Contacting a company in the hopes of resolving an issue only to receive less-than-impressive service is likely a scenario you\u2019ve personally encountered at least once in your lifetime. It should come as no surprise that negative customer experience with a company\u2019s contact center poses a huge threat to the consumer\u2019s loyalty to that product or brand. Customers have more options than ever, and competition is fierce. \u00a0Most businesses understand what\u2019s at stake each time a customer needs to reach out, so what\u2019s being done to ensure more positive experiences?<\/p>\n
While CSAT scores and KPIs still rule for some companies, others are taking a more customer-centric approach that has managed to completely alter the landscape of what contact centers could be. Zappos<\/a> is a perfect example of this. They\u2019ve eschewed the typical game plan of emphasizing the importance of low call times by instead focusing on the opposite: high call times. Taking the pressure of finalizing customer calls as quickly as possible off the table allows agents to focus on really connecting with the customer and resolving their issues. \u00a0\u00a0I call this the \u201clove the one you\u2019re with\u201d approach.<\/p>\n While many companies may not strive to recreate the Zappos customer experience model, most want to continue evolving to meet consumers\u2019 needs in a way that builds brand loyalty. Here are five trends to consider employing to elevate the level of service offered by your business in 2019.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>New advances appear almost daily, so realizing your company\u2019s needs, and which tools will meet them, is key to ensuring the business isn\u2019t left in the dust with outdated systems or weighed down with bloate, technology. Some industries, such as healthcare, are seeing benefits from utilizing newer digital care coordination technologies<\/a>. Although some industries are reporting increased efficiency from new technology such as this, it doesn\u2019t automatically mean utilizing it would bring the same benefits to your business. Think of what your employees need most to assist customers best, and then seek out solutions that will fulfill your company\u2019s own specific set of needs. \u00a0Consider your administration staff, clients and overall ease of usability when selecting technology.<\/p>\n With the customer experience always top of mind, it can be all too easy to overlook<\/a> those who most directly influence consumer satisfaction. Your agents are invaluable assets with great insight into the needs, wants and frustrations of your customer base. It\u2019s true that the happiness of your employees often correlates with the happiness of your customers. Ensure agents have the tools they need to be successful, including equipment, training, and thoughtful feedback. To have the largest impact, feedback shouldn\u2019t focus solely on KPIs, but rather also on individual experiences that can be discussed. \u00a0\u00a0Consider focusing more on coaching effectiveness and ensuring your leaders are equipped to transfer knowledge effectively.\u00a0\u00a0 Confidence through knowledge makes a world of difference in your people, and you only get it through effective training and coaching.\u00a0 Your people aren\u2019t interacting with your C-Suite every day \u2013 they are interacting with your customers! \u00a0Involve your frontline employees in CX problem-solving.\u00a0 Your employees (and customers) already know everything YOU need to know \u2013 just ask them what you can do better and actively listen to the response.<\/p>\n In today\u2019s market, many companies want to give customers various outlets for contact. \u00a0Most brands offer options of connecting via phone, email, chat, social media and SMS. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0An omnichannel solution is a key contributor to positive customer experience and low customer effort.\u00a0\u00a0 Best practices for applying self-service options are \u2013<\/p>\n Efficiencies improve when the systems within contact centers are easily interchangeable and communicate with each other. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fine tuning is not a one-time event \u2013 establish a rhythm and a consistent update strategy that\u2019s aligned with your marketing plan to make the most of your omnichannel approach.<\/p>\n More and more employees yearn for work that can be completed remotely. With the benefits it can bring to a customer-focused environment, it\u2019s in the best interest of many businesses to consider the possibilities. \u00a0Hiring more remote agents, or allowing those already employed to work away from the typical office environment not only frees up precious space in the contact center and lowers costs, \u00a0it improves productivity by an average of 24%! \u00a0Remote employees have 82% lower stress levels and 69% lower absenteeism.\u00a0 Distractions like water cooler gossip, impromptu meetings, and loud colleagues are a non-issue. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Happy employees = Happy Customers and nothing have more of an impact on customer experience than agent experience!<\/p>\n It has long been believed that when given the option, customers do not speak to another human to resolve their issue, even though surveys continue to point to this being untrue. CIO reported<\/a> that 80 % of customers who pay for TV would prefer to resolve issues via digital channels such as chat or email. \u00a0This emphasizes that many companies aren\u2019t tuned in to the customer experience and voice of the customer. Even though it seems that most consumers still reach out through calling, other means of communicating such as chat, messaging and text to continue to experience exponential growth.<\/p>\n Whether your focus this year will be on inbound, outbound, quality, analytics and experience management or live chat services, Etech has a wide range of solutions<\/a> meant to elevate the customer experience effectively. \u00a0Contact<\/a> us today to learn more about how we can help meet your company\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n
Pick and Choose Technology and Tools Wisely<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Don\u2019t Overlook the Importance of Employee Engagement<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Fine Tune System Connectivity<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Consider the Benefits of Remote Work<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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Invest in the Type of Engagements Customers Want<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n