retention rate and also helps companies acquire new customers.
In the modern technology-driven world, businesses are working 24/7, so service providers need to come up with innovative and efficient ways to keep up with the expectations of their clients. While security technology companies continue to develop innovative and advanced systems to help security professionals offer great value to their end users, integrators must then offer great customer service to ensure the proper usage and maintenance of their solution.
Customer service is about solving day-to-day problems, providing resolutions and communicating relevant information. Security professionals need to understand how modern security technology works and how to utilize it to ensure complete protection of the end user.
This is where customer service comes into play. Here are some ways in which security professionals can offer excellent customer service to their end users to help them get the most out of their security systems and solutions on an ongoing basis:
Ensure Timely Support with the Right Customer Service Team
The secret to successful customer service is communication. Therefore, the customer service team needs to include people with excellent interpersonal skills, a desire to please the clients and a technological acumen as well. This means the support personnel must be able to understand the end user’s problems and provide the right solutions quickly.
In the security industry, every second counts, so the customer service personnel must be quick and efficient. This also means the security companies should employ a team that is available 24/7.
For instance, if support is provided via phone, the support personnel must listen to the caller with undivided attention and make an effort to provide the best solution within the shortest period of time. Remember, failure to provide a timely solution can cause great damage to a company ’s reputation and compel them to choose another service provider.
Post-Sale Support Is a Must
Like any other technology-driven system, security systems require ongoing service and support to ensure the security professionals keep up with their end user’s expectations. No matter how reliable the systems are, problems of varying degrees can arise anytime.
Problems may arise due to various reasons. Some result from manufacturing defects, while some problems may arise if the systems are operated incorrectly. Therefore, the security technology companies must introduce specialized in-person training programs for the security professionals to help them understand how the systems work and fix problems in a timely manner.
For instance, if a new door access control system has been installed in a commercial building, the security guards must be aware of its functionalities and must be able to solve minor problems to ensure easy access within the building. The end-users of the security systems must be informed about any updates to the system and their concerns must be addressed without delay.
Post-sale support is especially important for customized systems since they are uniquely designed to suit the needs of specific companies or security service providers.
Use Technology to Improve Customer Service
Technology has made life easier and it has also enabled businesses to improve customer service. So how do you offer excellent customer service? Today there are a number of channels which can be utilized to accomplish this goal. Some of the major channels include:
- Website and Social Media: By publishing helpful information on the website, businesses can help their end users solve specific problems. Add manuals, how-to-guides, FAQs, and allowing end-users to post their problems on the website, businesses can proactively respond to the end-users issues. Social media also offers great opportunities to communicate with the end-users and solve problems.
- Email: Email is another way to get in touch with end users, respond to their needs and offer help in a timely manner. Email allows businesses to keep in touch with the end users constantly and inform them about new products and updates, whenever necessary.
- Mobile Apps: A mobile app is a must-have tool for all businesses that are concerned about customer service. Mobile apps allow customers to fetch information quickly and connect to the respective service providers. For instance, mobile apps can help security companies track guard attendance, create reports, analyze data, view video feeds and more.
Preventative Maintenance
Today’s security systems are advanced and require timely maintenance to ensure optimal performance. The security technology company and the security service provider must work closely to ensure the security systems are maintained regularly. This ensures the problems are solved before they cause great trouble.
Preventative maintenance can reduce downtime and ensure maximum safety of the premises. Preventative maintenance can also ensure increased availability of the assets, extended asset lifetimes as well as cost-effectiveness, since it wards off expensive repairs or replacement requirements.
It is also the responsibility of the security service provider to choose a good security integrator that can provide solutions to suit their unique needs and predict when the systems require maintenance and upgrades. One way to ensure timely maintenance is to sign an annual maintenance contract.
Conclusion
Security pros strive to provide their end users with the best quality service; however, they have their own limitations as well. Oftentimes security pros need to depend upon third-party service providers. This means the service providers play an important role in helping the security professionals serve better.
Thus good quality customer service is important to help the professionals keep up with the end user’s expectations. Customer service becomes even more important as the security systems become complex and technology driven.
Ann Neal is a freelance writer who covers technology and business and contributes for Lintech.
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