Top 5 Emerging Trends for Customer ServiceAs 2014 is halfway through we need to look ahead and focus on the emerging trends for customer service and how companies can adopt them to improve their service quality and to further grow their business. Here are some of the top customer service trends for modern businesses to look into.

Support channel preference is changing speedily

Voice has remained the top preferred channel of customer support across the world for many decades and it still remains one of the most commonly used methods of getting information and technical support. However, this trend is changing rapidly and the customers have started to rely more on digital channels which include live chat service and e-mails. According to a report by Forester, there has been a 24% rise in live chat support usage during the last couple of years.

Responsive & quality service is inevitable

Customers have become more demanding, setting extremely high expectations; and if their expectations are not met, you will definitely lose them. Keeping this scenario in view, business organizations need to ensure highly prompt and top-notch customer service. Therefore, in order

to provide smooth customer service, you should make sure that each interaction between your representatives and the customers should convey consistent and personalized information. Besides, your representatives should make sure that each of the customers’ issues is resolved immediately.

Proactive approach is not an option but a compulsion

According to Forester’s survey, 29% of companies are investing in proactive outbound communication through various channels such as telephonic calls, live chat and e-mails. The rise in customers’ expectations and an increasing number of competitors are the two key reasons behind the companies adopting proactive customer care strategy.

Increase in bandwidth and advent of ultra-powered smartphones has escalated the need for outbound communications through the use of applications and rich multimedia. Therefore, the dependence on channels for outbound communication will increase further.

Mobile commerce is rapidly rising

Whether a customer wants to purchase online or from a brick & mortar store, usually he would first log on to the internet from his mobile device and look for all the options available, check prices online and then make a purchase decision. This shows how much mobile phones have taken over the world business. It has also been reported by WebGreeter® that there has been a 32% growth in mobile commerce for the year 2013 and by the end of 2014, a significant majority of customers will be using their mobile phones and touch pads for all their shopping needs. This is why business organizations need to develop responsive websites that are rich in content and fully compatible with mobile devices. Moreover, providing live support on mobile platform is also becoming inevitable.

Voice of the Customer (VoC) Programs are gaining popularity

For many people out there, VoC may seem to be a new term. It is a process which is meant for in-depth analysis of customers’ expectations and demands. This process involves organizing customers’ requirements into a hierarchical structure. After having organized these requirements, the customer service experts then prioritize them pertaining to their significance. A large number of online companies are making use of this method to maximize customer satisfaction rate and gain good reputation in the market.

The entrepreneurs need to keep a constant track of emerging customer service trends to make sure that their business is on the track to success.

- See more at: http://www.webgreeter.com/blog/customer-service/major-emerging-trends-for-customer-service/