CX Exemplified: Customer Service in 2020
A brand’s quality of customer service can either be its Achilles heel or passageway to loyalty. Yet oftentimes, it’s either neglected, or some brands are left to deal with it on its own.
Sales and marketing firm Bain & Company reported that brands with good CX see increases of up to 8% in revenue over their competition. A 2019 study by Forrester revealed that companies that lead in CX outperform their competitors by almost 80%.
Not yet convinced? Here are two clinchers. First, a study by marketing software company HubSpot reported that 96% of consumers identified customer service as the reason for being loyal to a brand. Second, the XM Institute found that loyal customers were five times more likely to return for purchases and four times more like to make referrals when they were happy with the service they received. Here are some tips to improve CX with better planning and execution.
Personalize IVRs
Most brands already utilize interactive voice response technology to filter and direct calls. An investment in or upgrade of existing IVR that personalizes the experience can make a huge difference. Consider the difference in an IVR that can associate the caller’s phone number with their account and then provide personalized information like the status of a delivery, upcoming reservations, or reward and loyalty status.
With so many customers on digital devices, offering them a text message option can be extremely helpful. Enabling the IVR to trigger a text to initiate a conversation or asking the customer to hit a specified number to accomplish the same are easier choices than asking them to write down a phone number and then calling it.
What many surveys have pointed out is that consumers want quick, clear answers to their questions. Installing and promoting efficient messaging and self-service real-time channels gives them the immediate attention they desire. And it enables brands to serve multiple customers at the same time with no associated waiting times.
Promote
On the brand’s “Contact Us” page and other areas that promote support channels, promote messaging before the phone self-service option. Customers will psychologically be more inclined to choose the first option. Repeat the same on the brand’s other sites, footer, reservations, Google search, FAQ page, and emails. Finally, cross-promote the messaging and self-service channels on the brand’s IVR to get quicker answers.
Get Proactive
Brands that see customers going to the “Contact Us” page can also bolster relationships by taking the initiative to reach out to them about their specific questions or concerns. And by collecting and analyzing the most frequently asked questions that are received, brands can assemble clear responses that future customers can discover themselves or for agents in the support center to refer to.
Similarly, gather other frequently asked questions and ensure that their answers are easy for customers to find. Some of that information can even be valuable in the item description section of an online product.
Service Center Help
Despite IVR, some consumers will still wish to interact with a live person. Ensure that service center staff have the information they need, including all customer data. Having a platform that gives them a 360-degree view of the customer is essential. For example, the knowledge that the customer already viewed and unsuccessfully tried to find an answer on the FAQ page will save time and frustration. This will also help deliver exceptional and faster service.
Ronn Torossian is the CEO and Founder of 5W Public Relations. 5W PR is a leading digital pr and influencer marketing agency.
