Friday, August 24, 2012

The Importance of Live Customer Service in the Furniture Industry

In the world of furniture, finding a live customer service agent is a bit unusual. In the world of online furniture sales, finding a live customer service agent is nearly unheard of. Fortunately for customers, there are some furniture companies out there that still believe in human to human contact where customer service is concerned. They are in the minority to be sure, but they do exist. Here are five advantages to having a live customer support system in place in the furniture industry:

Live Customer Service Gives Timely Responses

Without quick and timely responses, furniture companies are sure to have customers that are upset. When something goes wrong, a customer does not want to talk with a computer or virtual agent. They want to speak with someone that can solve their problem or answer their questions on the spot. This ensures that the problem is fixed in a timely fashion, and often avoids errors from occurring in the first place.

Live Customer Service Provides Direct Answers

When you are in a service driven industry, it is absolutely vital that you have the least amount of stopping points for your customer to find satisfaction. When a customer dials in to talk to your company about their furniture purchase, the last thing they want is to talk to a machine or jump through hoops. They will not get a direct answer about their problem from a machine, and will be left to wait on a return phone call that may or may not ever even come. If they bought their furniture online, you can be sure that they will have red flags fly up when they get a machine instead of a human being.

Live Customer Service Can Handle Special Circumstances

Not every purchase is the same, and many furniture purchases are special orders. If your customer bought a custom sofa, for example, they are not going to get the right response when they try to use the computer agent. They need to speak to a live person that can give them custom answers to their unique problem. This can not be done effectively with a virtual agent.

Reduced Frustrations With Live Customer Service

With live customer service, you are automatically going to have the chance to deliver better customer experiences with less frustration. A customer that knows that they will have a direct line to someone in the company is a customer that will have confidence about their purchase. This will mean more money and a better reputation for your company. On the flip side, if the furniture company has a virtual agent, there will be infinite frustration and a high chance for mix-ups. Frustration is not a good thing when it comes to customers to say the least.

Live Customer Service Means Accurate Orders

The bottom line to any business is to deliver good products to people accurately and quickly. If something is done via a series of phone calls and links, then the margin for error increases. If you speak directly to a live customer service agent instead, then your order accuracy is sure to go up as well--the less middle men involved in the furniture sales process, the better.

Live customer service truly is necessary for any company to provide the best customer experience, and fortunately some owners still feel that it is a priority. In the world of furniture sales, live customer service is a very rare thing indeed. The next time you make a furniture purchase, particularly online, check to see if you get a real person on the line before buying. It might make the difference between a great furniture buying experience and a poor one.


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