We all know the need to improve phone fix rate is important to customer retention levels. But sometimes, when juggling all the acronyms and HR speak (AHT and CSAT being prime examples), you can lose sight of why something like your phone fix rate is truly important: and that’s because it makes your customer service exponentially better.
And that equals increased revenue numbers, reduced churn, and more word of mouth referrals. All without having to hire an extra hand.
So let’s explore the 3 ways you can improve your phone fix rate using remote visual assistance.
Why is phone fix rate so important?
To answer this question, we have to quickly run down the importance of customer service in general in 2021.
Here’s some facts that are particularly relevant:
- 58% of Americans will switch companies because of poor customer service
- 63% of American consumers expect businesses to know their unique needs
- 76% of B2B buyers expect the same thing
- 80% of Americans would rather do business with a competitor after one bad experience
All that put together, and it sounds like one bad customer interaction can have expensive implications. This is taking into account that it is 5x to 25x more costly for a business to capture new customers versus keeping existing ones.
The takeaway, then, is that both American consumers and American businesses expect more of a company’s customer service representatives. And this is especially the case over the phone.
According to Zendesk, 50% of all customers across age groups and demographics use the phone to resolve an issue, making it the most used customer service channel.
It comes as no surprise that these are the biggest frustrations consumers report when contacting customer service via phone:
Resolving these issues would be well worth the time and effort. According to Bain and Company, increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits between 25% and 95%.
So now we’ve got a handle on the importance of customer service and where phone fix rates slot into the picture – what can your company do about it to optimize your bottom line?
Enter: Remote First Service
Remote first service, otherwise known as remote support software, entails leveraging augmented-reality enabled technology to more easily accomplish a set task or series of tasks in a shorter period of time.
It’s strength lies in its utility, ease of use, and flexibility, across industries and service calls.
Now, you can use merged reality, complete with the ability to see hand gestures (and other nonverbal cues). You can draw across the screen, point out objects, and record these calls for training and fix-rate purposes. Remote first service allows customer representatives and technicians to essentially be on site. They gain first-hand understanding of an issue – even from the remote location of a call center.
So what are the main ways these features manifest to help improve your phone fix rate (and up your customer retention levels too)?
How Remote First Service Can Positively Impact Your Phone Fix Rate
1. Improve Ease Of Communication
As touched upon earlier, thanks to features like: merged reality, video recording, 3D annotation abilities, hand gestures, and pointing, customers are able to show customer service representatives the issue that are causing the problem. They may even be able to fix it themselves using detailed visual and audio guidance from a member of your team.
Instead of struggling with communicating a problem, describing parts that don’t work, or detailing exactly what they think might be wrong – customers can simply use remote first service to show customer service representatives the whole picture. This eliminates guessing games and accidental errors, and allows your team to:
- quickly discover whether or not they can resolve the issue
- advise the customer on next steps for their particular situation
- determine if it’s necessary to send out a technician or staff member
They can then forward along a video recording of the call so engineers are well-prepared to solve the problem the first time around.
2. Accommodate More Customers
According to a recent study, over 80% of seniors prefer calling or talking face to face. However, sometimes if they’re hard of hearing, or they struggle to describe specific parts of a technology, a purely audio interaction with a customer service representative can prove frustrating.
Using remote first software, even if customers don’t understand a component of your technology, or they have difficulty hearing, they can still rely on merged reality. You can now communicate the majority of the message and receive assistance through this customer service channel.
Offering this positive experience may be especially important in the B2C marketplace. Seniors (70+) are either overlooked by companies in which their target demographic is a minority. Also in markets in which they’re the majority, providers may not combine visual and audio assistance to make communication easier. In addition, those of all ages who are hard of hearing can struggle to connect on just an auditory basis: as such, remote first service offers the opportunity for companies to offer more inclusive customer support, and differentiate itself for the right reasons.
3. Expedite Problem To Resolution Timeline (And Reduce Frustration Levels!)
Being able to freeze an image on screen, annotate in real time, and share a merged reality allows members of your team to uncover and then remedy the root cause of an issue sooner. They can zoom in on an item of interest, highlight problem areas, and collaborate with other members of your customer service team with little upfront time (thereby reducing customer wait times).
This saved time is then increased twofold when a customer service representative passes on a query to another department or to a technician; instead of a customer having to repeat themselves when they reach the newest representative or an expert arrives on site, they can have peace of mind that their initial complaints and problems have already been communicated, and they can move on with their day while your customer service team troubleshoots.
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To wrap up, remote first service is an excellent way to offer a more accessible, more enjoyable customer service experience. It helps your company retain important customers (both in the B2B and B2C spaces). It also reduces wait times, lowers frustration levels, and helps increase your phone fix rates so that customers feel positive about your company.
It’s true that 94% more likely to recommend a company they believe has “very good” customer service. So it’s without a doubt that remote first service is able to offer excellent ROI to any company that implements it as part of their customer service channel.
Interested in learning about ways remote first service can reduce AHT (average handling time)?
Alternatively, get in touch for a no-obligation free demo!
