Common Traits of High-Performing Customer Service Teams

What traits do high-performing customer service teams have in common? After surveying over 1900 customer service providers across the globe, Salesforce compiled the answer to this question in its 2015 State of Service report.

Salesforce found four common traits among high-performing customer service teams, including:

• Adopting an omni-channel approach
• Empowering customer service agents to solve problems faster
• Harnessing predictive and proactive measures to anticipate customer needs
• Utilizing on-line support communities and self-service portals.

Since adopting an omni-channel approach is such a benefit to both customers and companies, it is not surprising that this trait was identified by Salesforce as common among high-performing customer service teams. Just as customers expect to be able to connect with companies on the devices and channels they use everyday, companies are recognizing the increased opportunities of making those connection points more accessible to customers. The business objective for adopting an omni-channel approach is to give customers the ability to interact with companies in a consistent manner through multiple channels, including traditional channels like call centers and in-store interactions with employees, as well as through digital channels like websites, mobile apps, and social media networks.

For high-performing customer service teams, this approach means that customers are able to request and receive support on the devices and through the channels they are already using, like mobile apps and social media networks. Another important aspect of the omni-channel approach is to enable customer service teams to have access to all customer data when it comes time to solve a customer's problem. Implementing a software solution that integrates all customer data makes this kind of efficient customer service possible. For example, if a customer previously bought a product on a company's website and then submitted a customer service request via mobile chat, the customer service agent would be able to see a complete customer history in one place in real time.

As part of the study, Salesforce identified the channels into which high-performing customer service teams are currently expanding. These channels include:

• mobile apps
• instant chat and videoconferencing (mobile and desktop)
• social media networks
• customer support communities and portals

Read the full report to learn more about how high-performing customer service teams are embracing an omni-channel approach and the other important traits found by Salesforce.