As a Digital Advisor, I work within the Customer Service team. I’m one of the first points of contact for any customer contacting us digitally, whether by email, over Facebook, Twitter or our web chat – anything that isn’t a phone call
We provide customers with their first impression of the organisation and are their direct link to the rest of the business. Our interactions with customers reflect the whole business, which is why customer service is so important.
Going digital
I’ve been working at Abri for nine years now. Over time, I’ve seen the way we interact with our customers change and we’ve had to adapt to this to continue providing a high-quality service. There has been a huge shift towards digital and our new Customer Portal is representative of this. And why not? Digital communication is quick, easy and convenient.
Our new customer portal will give customers the ability to: book, manage and track repairs, view and manage personal details and statements, access information about tenancies and make tenancy-based requests. Its functionality enables customers to access their information online 24/7 and communicate with us quickly and easily. I’m excited to see how this functionality improves customer satisfaction going forward.
While we will always support customers who need more help, and who prefer to get in contact via more traditional methods such as phone or email, there is certainly a trend towards online communication and the digital team has grown as a result. Responding to the need for digital-led engagement and interaction is a real focus for Abri and it will be interesting to see how our digital customer service offering continues to develop in the future.
Delivering the best service
I have learnt a lot about what customers want and expect and how to respond. I’ve been dealing with emails coming in to Abri Direct for about five years, so a lot of people come to me for advice about these and other digital-related queries.
The first, and perhaps most obvious thing is reviewing a customer’s information stored in our systems and being aware of this when we engage with them. Having a record of past interactions as well as being aware of things such as a disability that might affect how you need to engage with the customer, means you will always be able to personalise your interactions to the individual.
Keeping the customer updated about their issue is obviously important. However, when it’s via a digital platform you’ve got to be mindful of the fact that people aren’t getting the instant feedback that they would get over a phone, so quick and timely responses are vital.
I will also always check through a case and make sure that every query has been addressed, no matter how small. I also make time to check back on certain cases to make sure our service is being delivered as expected.
Even if Abri is not the right organisation to assist a customer with their problem, I’ll always try and find out who could help the customer and will point them in the direction of other services or organisations available to them.
Adding value
As a customer service advisor, your value lies not only in the assistance you provide to customers. There’s also a lot to be said for the value we add to other teams. I find a lot of satisfaction in knowing that my work helps to free up time for other colleagues so that they can focus on other work and projects that benefit our customers.
Good customer service will make other areas of the business more efficient. The more efficient we are, the more we increase our value for money offering to our customers as a result of this increased productivity.
Digital Advisor