Finding the Best-Fit Communication Channel(s) for Your Business

Good customer service creates good customer experience which, in turn, creates a loyal, revenue-generating customer base. But the question is: what exactly is good customer service? For a large majority of consumers, good customer service is not solely defined by a cordial demeanour or exclusive deals. Sure, those things are part of the package, but what really encourages them to reach for their wallets is the availability of help when it’s needed.

When deciding between similar options, nearly 7 in 10 customers choose retailers with convenient communication channels, not ones with the best quality products!

This phenomenon tells us one thing: customers value their time above all else. For businesses, this means that you are responsible for minimising the amount of time it takes for your customers to get in touch with an agent who can solve their problems with registration, refunds, shipment, and everything else in between.

Select the right communication channel based on where your customers live

Instant messaging is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you’re looking for speedy communications (it’s literally in the name!). So, setting up an account on Facebook, WhatsApp, or wherever else your customers are active should do the trick, right? Well, yes and no.

Opening up live chat channels on relevant social media platforms definitely forms one part of a successful customer engagement strategy. But, depending on the type of business you’re running, some communication channels will grant you the same amount of traffic that the average Myspace account (yes, they still exist) receives today—next to nothing.

This example may sound ridiculous, but market opportunities do vary wildly between countries, even among the more conventionally popular channels. Take WhatsApp, for example. Creating a business account will put you within chatting distance of over 277 million in Indonesia and 117 million users in the Philippines, but only 0.53 million potential Thai customers, many of whom are probably spending more time on Facebook Messenger anyway.

The effectiveness of chat apps also fluctuates depending on whether you’re looking to A) expand your reach, or B) hit 100% of your target audience. For instance, Facebook Messenger can help you cover significant portions of the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore, where it ranks first, second, and third respectively. However, hyper-localised channels such as Zalo will probably help you gain more traction in countries like Vietnam that have a more established native online community.

So, the moral of the story is: different communication channels work better in different countries. While this might seem obvious now that we’ve explained it, you might be asking yourself: why would anyone bother investing in both Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp when targeting the Philippines, where both options appear equally viable?

Communication preferences differ based on age group

Customer communication habits are not just determined by geography. After all, nations are made up of heterogeneous groups of people whose behaviours can differ based on factors such as age.

According to a 2023 study by HubSpot, accessing customer service via voice call remains one of the most popular across all age groups. This may sound contrary to what we’ve said before, but it’s important to note that voice calls only grant you access to approximately half of each age demographic, at best.

Preferences really start to splinter once you look beyond voice calls.

• From 2020 to 2021 alone, Zendesk reported that the number of people who preferred using social messaging for customer service jumped 110%!
• As for live video chat, that option has rapidly gained popularity since the pandemic, with around a quarter of Gen Z (24%) and Millennials (28%) embracing the channel. Boomers and Gen X are picking up their smartphones to chat with customer service agents, too, albeit a little slower at 12%.
• Things become even more complicated when you zoom into each country. For example, 98% of Singaporeans use WhatsApp as their main mode of communication.

As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to choosing the right communication channel. What works for your company today may not necessarily be the most cost-effective tomorrow as your target demographic grows and morphs along with your business.

Engage your customers on their terms with communication APIs

The good news is that most chat apps today contain multiple functions that help customer service agents cater to a range of communication preferences, whether it be through texting, file transfers, rich media illustrations, live video, or screen sharing.

The issue, however, lies with keeping track of every single individual’s communication preferences. It’s hard enough when you’re managing a single channel that’s flooded with complaints every single day—imagine how much more difficult it would be when you’re managing several apps!

Stay on top of request tickets

That’s why two-way, multichannel conversation solutions, such as 8x8 Converse, have become a staple for customer service departments. These solutions consolidate multiple channels into one intuitive dashboard, so it feels like you’re managing a single chat app when you’re really talking to people from all across the globe.

And unlike regular chat apps, 8x8 Converse comes with advanced ticket queuing systems, automated workflow builders, and comprehensive internal note templates. These features don’t just help to speed up workflow, but they also ensure smooth handovers between customer service agents, so that your customers’ previous requests and purchase history never get lost in the shuffle.

It’s all about long-term relationship building!

Axe your workload in half with self-service kiosks

Once your business achieves a certain level of scale, you’ll want to automate common requests, such as signups, rewards redemptions, and order status, to free up agent bandwidth for more complex conversations. Multichannel campaign manager 8x8 Connect can be supplemented with chat apps, SMS, and voice APIs to facilitate these requests regardless of the source platform. Add automated workflows that provide photo illustrations, video tutorials, and file transfer, and your customers can have all the tools they need to become more than self-sufficient.

Provide the after-sales, VIP treatment

Some things simply cannot be communicated through messaging alone, and the last thing that frustrated customers want to deal with are automated chatbots that are indifferent to their defective product and signup troubleshooting woes.

8x8 Video Interaction brings the customer service counter into your customers’ homes and puts a friendly, memorable face to your brand. Taking commute time out of the equation also means solving their issues in less than five minutes. Remember what customers value the most? It’s time. That’s your winning formula right there.

Build customer service channels that are customised for everyone

Just as customers have communication preferences, so do customer service agents. Streamlined integration and flexibility are exactly what they need to declutter and focus on what they do best. Discover how you can achieve exactly that with 8x8 Communication APIs.