Partner Article

Leveraging add-ons to improve customer service efficiency

Customer service can be a major expense for companies in terms of resources, but it’s necessary. But without great customer service, you can’t improve customer satisfaction and your prospects will head straight for the competition. Software applications and other tools can be used to make this process more efficient, providing additional resources that can be used elsewhere to further boost profits.

There are a few things that can make providing customer service a more efficient process.

Mobile workforce management

Field service workers have a big impact on customer satisfaction. If a field technician is late for a scheduled service call or unprepared to resolve an issue, customers won’t be happy. Mobile workforce management solutions, such as Enterprise Scheduler from I.B.I.S., can make field operations dramatically more efficient and produce satisfied customers. Enterprise Scheduler helps to streamline operations with a centralized interface, reducing time spent on scheduling and eliminating unnecessary trips back and forth to the office.

With Field Service Anywhere, field service workers can make more calls in less time with essential information at their fingertips—including the ability to communicate with other team members using mobile devices, such as laptops and smartphones. Need a question answered about a customer’s account or want to collaborate with a technician based back at the office? It’s all streamlined with mobile workforce management software.

Instead of heading back to the office between calls to retrieve information or other resources,field technicians can completely manage their workload in the field. Technicians and field service workers can log calls made, receive and prioritize new calls and even respond to calls via mobile devices. These mobile workforce solutions also eliminate the burden of paperwork and reduce error with instant data reporting between the field and the central office, leaving more time for face-to-face customer interaction.

Project management software for streamlining the workflow

Project management software is yet another add-on option that can impact customer satisfaction by improving efficiency. These applications are capable of a range of functions, depending on the specific application you utilize. Projects can be managed in terms of tasks and milestones, all while reconciling resource utilization with projected outcomes.

Project management software can also allow your employees to focus more effort on what matters: results. Instead of countless hours spent planning, prioritizing and coordinating resources, the software handles the back-end administrative details. Employees can track hours, estimate deadlines and monitor expenses throughout the course of a project, enabling teams to stay on track and deliver prompt results to clients.

Often, project management software offers the capability to produce project estimates instantly by inputting some essential information and project-specific data. Preparing project estimates can be time consuming, and a delay at this stage can mean the loss of a prospect to a competitor who manages to deliver an estimate more promptly. This phase of customer acquisition leaves a lasting impression, and promptness and accuracy set the stage for a long-term, satisfying customer relationship.

Calculate tax rates instantly

With the rise of the mobile workforce and ever-increasing technology, today’s corporations aren’t just conducting business locally; they’re operating globally. But global operations can make for cumbersome tax calculations, and inaccurate calculations will either hit your bottom line or your customers’ pockets, neither of which is a desirable outcome.

Products like TaxAssist can instantly calculate precise tax rates by searching a database for exceptions, jurisdiction and current rates anywhere. TaxAssist transfers data from Vertex Sales Tax Q Series to Microsoft Dynamics and stores it all in a database for preparing tax returns, reporting and audits. No messy year-end reports compiled at the last minute that leave the door open for IRS audits, and no embarrassing errors that leave your customers doubting your credibility.

A multitude of other add-ons and tools can provide the essential resources you need to minimize time wasted on back-end tasks while you focus on providing superior customer service and top-of-the-line product and service offerings. And in today’s highly competitive, innovative and demanding environment, this is exactly what it takes to beat the competition, boost your bottom line and come out on top.

Angela LaRoche, an avid tech blogger for a variety of publications, is always looking for new ways to help companies enhance their Customer Service Efficiency with new technologies and add-ons like those from I.B.I.S. Inc.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Suzena Williams .