Don't Abandon Customer Service

"Speak to a representative, please." "Speak to a representative!" "REPRESENTATIVE!"

Sound familiar? There is nothing more frustrating than having this type of phone interaction with voice-activated software when trying to get a real human on the line to resolve a customer service issue. It's not fun for the customer, and it could be lethal to the company in question if a critical mass of its clients gets fed up with the experience and defect to a competitor.

Customer-service quality has always been a hot-button topic for consumers and businesses alike, as the above phone example demonstrates. But today's stakes run even higher in a digital world where the tools and options to engage have mushroomed, customer preferences have grown, and giants like Apple and Amazon have reinvented how companies deal with consumers, ushering in a new standard of sorts.

Today, 89% of companies in the overall economy say they now compete primarily on the basis of customer experience they provide, not necessarily the products they sell. It's a new competitive advantage. Fewer customers today are determining their loyalty to a provider or brand based on product and/or price. Buyer empowerment now rules the day. As a result, it is the quality of the customer experience (CX), or the perception of that quality, that often sways whether clients stick with or ditch a brand.

Contact us today to learn how we can take your brand to the next level.

What is Your Customer Service Strategy?

Today, Gartner reports that 89% of companies in the overall economy say they compete primarily on the basis of the customer experience they deliver, determining, correctly, that CX is often the main reason clients decide to stick with a brand. This is happening notably in the retail space, but also across all industries today.

Customer support is just one element of a CX strategy

While customer service has historically been the most notable piece of the CX puzzle, it is not the entire pie. Every company engages in a broad amalgam of customer-related activities, from onboarding and training to recruitment and renewal. None can be ignored. Each step in the customer engagement process factors into their impression of the provider and influences, ultimately, whether they decide to stick with the brand, product or service.

Metrics matter

For modern-day CX assessment, there are a wide variety of metrics vehicles that channel firms are using. The age-tested customer satisfaction survey still reigns as the preferred feedback tool, with 4 in 10 respondents saying they issue an annual one. But other measurement techniques are in play. For example, 37% of respondents are judging their CX performance based on the level of engagement they have with individual clients. Others (35%) are paying attention to what their customers are saying about them online and to other consumers.

Omnichannel approach is where channel is headed

Three in 10 respondents said they have moved to an omnichannel approach for interacting with customers in the last year. These firms offer a variety of engagement options ranging from an in-store experience to traditional e-commerce to online customization of products/services. They enable purchasing and support via chat/video chat, email, social media, and other platforms. Communications are transferrable across multiple devices, including in the midst of a transaction. Personalization fueled by data analytics is also gaining a foothold.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you engage CX to improve customer service.