Browse Business Software Categories

Close  

Customer Service Software Key Features

Common Features of Customer Service Software

A customer service software solution can provide a company with dramatic benefits. Increased agent productivity, more efficient service delivery, and reduced operating expenses all translate into faster, more responsive service and improved client satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. Additionally, customer service software can empower organizations to expand the role of their support staff, enabling them to take orders, participate in marketing programs, assist with issue routing and escalation and other important activities beyond simply answering questions and providing basic information.

Customer service software, also known as call center software or contact center software, provides businesses with the features and capabilities they need to automate, streamline, and enhance their most important support operations, including:

Complete Visibility into All Customer Data

In order for agents to properly conduct service-related transactions, they need to have complete visibility into all customer activities and interactions across departments and functions. Customer service software seamless integrates the various applications on an agent’s desktop, so they have a single, consolidated, real-time view of inventory, sales, accounting, marketing, and help desk data. As a result, all the information they need to take orders, field responses to promotions and campaigns, address billing and payment issues, track shipments, and report problems is right at their fingertips.

Support for Multiple Service Delivery Channels

Today’s customers expect their product vendors and service providers to offer maximum convenience. But what’s convenient for one customer may differ greatly for another. Customer service software enables companies to offer several ways for customers to communicate with support staff – via phone, email, Web chat, or voice chat (VoIP). Additionally, many customer service software packages give clients self-service capabilities, so they can perform basic functions such as accessing account information, retrieving responses to frequently asked questions, tracking orders and shipments, or reviewing outstanding invoices or payment histories, without the assistance of a representative.

Reporting and Analytics

Many call centers struggle to deal with rising call volumes and unanticipated “spikes” in activity. As a result, callers often wait on hold for an agent to become available. With customer service software, supervisors can track and analyze call statistics, so they can predict peak periods and better understand the factors that impact call volumes. As a result, they can make more informed decisions regarding schedules and staffing levels, and ensure that there are plenty of agents on hand to quickly answer customer calls at all times.

Additionally, managers can monitor the key metrics and indicators that will help them accurately assess agent performance. Armed with this information, they can immediately identify any skill or knowledge gaps and take corrective action to offer more training to those agents in need.

Customer Intelligence

Customer service software solutions can serve as a vital source of timely intelligence about existing and potential clients. Many available packages today include survey capabilities, so companies can understand customers’ perceptions of service delivery and take the needed steps to ensure maximum satisfaction levels.