The Best Software for Customer Centric Businesses

Introduction

The business landscape has undergone tremendous changes thanks to the developments in the field of technology.  We have seen businesses achieve staggering growths because of their adaptability to such changes.  

Technological advancements have improved many aspects of businesses across industries. The positive impact of technology seen in the successes of brands that adopted technology has caused a ripple effect. Many corporations are now seeking to embrace tech in their operations. They are seeking to embrace technology to optimize processes and get better results.

An example of a business function impacted by technology is communication. Using technological advancements in communication helps brands improve their customer satisfaction rates.

The aim of business software is to improve a client’s experience with thebrand. Using software in customer-centric businesses has yielded good results for businesses.

In this article, we highlight the best software for customer-centric businesses. These software tools will help improve the brand’s customer satisfaction.

1. Omnichannel Solutions Software

In the past, calls were the only communication method available for customers to communicate with a business. However, over the years, more communication channels have come up. The increased number of communication channels has created a unique problem though.

It is common to hear clients complaining that they have to state their issues every time they contact a business. This happens regardless of whether a client had communicated with the business earlier using a different communication channel or whether the client is following up on previous communication agreements. This problem is solely attributed to the fact it is highly unlikely that a client can contact a business and get the same customer service personnel who is already aware of their concern.

This situation is known to irk numerous people. Omnichannel contact centers come in as a godsent in such cases.  They can be implemented by businesses to mitigate this problem. Omni-channel solutions use cloud-based software that links the different communication channels of a business. Omni channel solutions can be used for SMS, phone calls, social media messages, etc. The use of omnichannel contact centers has helped businesses provide seamless communication with clients.

Omni channel solutions work by creating a transcript of the conversation that a client had with business personnel. The transcript is saved in the client’s profile. With this, any customer service personnel can refer to previous customer service interactions that a client had whenever they contact the business again.

2. CRM Software

CRM software is used to execute a business's customer relationship management strategy. CRM software, therefore, helps businesses capture, store and access customer data.

CRM software is vital for customer-centric businesses. This is because it stores data used to better brand-client relationship. Data in the CRM software can be analyzed using various machine learning algorithms. The customer data analysis helps to extract insights from it.

The most common function carried out on data in a brand’s CRM software is client clustering based on their attributes. With clustering algorithms, the business can have similar clients grouped together.

After clustering, the marketing strategies and business experience are tailored for specific groups. They are tailored to meet the needs and attributes of specific client groups. Businesses that personalize marketing and experiences to clients have high customer satisfaction rate. This is because the clients feel that the business knows their needs and wants and delivers them with precision.

CRM can also help a business automate its marketing strategy. Automation of the marketing strategy helps to increase its productivity. Automation of marketing strategies grants marketing personnel free time. They can therefore perform non-repetitive functions that need human intervention in the business.

3. Chatbot Software

Businesses aiming to deliver the best experiences to their clients know that customer support is vital. In the past, businesses had customer support services during the day only. This is because the support personnel adhered to the 9-5 work hours.

In this era, however, clients are more demanding and expect 24/7 support from a business. This is where chatbots come in. Chatbots are software that uses natural language processing to engage in human-like conversations. Chatbots can work via SMS or live chat.

Chatbots have helped businesses offer 24/7 support to their clients. Businesses equip chatbots with common knowledge of how to offer help to clients. They have knowledge on how to solve easy client problems or those that are common and repetitive. If a chatbot comes across a client concern that it cannot handle, it forwards the issue to a live business agent.

Other than customer support, chatbots can also help in e-commerce for order placing. Using chatbots to help clients execute tasks via SMS or live chat streamlines processes for clients. This in turn increases their satisfaction.

Another use case for chatbots in customer-centric businesses is the collection of client data. Businesses can use chatbots to request clients' data which is vital to ensure that the business offers better services. However, this chatbot use case is one that brands must be wary about.

It is illegal to use chatbots that run code in the background and collect user data without their awareness or consent. When using chatbots for data collection, the chatbot should prompt the client to input the required data or deny the data submission request. This ensures the use of chatbots for data collection does not flout data privacy and information security laws.

4. Social Media and Website Analytics Software

Websites and social media accounts have become a must-have for businesses seeking to be successful in their respective markets. Websites and social media accounts generate a lot of data that serves as a goldmine for business to target, acquire, and retain customers.

Social media and website analytics software breaks down the raw data from social media accounts and websites. It breaks down the data and presents it in easy-to-understand visualizations and reports that can be used to improve the accounts or website.

Improving the brand’s website or social media accounts will grant clients a better experience with the business.  The logic is that the business goes to where the client is and in today’s world enmasse people can be found being active on social media platforms.  By using the right strategy with content, advertisments, and branding, a business can garner the support and patronage of people.

Conclusion

When planning to use software solutions to offer better service to your clients, it is vital to adopt software relevant to your industry. Some software solutions for customer-centric businesses are developed for use in specific industries. It is therefore important to check the target users for the software before purchasing.

When purchasing software, go for general software, i.e., usable in all industries or software that is specific to your industry.  All businesses aim to satisfy the customer, make profits, and grow.  With software solutions that are customer-centric businesses can genuinely cater to customer needs and queries.  

A satisfied customer is the best brand ambassador you can ask for and the most reliable channel for word-of-mouth advert for your company.  So what are you waiting for, ensure that you have the best customer-centric software for your business, and reap the multitude of benefits  it offers.