Once your offer is launched, it’s important that your own internal teams have a heads up about the offer and are ready to help with customer requests or issues. As with any new program, customers may have questions or come up against unforeseen challenges for whatever reason, and you always want to be prepared to handle those questions and requests.
The SheerID consumer support team handles the majority of customer service issues related to our verification solutions. we’ve put together a list of customer service best practices to help set you up for success:
Train your team(s) on the program:
Whoever will be handling customer interactions, whether it’s your existing customer service team or someone else, should be briefed on the details of the program and how verification works within that program. They should know what the offer is, who qualifies for it, and how verification works within the existing system.
Prior to the program going live, it’s always a good idea to share screenshots of the process and/or provide a demo for the team so your reps can see and understand the user flow for all use cases, such as instant success, document review success, as well as document review failure.
It's also very important for reps to understand what documents you’ve decided to accept as proof of eligibility, and what information needs to be provided on those documents.
Even though SheerID will handle the verification requests, its best for our clients' customer service teams to have insight as well, so they are providing customers with accurate information to ensure their verification request is successful.
We also recommend that they take a look at this packet as well, so that they can understand some common questions and details about the program.
Create a workflow for requests
We’ve worked with hundreds of clients, and through the years, we have seen that the most successful teams often have a designated person to answer promotional program questions.
If you decide to take this route, designate one or two reps to be the expert on the verification program, and train your team to route all inquiries to them. They can handle such issues as
- how the discount is applied to a purchase
- problems with the coupon code functionality
- account issues (for account linking rewards)
- questions about products included in the offer
Those designated experts can use MySheerID to look up more information about a verification, and reach out to SheerID’s Product Support Team for escalated cases, such as more information on why someone was rejected. Those escalations should be forwarded to productsupport@sheerid.com.
Always be available and responsive
As is best practice in general customer service, the same applies when running these types of programs. You should always have someone covering phones, emails, and social media to monitor for questions from customers who are trying to redeem the available offers. Quick and thorough responses will generate the best customer experience for your patrons. Our team is always available to help address any pain points discovered after launch and make any modifications per your request.
Open communications across departments:
As these programs are often a collaboration between marketing, sales, and customer service, it’s important that each of these departments communicates openly about information related to the program. If changes are made or common issues are arising, it’s important that all parties are in the loop to ensure your customers receive a consistent, positive experience when shopping with you and redeeming your exclusive offer.