Workforce Management Featured Article
5 Steps for Improving the Customer Service Experience
Shopping used to be all about the quality, look, style, etc., of what was being purchased and it was almost expected that salespeople would either be overly friendly or rude. That is not the new model for a successful business going forward, as the new emphasis is being placed on a positive customer service experience above anything else. Stellar service will literally override products and prices in terms of how well corporations succeed. Seventy-two percent of businesses cite improving the customer experience as their most important issue going forward.
This is an all-around change that includes contact centers. Contact Center Representatives used to base their success on time management, how quickly they could resolve an issue, and how many complaints they could handle in one shift. Now, they aim to lend that sympathetic ear the first time around for resolution as opposed to focusing on simply being quick. That’s a major switch from what we have seen in the past. If you are aiming to improve customer service, here are five tips that could help you in the long run:
- Be service-driven – this generation does not want to wait. The sense of “need it now” is critical and 47 percent of 18-34 year olds have taken to social media to express anger about a shopping experience. It’s all digital and instantaneous and once it is out there, it is hard to go back.
- Create an omnichannel experience, because customers want you around the clock, through their choice of channels. Whether it’s mail, chat, phone, web-based voice, video, SMS, they want the same personalized recognition they would get from the very best customer service organizations. They also want personalization, such as what they get from retail giant Amazon, which sends out personalized emails suggesting items based on previous purchases and viewing history – it’s almost taking the shopping out of purchasing.
- It is a self-service world, as customers increasingly want to do everything on their own. But, we aware, when they do have to talk to someone about an issue, those reps better be competent.
- Automate routine tasks and leave efficient agents available to help when most needed. Simple tasks can be done by WFM to take the guesswork out of everything and customers get what they want.
- Make the workplace somewhere that consumers enjoy. If they feel tension amongst employees, they will not want to spend time there – that includes your customer service staff, which have been known to contradict each other regularly. Consistency of experience is critical.
In the end, the adage, “the customer is always right” could not have more meaning than it will over the next five years.
Edited by Erik Linask