A Sponsored Article by Enghouse Interactive
Everyone wants an easy life, and your customers are no exception. Here are a few ways to ensure that you’re enabling your customers to always coast down the simple road.
1. Deliver customer expectations—but don’t exceed them
A Harvard study found that exceeding customer expectations results in virtually no loyalty gains. Instead, the best indication of customer loyalty and increased spending ties back to the level of effort the customer has to put into the relationship with your organization. Rather than wasting time and expensive resources on exceeding customer expectations, shift your focus to meeting their needs as quickly and effortlessly as possible!
2. Use data to make well-informed, real-time decisions
Allowing the system to automatically identify the customer via phone number or mobile app allows you to apply intelligence in real time. If the agent can immediately access relevant customer and transactional data and understand the type of problem the customer is trying to solve, then they’re equipped to make the best judgment call to steer the customer to success.
3. Be proactive
By keeping your customers informed about promotional offers, transaction progress and query resolutions, you give them peace of mind that they were never placed on the back burner or forgotten about. Providing that helpful information will also reduce their efforts, because they’ll remain confident that you will proactively communicate—making it easy for them to get what they need without thinking about it.
4. Empower customers to self-serve as much as possible
It’s no secret that every customer prefers a different engagement method, and age plays a major role. Millennials tend to want contact via a smartphone or mobile device, the company’s website or social media. They often gravitate toward voiceless interactions. Therefore, offering these customers a one-time URL, enabling them to securely navigate their way to the solution they’re seeking, will resonate well and save your organization money.
Baby Boomers are often happier speaking to an agent or communicating via email. Since they are less likely to self-serve, it’s key to interact with them through channels that are best suited for them and your business.
5. Reduce effort by reducing channel switching
Most consumers want their problems solved on their terms—at a convenient time and on the device of their choice—with as little effort as possible.
In a recent Enghouse Interactive poll of more than 2,000 adults, 55% stated it was important to be quickly routed to someone who understands their needs. Additional survey results also emphasized the importance of speed and competence, which clearly goes to show that simply routing customers to anyone available in your organization is not the answer. Customers expect to be connected to someone who is qualified to deal with their particular inquiry. In order to meet these demands, a firm understanding of which individuals are the most qualified to address specific types of customers and interactions is a must.
6. The Bottom Line
Customers anticipate that they can pick up the phone and the resolution process will run seamlessly and smoothly, every time. In unfortunate circumstances where a sour customer experience occurs, customers develop a negative outlook of your brand—making it difficult to turn the tables back in your organization’s favor. Our survey found that 60% of poor customer service scenarios resulted in the decision to never do business with that brand again. That finding alone should be a major driving force behind making every customer interaction count.
Life can be hard—customer service solutions shouldn’t have to be. Follow our tips to turn potential stressful situations into pleasant ones by making every customer interaction an effortless, positive experience. You can also contact Enghouse Interactive to learn more about our contact center solutions.