When organizations implement digital workflows, one of the results is that their staff can provide better customer service. It might be counter-intuitive, but the use of office automation technology actually improves the quality of human interaction.
Rather than putting a customer on hold while they search for information, employees can look up an invoice in seconds or quickly retrieve the information they need to confirm an order. Improved speed of responsiveness reduces frustration on everyone’s part. Then the conversation between staff member and customer is focused on resolving the issue. Employees can spend more time with customers who have complex issues and proactively follow up.
Employees are used to doing things a certain way and the news that they will be adopting unfamiliar technology may cause some protest. Where does this resistance to change come from? Fear of the unknown or a loss of control and reluctance to try something new are usually part of the problem. Some of your employees may think digitizing paper processes poses a threat to their job security. Reassure them that office automation will increase their productivity, help them prioritize their work, and enable them to do high value tasks instead of shuffling paper.
With automation enabling you to help your customers get the most out of your product or service and improving their support experience, you also can increase customer retention rate. Their higher level of satisfaction gives you a significant edge that differentiates you from your competitors.
With a searchable database of client information, customer-facing employees quickly obtain information about, for example, a product, service, insurance policy or tax document. There’s no need to put a customer on hold or hang up to research their answer only to call them back later. An office automation solution puts that information front and center for the person answering the call.
Without office automation, when a customer requests a document, a copy is made and sent to them via email, fax or letter. Copies of the document may be made by the customer without the business’s consent, with a copy of a copy being sent back to the business. Imagine managing all of this electronically and sharing a document with a customer using a link in an email. Electronic document sharing through a document management system increases response speed and reduces liability caused by inappropriate sharing of information.
Customer service inquiries often initiate work that is completed by another department. Office automation helps to organize tasks with workflows that route documents into the right person’s work queue. As a document and the associated task move through an organization, the customer service representative views the progress of work being done to resolve their issue and provides updates to a customer within minutes and without waiting for someone from another department to get back to them. This saves time for everyone.
To find out more about how you can improve customer service at your organization, view the recording of the webinar, Fast, Modern, Personal: Provide Top-Notch Customer Service with Digital Document Management. Watch the webinar.
Roberts Wesleyan College uses DocuWare for a single source of student information, which was once stored in multiple systems, and to kick off workflows that assemble a complete student file and facilitate an open exchange of information between every department involved in the admissions process.
Prior to digitization, the school relied on a mix of electronic and paper documents to assemble a student portfolio. Applications, transcripts, letters and test scores were stored in separate electronic systems and physical file cabinets.
Now that the college has implemented DocuWare’s office automation solution, this information is retained in the system, where admissions, financial aid, and the registrar’s office can retrieve information they need simply by entering a student's last name or ID number. For prospective students, after all required application materials are received, a digital workflow is triggered to deliver necessary data to everyone involved in the admissions process.
Implementing DocuWare results in a more informed response to students calling in about application status, more efficient workflows for student onboarding, and better information management for administrative staff.
Editor’s note: This post has been updated for accuracy and new content has been added.