Startups, we know floating along on a shoestring budget means getting creative. One minute you’re developing a social media marketing piece, the next you’re playing barista for a client. We’ve been there and in some ways, we still are there. 

One of the many things that we’ve learned along the shoestring trail is that skimping on customer service doesn’t work. You can shoestring customer service, but you can’t skimp on it. After all, according to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), “acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.”

So here’s how we can help you save on customer service costs.

1. We Help Customers Help Themselves 

One of the easiest ways to help customers is to let them help themselves. When your customers visit your website, do they get a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that answer their top five questions? If not, step one for providing quick, effective customer service is creating a great FAQ.  

Once you get that FAQ rolling, consider language. If you’re customers speak any language other than English, consider a one-time article translation in the top languages spoken by your customers. This may sound crazy, but the minimal effort you put into these automated translations will pay off in spades. When customers answer their own questions, they are less likely to pick up the phone or hit the chat button.

2. We Can Multiply Your Call Center

We know. You’re thinking, “What call center?”

Of course you don’t have a call center. You’ve got Jeff, Sarah, and Joe who do a little IT support, a little call center work, and a little marketing when needed. The thing is, none of them speak more than one language. 

Because our suite of translation products works within two existing* customer relationship management (CRMs), all you have to do to add a Spanish or “Russian speaking” customer service agent to your team is hit our “translate button.” Then voila, within moments you can respond to your customers’ email queries in the language they speak. 

*Our CMS integration works with both Salesforce and Oracle. If you do too, get the plugins for both here.

3. We’ve Nailed the Live Chat Thing

November 2016 was huge for us. It marked the launch of our chat product, which made us the provider of the industry’s most comprehensive multilingual customer service product suite.   

This is great for our customers because it allows them to communicate with their clients in real-time. Dealing with customers in real-time is cost effective and it makes them happy.

If you’re interested in seeing how we might specifically save your company costs, contact us.