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Have you noticed consumer expectations are changing? Have you also noticed that technology evolves at a pace difficult for any company to match? While certain big brands may be able to escape that second assumption, the reality is the small businesses have big shoes to fill when it comes to the customer experience. Customer service software can help, but you have to know what you need to achieve before you can set activities in motion.

In the development of your strategy, you first need to look toward the number of devices customers are using to connect. In an environment where the phone was all you needed to offer customers the opportunity to make a connection, you now have to consider mobile devices, social media, online forums and so many other channels that can get nothing short of dizzying.

Once you’ve developed that list, you then need to break down the customer experience. Do your customers want personalized care? Do they want you to keep track of every interaction so you can follow up on it in the future or offer perks related to their preferences? You already know the experience needs to be seamless across your various channels, but do you understand the customer lifecycle well enough to support satisfaction and loyalty?

Do you also understand how your customers want to connect on an ongoing basis? Do they want service only before the call or do they expect a follow-up later on? If these expectations are real, are you able to blend them into your current customer service environment or will it require a retooling of your current processes in order to take the customer experience to the next level? If the questions here aren’t overwhelming enough, the customer is likely to change his or her mind as soon as you have all of this figured out.

Fortunately, customer service software is proven to ease this process, giving you the tools you need to better understand your customer base and implement strategies and processes that meet their needs. This is critical if you want to achieve that competitive advantage as too many companies focus on what they want to tell customers instead of listening to the customer’s voice. When you’re able to perfect your ability to listen, great things can happen.

For instance, if customers want to solve their basic issues on their own, give them an easy-to-use self-service channel. Just be sure the other channels have access to this information so if they need to call you to finish the process they don’t have to start over. Likewise, tell customers what they want and need to know. Give them the ability to monitor delivery or provide them with the name of the person working to fix their issue. They’ll feel like they’re “in the know” and that you care enough to keep them in the loop.

Leverage the customer service software you have at your disposal to take a proactive approach to effectively managing customer care across all channels and do it with a smile. You’ll make customers feel like they are your most important customer and that translates into loyalty and revenue.