In the age of constant contact, your customers now expect 24/7 service, 365 days a year. It’s a lot to ask of any business, we know. But before you write round-the-clock support off as an impossible feat, let us introduce you to the simple system helping businesses all over the world get the job done, right: the follow the sun model.
How To: Follow the Sun
Pioneered by global firms like IBM, ‘following the sun’ is a method of workflow by which your team is made available whenever work needs doing. That is to say, at all hours of the day, every day of the year.
In short, the follow the sun model works by positioning offices – or, for smaller firms, remote teams – at different timezones across the globe. As the sun sets on one timezone, what remains of the day’s work is passed to the next and so on.
Shift follows shift, and when adopted by client support programs, the sun never sets on service.
A Shining Example for Support Teams
However, the follow the sun model is not reserved for large, international offices alone. When fit-to-scale, the very same shift-after-shift approach can be adapted to include remote work, artificial intelligence, and self-service technology – resulting in ‘anytime, anywhere’ support for businesses of all sizes.
Of course, a follow the sun service model isn’t right for every firm. Questions to ask yourself when crafting a global schedule of your own include:
- Where is your customer base located?
- What are the primary channels your customers use to raise issues? Are those channels currently managed well?
- At what time of day do you receive the most service tickets?
- Are you providing enough self-service or AI options to support your agent-led team?
Knowing the answers can help you understand the staffing, support, and technological needs of each shift in a 24/7 schedule, ensuring handoffs between teams and systems run smoothly.
The Sunny Side of 24/7 Service
Once you’ve discovered what your client’s need, implementing a follow the sun protocol can create a more consistent support experience for your customers both at home and abroad. And if you find your business is well-suited to such a model, the benefits will quickly become clear.
Among the most prominent advantages are:
- Faster issue resolution
- Elevated global presence and marketability
- Strengthened customer relationships
- Reduced employee stress
- Increased knowledge sharing among teams
Deskware, Your Place in the Sun
Whether a follow the sun model is right for your business or not, Deskware can help your support team find their place in it.
A combination of automated and manual processes, Deskware’s suite of streamlined service management tools makes the future of query resolution and customer communication look bright. With smart features like workflow automation, agent time-tracking, client profiles, web accessibility and more, the first step towards a 24/7/365 service program is as easy as visiting us online, today!
Want to stay connected? Give us a follow on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
