{"id":10811,"date":"2022-02-16T13:12:45","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T13:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpcrunch.com\/blog\/?p=10811"},"modified":"2022-02-16T14:56:39","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T14:56:39","slug":"customer-service-workflow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpcrunch.com\/blog\/customer-service-workflow\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Sure Your Customer Service Workflow isn’t a Mess [+ 6 Templates]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Imagine your bog-standard day. You get up, brush your teeth, have breakfast, commute to work, etc. Or when you press an elevator button, wait for it a minute, and then go up or down in it.  What I am hinting at here is that everything we do on a daily basis needs a certain sequence, that is \u2013 a workflow<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as we have it in our casual lives, so too the business environment has it on different levels. If a goal is set, you’ll have to go through some tasks to achieve it, no matter what. And customer service is no exception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See what customer service workflows are there and how an agent should complete them to hit the mark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is a customer service workflow, really?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A customer service workflow is a sequence of activities a customer service agent is required to perform throughout the customer journey with a brand (and make it successful). The end of the workflow is usually associated with a plausible outcome (either good or bad). To omit unnecessary gaps in business processes, one would want to use it for clarity and a systematic approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A basic best-case scenario for this can look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer complains \u2192
\u2192 Agent receives their complaint and comes up with a solution \u2192
\u2192 Customer gets the answer and asks for more details \u2192
\u2192 Agent checks the info and gets back \u2192
\u2192 Issue is handled \u2192
\u2192 Customer is satisfied.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you conscious of these customer service workflow examples? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As you see, a customer service workflow isn’t yet another buzzword. It helps you and your clients build a seamless experience every step of the way. And not to jump off the deep end, here are 6 customer service workflows. Does your business go with the flow<\/em> (pun totally intended)? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Customer onboarding workflow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the age-old proverb goes, As you name the boat, so shall it float<\/em>. When we take it to a customer service realm, greeting and leading the customer from day one properly is equally important both for an online and a brick-and-mortar store. If you do that right, you got yourself a loyal customer. If you drop the ball, well \u2013 be ready to kiss a client goodbye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, it’s in your best interest to catch up with them early on so as not to cry over them later on. And yeah, don’t forget about word of mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once a customer lands on your website, explores it, and hits that coveted Buy now\/Sign up\/Become a member<\/em> button, it’s a trigger for you to take action. Here is an approximate customer service workflow process for SaaS onboarding<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"customer<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Customer signs up for a product or service \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The team gets the details and sends a heartwarming <\/em>welcome message<\/em><\/a> with further useful resources <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 Customer wants more details and schedules a demo call \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The team hosts the call and shows a customer around the product or service and discusses all the goals \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 Customer uses the product \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The team asks for sincere feedback later.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\n

Note!<\/strong> This is just a likely workflow that you can tailor to your brand. Instead of sending a series of welcome letters, you could provide video training, a call with a manager, knowledge base articles where clients can find the info to get the ball rolling, etc. The sky is the limit.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

2. Customer order\/billing workflow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you hear that cha-ching sound and see a new order\/subscription\/insert your option, don’t celebrate just yet. I mean there is a drop of excitement but a customer will surely need confirmation of their payment. And you as a business should think of a smooth customer support workflow for that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a customer order workflow as we see it below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Customer places an order \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The company sends a pre-made confirmation message \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The team\/warehouse processes the order \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The order is shipped \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 Customer receives the order \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The order is closed.  <\/em>  

Money likes count. To avoid all the mishaps connected to finance, consider keeping track of every transaction you receive from a client. For that, you can take advantage of such tools as Stripe<\/a>, Wise<\/a>, PayPal<\/a>, to name just a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We at HelpCrunch<\/a> have this dedicated Slack channel where we get every single billing notification. This way, our customer care team has the broad picture and reacts proactively to a failed payment, billing info added, or subscription cancellation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Billing notifications in the HelpCrunch Slack channel<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Customer complaint handling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We gotta face it: no one is perfect. If you read the room right, you know deep-deep down your product or service may have flaws. Sometimes critical, sometimes mild ones. Anyway, it doesn’t change the fact that when it’s time to deal with customer complaints<\/a>, you have to do your best for their success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make you act right about that, see if you follow his script (or there’s a need to spiff up your routine a little):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Customer files a complaint \u2192<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The system assigns the complaint to an appropriate department\/agent \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 Agent receives the complaint \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 Agent and the customer start a troubleshooting process \u2192 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2192 The complaint is handled. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, let me elaborate more on the troubleshooting interaction here. The way you treat a client has a gigantic impact on your future relationship with them. So, grab a pen and a piece of paper. Here’s a quick checklist of what to do during a customer complaint handling workflow. Tick a box any time the expression relates to your business: <\/p>\n\n\n\n