The word ‘control’ has popped up an awful lot over the course of the past year of our lives. We’ve all faced swathes of restrictions, be it facemasks in shops, a ban on meeting family and for some, even travelling to their place of work. Working from home is one of many aspects of life that has now become part of the new normal. This has led to a huge shift in how live agents are delivering CX and a change in customer needs and demands. Fortunately, this is also a time where technology is helping us in not only our work roles, but our everyday lives too.
But between chatbots, telephone calls, websites and even smartphone apps, there are multiple avenues at our disposal to contact businesses and service providers, they all come with their own set of intricacies in terms of how and why communication should happen.
With that in mind, CX Today welcomes Noel Lavery, UK Sales Director, from global cloud communications platform, Infobip, to discuss the importance of changing your chat when you change channels and interestingly the psychology behind it all.
Omni-channel Isn’t Everything
“As the famous saying goes don’t run before you can walk,’ Lavery begins.
“Start slowly and integrate the tools you’re familiar with, rather than trying to push messages into WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, when you’re trying to get a handle on SMS and email. Of course, for each new channel you choose to integrate, you also need to tailor your tone of voice, making sure to communicate the correct message and a suitable call to action.”
Lavery explains that the omni-channel journey can be a challenging one to navigate for businesses that are just starting to use the solution. But he warns brands to keep in mind that starting with omni–channel communications doesn’t mean they should be on every single platform out there.
He adds: “Before finding a solution to your communication challenges, you need to identify these pain points first. This starts and ends with knowing your customer and how they like to communicate; why they might move from one channel to another and which channel they rely on for a certain type of enquiry. Once you’ve determined this, you can then identify how that corresponds to the message you want to deliver.”
Lavery goes on to explain research documented by Infobip that revealed just a quarter of consumers believe they’re receiving personalised communications.
“In addition, 24% of 18-24-year-olds said they would be more likely to engage with a brand if it shared information on how it was giving back to society. So, following on from a quick order confirmation via SMS, a brand could then send a personalised email from the founder thanking the customer and informing them that for every purchase made, a tree will be planted – these are the moments that matter to today’s consumer,” he says.
Getting Chatty with Chatbots
“Whether they know it or not, consumers communicate with robots all the time: via chatbots, automated SMS messages, and even Alexa providing the weather forecast. In fact, consumers talk to robots so easily that the novelty has worn off”
He adds that AI technology and algorithms behind chatbots re only set to get better thanks to progress in natural language. This will only boost support for chatbots, which have suffered a bad rep for some time.
He adds: “For consumers, being able to interact with keyword-driven chatbots via channels like WhatsApp or SMS means that many of the answers they need from a customer-service perspective are available in a matter of moments – for example a store’s opening hours or a delivery update. Then, in the instance where a more personalised, human response is needed, their enquiry can be seamlessly escalated to an agent.
“In the years to come, customers will be able to interact with chatbots which are programmed to not just answer questions but use a mixture of past behaviour and current dialogue to provide valuable suggestions. The end goal is to use AI to drive conversational interactions that feel as natural as interacting with another human being.”
Time‘s Ticking
Lavery reminds us that food delivery services have indeed been a saviour for us all in lockdown. He says it also offers a perfect example of when speedy communication on the correct channel is critical.
Lavery explains: “Well-timed messages keep your customers updated throughout the ordering process, from meal preparation to meal pickup and an SMS delivery update to confirm when it will be arriving at your door.
“Modern messaging also provides a perfect platform for customer feedback. Using WhatsApp, customers can quickly get in touch about a late delivery or unsatisfactory order. With swift action, this will then minimise the likelihood of customers taking to social media to complain about a service. Messaging also helps manage and coordinate delivery fleets to ensure optimal pickup and delivery times, so everything runs smoothly.”
He adds: “Some of us may favour the familiar sound of a human being on the other end of the phone, while others are partial to how quick and easy it is to get information by chatting to an AI agent online. Whatever the preference, businesses that are able to cater to their customer’s needs on the channel of their choice are more likely to deliver a five-star service – one that will lead to repeat custom and recommendations.”
In summary, consumers have an array of different channels at their fingertips. These different yet effective ways of allowing customers to reach out to businesses shouldn’t be a cause for concern or anxieties, but instead should be an opportunity to get communication right from the onset, leading to improved CX through a memorable customer journey.
