A service flow is an important strategy for companies and consumers because it accelerates processes and ensures service uniformity. This way, an organization can set quality standards for a good customer experience and gain a competitive advantage.
Read this article to learn more about this topic and see how to improve your customer experience!
What is a service flow?
A service flow is a process with several steps designed to deliver the best results to customers. This tool helps companies organize and manage processes, standardize service, and identify areas for mprovement,
Therefore, a service flow helps organizations:
- Manage the stages of a process;
- Reduce operational costs;
- Monitor every step in detail to identify bottlenecks and other issues;
- Ensure speed and efficiency in customer service;
- Standardize service, so that everyone knows how to handle customer requests.
Read more: Service flowchart – what it is and how to implement it
Steps of a service flow
A service flow process has some basic steps, which involves practices that must be adopted when a customer requests service.
See below more information about each of these basic steps:
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Request
The first step of service is when a customer gets in touch to:
- make a complaint;
- resolve a doubt;
- ask for information;
- request support;
- and much more.
At this moment, the agent collects basic data from the customer, such as name and ID number, adds the request to the system, and sees how he/she can help the customer. If the request is resolved at this step, the contact ends here, and a satisfaction survey is sent to the customer for service rating.
If the issue requires more technical knowledge, the agent will forward the customer to a more specialized level.
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Level of specialization
Many customers get irritated when they are forwarded to different agents. Therefore, it’s important to avoid assigning customers very often. If a request takes longer to be resolved, inform the customer and provide an estimated deadline.
This way, when considering customer assignment to different service levels, the time required for request resolution and the next steps, a service flow helps maintain service excellence and reinforces the company’s commitment to customer satisfaction.
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Customer satisfaction survey
The last step in the service flow should be the satisfaction survey. It helps companies evaluate the service quality and identify areas of improvement in the process. It also provides insights to support problem resolution and allows you to discover new opportunities for services and products that can be offered.
Importance of customized service flow
It’s very difficult to find a customer service flow that perfectly fits the company’s routine because every company has a unique customer service process. For this reason, we recommend to create your own service flow.
Also, a customized flow allows:
- Stronger connections: customized service builds deeper connections with customers, who feel valued and understood because they are treated as unique individuals.
- Increased satisfaction: customized interactions show willingness to go above and beyond to meet customer needs, which increases customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Better experience: when customers feel they are receiving individual attention, they consider the service as more relevant and pleasant, which provides a positive experience.
Building a customized service flow
Still have questions about how to create the ideal customer service flow for your business? So, read our tips below to help you:
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Map the customer journey
To create a service flow, first set your service objectives, as they will define the following steps. Analyze the experience you want to provide your customers and the common problems they want to resolve.
Next, identify the stages of your customer journey, from the first contact to problem resolution. By understanding who your customers are, their needs and expectations, you can personalize your support service, whether during purchase or after sales.
Finally, map the points of contact and determine service channels, such as telephone, chat, social media, among others.
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Create a visual flowchart
After gathering all information, you need to create a service flowchart to visually illustrate the required actions at each stage of the service. Use symbols, arrows, and text boxes to represent the flow of activities.
At this stage, it’s important to identify roles and responsibilities, and clearly describe what must be done in each phase, and consider all scenarios to address the different types of requests and levels of complexity.
With this information, guide the team and always review the document for adjustments and improvements. Also, update the service flow to reflect changes in the process.
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Personalize your service
Be sure to include self-service options for frequently asked questions and personalize human support to handle more complex cases, adapting the flow to customer’s needs.
A good suggestion is to offer omnichannel support. With a customer service platform like Milvus, your customers can choose the communication channel they prefer, while you ensure a consistent experience across all these channels, including email, WhatsApp, telephone, etc.
In addition, it’s important to choose and implement customer service management systems that help track and document customer interactions. Another suggestion is to invest in solutions that offer automation of repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on more strategic tasks.
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Track and assess service flow
Don’t forget to adopt performance metrics – such as average response time, first contact resolution rate, customer satisfaction, among others – and track the results.
Analyze all data collected to identify opportunities for improvement and adjust the service flow according to customer needs and market changes.
Milvus platform for an efficient service flow
Standardizing processes and assigning appropriate agents are critical aspects to optimize tasks and ensure customer satisfaction. To make these actions easier and more efficient, Milvus offers a comprehensive solution for customer ticket management and many other tasks.
To prioritize and resolve tickets with speed and efficiency, the Milvus tool offers, among other features:
- Task automation;
- Integration with various service channels, such as WhatsApp, chat and email;
- Unified workspace to facilitate monitoring, prioritization, and customer responses;
- Ready-made and personalized reports for you to monitor your team performance and customer profitability;
- Creation, management, and provision of an intelligent knowledge base that can optimize self-service and empower the team;
- And much more!
Want to learn more? Contact Milvus and find out how we can help improve your customer experience through efficient service. Take a free trial now and benefit from all Milvus features.
