Texting for CS Starter Kit - Teckst · Pew Research Center, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Harvard...

Everything customer service teams need to know to successfully utilize mobile messaging

What To Expect When You’re Texting

STARTER KIT

Get a customized demo, learn about our pilot program & more at teckst.com | 855-980-6848

Texting wasn’t even considered for customer service a few years ago, yet the average consumer was sending hundreds of texts per day. Meanwhile, brands were focusing on improving call, email, and web chat experiences. Why did customer service teams not take advantage of the consumer behavior?

The issue was that a platform had not been built to help customer service teams harness the power of texting. Teckst was built with the input of dozens of customer service teams and product experts, from GrubHub to Salesforce. “No extra windows!” and “It has to be set up without resources!” were two resounding demands we heard. We’re happy to say that in addition to those two demands, we also created a highly customizable, feature-full, analytics-rich platform specifically for customer service. From macros to emojis, automations and triggers, a fully documented API, breakout windows for concurrency, character counters, and incredibly easy training, Teckst is the leader in bringing the power of texting to customer service teams. The missing piece has arrived.

This starter kit is filled with information about beginning the journey to adding texting from customer service. We’ve gathered information from client experiences, our engineering team, account managers, subject matter experts in training and staffing, and more. This starter kit is the most comprehensive kit every created for texting customer service, and we’re so grateful you are using it.

Happy texting,

The Teckst Team

Can you help me?


What’s InsideTable of Contents

1. Is texting right for you? 2. Statistics about texting 3. Human-to-human versus notifications 4. Use cases for texting 5. Picking a platform 6. Teckst platform walkthrough 7. Staffing for texting customer service 8. Shifts in metrics when adding texting 9. Customer expectations from texting 10. Launch plan for texting


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Is texting right for you?Determining if Texting is Useful to your Company


Phone calls have been around since the late 1800s. Yes, more than 100 years ago. Web chat, email, and even social were all embraced for customer service before the iPhone was released in 2007. The iPhone launch, however, was the beginning of an entirely new era of communication, and text messaging became the prolific channel of choice for more than 5 billion people on Earth.

Despite this incredible statistic, text messaging for customer service isn’t for everyone. The beauty of texting is that it can help with customer care metrics like time to resolution and satisfaction, but only for companies with highly mobile customers. The litmus test is to determine if more than half of your website visitors are on mobile devices. If the answer is yes, then texting will provide a major positive impact to your business.

If your audience isn’t highly mobile that doesn’t mean you won’t see much benefit, but the greatest good is for companies with very mobile customers.

We also find that companies that see success in web chat will see success with text messaging. Since web chat doesn’t translate to mobile, text messaging fills the gap and helps the 50%+ of customers who want help but can’t utilize web chat.

More than 50% of your customers

on a mobile device?

Yes, texting is for you.

You’re notready.

YES

NO

Using Analytics

1. Log into your Google Analytics and click on “Mobile” under the Audience tab on the left.

2. Click on “Overview” and you’ll see in the main area the number of desktop vs. mobile customers.

Customers Want to Text YouGlobal Texting Statistics

1 Billion

2 Billion

3 Billion

4 Billion

5 Billion

6 Billion

7 Billion

Population of E

arth

Text M

essag

ing (SMS)

Messen

ger

WhatsApp

WeChat

Twitte

rKik

Viber

Active Daily Users by PlatformWith all the hype around Facebook, it’s shocking to most that text messaging is on more phones than Messenger

The SOCAP (Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals) annual conference took place last summer in Orlando, FL. The main topics? The inability for customer service teams to change, and text messaging. It’s no coincidence that those two topics were concurrently discussed. Texting is default installed on more than 6 billion phones globally. More than 75% of the population of Earth texts at least once per day. In 2007, text messaging surpassed phone calls. The statistics pile up higher and higher, yet the delay to add texting always gets blamed on the customer service team.

That’s just wrong.

The fact is that no company had created an easy-to-use platform. Before Sprinklr, customer service on Twitter was cumbersome. Before Teckst, customer service by text message was a room full of agents using iPhones. The innovation had not been created, and therefore the adoption was nearly impossible. Now, however, the Teckst platform exists. Unlike when email and web chat were added in the past, Teckst updates for life. As platforms like Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, and LINE are created, Teckst automatically adds them to the Teckst Platform.

Now that Teckst exists, there is no reason not to add text messaging as a platform. More than 100 enterprises have added text messaging in 2016, and that number is expected to increase by nearly 1,200% in 2017. Data from Pew Research Center, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Harvard Business Review, and other reputable sources report that customers are asking for this.

Let’s work together to bring this incredible channel to your customer service team and make a positive impact in the customer journey from start to finish.

The delay to add texting always gets blamed on the customer

service team… But it’s because no easy-to-use platform for texting

existed.



Don’t I already do texting?Human to Human vs. Notifications

Text message notifications were a major improvement in proactive customer service. Anticipating the types of information customers wanted and sending it to them on the channel the preferred was genius. However, almost every single notification is a one-way message. Any reply to that notification results in a robotic response telling the customer to call or email for help.

Switching from that text to a phone call is an immediate “F” at unnecessary channel switching, a behavior proven to reduce customer satisfaction and, ultimately, sales and loyalty with brands. This starter kit is specifically for companies interested in two-way human to human text messaging for customer service.

Whereas notifications come from companies like Twilio and require a developer to integrate with an API, companies like Teckst are a full platform that integrates with customer service software like Salesforce, Oracle, and Zendesk (plus custom-built systems). Additionally with notifications, around 5-50% of them are never delivered because of the “quality” of the services. Teckst, however, has the same deliverability rate as consumer texting–100%.

Hey, Matt! We think so, too. Have a great time at the event! If you have any questions, reply to us here and we’ll get right back to you.

More than “Where’s my order?”Use Cases for Texting Customer Service

How do the low-rise jeans fit? Are these like the traditional

but lower?

I’d like to sign up but I’m not sure if you service my area.

What’s your return policy? I need to be able to exchange

if the shoes don’t fit.

Can you explain how the monthly subscription works?

I can’t tell if this insurance plan includes my current doctor.

Can you check?

I purchased a flight but forgot to attach my frequent flier number.

I ordered a courier an hour ago and they’re still not here.

I’m stuck in a meeting and can’t get home to meet

FedEx.

I ordered white shoes but got dark grey. Help!

My cable box says, “Call company.” Can you help?

Pre-purchaseCustomer service plays an integral role in today’s consumer journey. From answering questions about fit, color, and care, to actually being tasked with upselling, texting can help achieve business objectives.

Post-purchaseUndoubtedly, things go wrong. From last-mile issues to missing drivers and couriers, texting helps customer care teams manage these issues faster and more mobile-friendly that all other channels.

Brands like Zappos have created amazing urban legends about their incredible customer service experiences. Delivering Happiness continues to be a book given to new hires in service-minded organizations. Their team is told to be a champion of the customer and do whatever it takes to keep them happy.

That new mindset for customer service was born with Zappos. Previously, customer service was seen mostly as an Emergency Room to help customers as cheaply as possible so they don’t go to a competitor. Today’s customer service teams, however, are undergoing a new renaissance.

The Rise of the Concierge As shopping has moved from in-store to online, the need for help making decision to purchase has increased. This is where texting is more than a customer service channel, it’s a conversion tool. Describing how something fits on the phone is weird. Sending a photo or video of it via a friendly text message is helpful.

…texting is more than a customer service channel, it’s a conversion tool.


Picking a PlatformBefore You Begin

There’s a wide range of quality differences between voice providers. Google Voice, for example, is great for very small teams who are trying to spend as little money as possible and don’t care if the person on the other end of the line can hear every word. On the flip side, cloud providers like 8x8 provide exceptional clarity and quality, have tools built specifically for customer care teams and call centers, and have their own SLAs.

Similar to voice providers, text providers have a canyon of difference between them. Twilio, for example, is built for developers to hobby around with. Smooch is a do-it-yourself platform great for small startups. For enterprise, there are two main companies in the space: Teckst and OneReach.

Depending on what you’re looking for, they both provide an exceptional service and have years of experience in the customer service space. OneReach is a standalone platform great for smaller customer service teams. If you’re not using a CRM, OneReach is a great out-of-the-box solution.

For teams using customer service software, Teckst is for you. Teckst’s engineers integrate the platform directly into the systems teams already use, from Help Scout to Zendesk. Plus they have the best deliverability, customer account management, and training ever produced for customer service texting.

Enterprise

Startup/SMB

To Avoid

Teckst Quiq OneReach

Highly customizable to fit current workflows Y Y N

Natively integrates with current software stack Y N N

Use with multiple help desks & CRM/ERP platforms Y N N

Effortless setup with no resources needed on your end Y N N

Bots to gather data from customers before agent contact Y N N

Landline checker to ensure texts go to mobile phones Y N N

iOS app for field agents Y N N

Rules to keep conversations compliant Y N N

Simple, per-company pricing with no per-agent fees Y N N

Built specifically for enterprise Y Y N

Easily initiate outbound texts Y Y N

Intelligent auto-replies with wait times, hours of operation, etc. Y N Y

Integrations with third-party NPS/CSAT software Y N N

These platforms are built for the demands of enterprise customer service

These platforms are more do-it-yourself and great for smaller companies

These are great, but just not for the demands of human to human customer service.


Integration with CRMsTeckst Walkthrough


Teckst was the first and most-trusted integration platform for texting customer service. Our engineers are all in-house here in our New York Office, and they were selected because of their incredible backgrounds in the enterprise space. From Lockheed Martin to Symantec, the skill level of this team is second-to-none in the enterprise texting space.

Our backend systems are built on top of the most innovative AWS servers, and our programming languages include Node.js for backend, and Angular and React for front-end.

Our direct connections to national and international carriers means deliverability and features cannot be beat. We are the only platform that can text-enable toll free numbers to receive and send images and videos through their current CRMs.

We have partnered with more than seventy-five Fortune 500, Enterprise, Mid-Market, and startup companies. Millions of their customers have utilized the service we put in place, and to date we have a 99% renewal rate with clients.

Because we’re a new, small team innovating a vast and archaic software vertical (customer service), working with Teckst means more than just getting the best platform, it means being a part of the future of customer service.

We have created an easy-to-start pilot program full with all of the features of our platform including full integration and training. This is a new channel for everyone in the space, and we believe clients should have an opportunity to try before they buy to make sure it’s a channel that will work for their needs.

Resources Needed

No developers needed

We do all the heavy lifting

Requesting prioritization is a thing of the past with our included setup, implementation, and customization. This is why we’re a partner, not a vendor.

Easily break out up to 12 text windows from within your current CRM

Send and receive texts from up to 100 phone numbers, both domestic and international

Teckst automatically pulls customer info from your database

Timestamps for easy historical

review

Automations are lighter and agents can understand the whole scope of texts a customer received

Delivered tags make sure agents aren’t texting landlines and messages are delivered

Character counter

Easily add images and video

Natively integrated with CRMs like Zendesk, Oracle, and Salesforce

To generalize or to specialize?Staffing for Text Messaging

There are two philosophies around this. The first is somewhat of a generalist approach where every agent is trained in texting and those who need it can use it to improve their current channels. For example, an agent assigned to phone calls can utilize texting to send photos, videos, links, and more to create a more-robust experience for the customer experience. This reduces call times and improves First Contact Resolution (FCR) in the right context.

With this approach we call Text Augmented Traditional Channel, or TATC, the staffing levels remain nearly identical. All staffing segmentations are identical before and after adding texting to the mix.

The second philosophy is to assign agents to texting as their only channel. We call this Text Segmented Staffing, or TSS. This is where the staffing of a customer service team will see the largest change. Every channel–phone, email, web chat, and social will see reductions in demand, and many agents will move to the text messaging channel.

On average, the biggest team to switch to texting is phone calls, with an average of between 25% and 35% of the phone agents becoming unneeded on the channel as texting increases and calls decrease. Web chat deflection is closer to 10% for companies with no mobile web chat, and around 50% for companies with mobile web chat.

1015

2550

Phone Calls Web ChatEmail Social

25

1012 15

38

Phone Calls Web ChatEmail SocialTexting

100 Agents Before & After TextingACME, a hypothetical company that sells widgets, has a team of 100 customer service agents. The difference in their staffing is illustrated below with before and after adding text messaging. This data is reflective of a range of current Teckst clients.

BEFORE TEXTING WITH TEXTING

On average, the biggest team to switch to texting is phone calls, with an average of between 25% and 35% of the phone agents becoming

unneeded on the channel as texting increases and calls decrease.


Metrics MatterExpected Shifts in Metrics

1. Research from CFI Group (link)

Satisfaction1

Some customer service teams use NPS (Net Promoter Score) while others use CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) or CES (Customer Effort Score). Texting improves all three of these scores, but for brevity, we selected CSAT to demonstrate the impressive metrics improvements of text messaging.

77 Phone Call

66 Facebook

90 Text Message

First Response Time2

Your SLA is the ultimate bar that needs to be met. With channels like phone calls and web chat, a queue make it difficult to come up for air because the customer is sitting on a channel giving up their own time. Texting eliminates the urgency and allows for responses to happen and then re-connect a few minutes later.

2 min. Text Message

3 min. Phone Call

5 min. Facebook

2. Proprietary Teckst research from current client survey (2016)

Customer service teams are highly metrics-driven. Before implementing texting, establishing a baseline of the top-level metrics that matter most in critical. Whether it’s Time to Resolution (TTR) or Customer Effort Score (CES), the impact of adding a new channel can only be assessed if the current state of the experience can be measured.

There are tons of tools on the market to help teams, too. From the standard metrics dashboards that come with products like Zendesk, to highly sophisticated third-party add-ons like DOMO, collecting and analyzing data is now far easier than it once was.

However, with a sea of metrics, it’s easy to be overtaken by monitoring too many metrics at once. We recommend you focus on: • Time to Resolution (TTR) • Satisfaction (CSAT/NPS) • Customer Effort Score (CES) • First Contact Resolution (FCR) • Cases per Agent per Channel per Day

Once you have a grasp on these metrics, you can implement texting and see shifts over time. One interesting fact is that metrics shifts for texting actually take around six months to fully realize. There is no immediate wave, and there is no magic bullet. Every team is different and having a solid partner implement texting is critical to achieving measurable success.

Once texting is implemented, the additional metrics you should focus on include: • Texts Per Conversation (TPC) • Text Cases per Agent per Day • Deflection from other channels to texting

One interesting fact is that metrics shifts for texting actually

take around six months to fully realize.


http://www.cfigroup.com/downloads/CCSI_2012.pdf

Are you still there?

What Customers Expect

Customers hate waiting on hold, but they also hate slow experiences where they expect to receive an answer quickly. Today’s consumer has an attention span shorter than a goldfish, so everything in their life needs to be quick–including customer service.

With web chat, abandon rates continues to be an issue. Customers may be on your website at first, but the moment they are stuck in “web chat hold” they will open up a competitor’s site, search for a better deal, and purchase. Once an agent joins the conversation, any lags in communication will result in the same customer behavior of immediately darting. “Are you still there?” is asked all too often in web chats both from agents and customers.

Texting has a brand to it. Many consumers love it because it’s quick and short. That same expectation puts fear in many customer service leaders because promising “immediate” help is impossible. Despite this fear of customer service leaders, the exact opposite has happened in text messaging customer service.

Because customers can send in a text and go about their day without being forced to stare at a web chat or listen to hold music, the expectation for immediacy is incredibly reduced. Yes, customers want a quick and short experience, but immediate is not an expectation for the communication.

This seems counter-intuitive, but when you think about it, customers are frustrated about giving up their time, and texting “takes” the least amount of time from the customer. With this expectation of immediacy removed, the probability of a customer jumping to a competitor because your site or app is overtaken by a web chat disappears.

Where’s my order?

We’ll be with you in about 2 minutes. In the meantime, what’s your order number?

CA61779

Hey there, James! This is Amanda from ACME. I’ve got your order up and see that your order should be delivered today.

When an agent is available, they take

care of the customer’s issue

2

3

Rather than call, the customer initiates a text to the company’s toll-free phone number.

The Customer ExperienceTeckst has been experienced by more than 4 million people. What exactly did those millions of people experience? See below.

EMAIL US CALL US TEXT US 1

Automatically the customer receives

a message to set the customer’s

expectation.Despite this fear of customer

service leaders, the exact opposite has happened in text messaging

customer service.


Slow and SteadyLaunching

We’re often asked, “Will we get a barrage of text messages once we turn this thing on?” The answer is a resounding, “No!” Texting is often mischaracterized as a channel customers will suddenly use to ask you to order them a pizza. However, that’s not the case.

Texting is fast and friendly, but customers tend to have their preferred way of contacting you. It’s hard to shift that once it’s set in stone. For example, if a customer typically calls you, they will most likely continue with that as their default channel. For new customers who have never contacted you, when given the choice to text, they will choose it over all other channels. That means that texting growth happens organically.

Organic growth is manageable and becomes predictable. Once you reach this point (we see typically about the three month mark), we recommend companies begin promoting texting through other channels. For example, putting it in their hold music, sending an email blast, or auto-replying to emails with “text us–it’s faster” callouts.

Once a customer uses texting for customer service, it becomes their new default channel for outreach. We still see increased usages of clients who have been texting for more than three years.

We hypothesize that texting will become the dominant channel for customer service before the year 2020, and that web chat will be phased out, phone calls massively reduced, and email will virtually disappear.

As other mobile messaging platforms come online and become important communication channels, Teckst will continue being the leader in the space and will adopt these channels for our customers. The on boarding and launch will be relatively similar to the plan on the right.


The Launch PlanWe’ve utilized this successfully plan more than 50 times. Our account managers work directly with clients to ensure their texting rollout is smooth as butter.

1. Gather Data Find and write down all the places where customers go today to find information about contacting you. That’s contact us pages, social pages, e-signatures, etc.

2. Stick with 10% Determine an area where around 10% of your customers go to find the CTA info. That’s where you should initially add texting as a channel.

3. Slow Days Win Working with the product team (optional), determine the slowest day of the week to launch. Be sure you can turn texting on for around for hours, then turn it off.

4. Regroup & Plan Review all the metrics shifts that occurred when texting was turned on. Then, use that date to inform your staffing plan moving forward.

5. Ready, Set, Go Live Turn on the texting CTAs everywhere on the slowest day of the week. At this point, you’re ready to keep texting live indefinitely.

Interested in learning more about launches? Text or call us at 855-980-6848 to speak with an account manager.

For a free consultation,text/call us at 855-980-6848

Date post:	13-Jun-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	1 times
Download:	0 times

Texting for CS Starter Kit - Teckst · Pew Research Center, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Harvard...

Documents