Having multiple channels available in a business’s customer service model is great, but excellence only comes when performance is consistent across all of them. In an ideal world, there should be no weak links that threaten to degrade the service customers receive – this is what makes a customer service experience omni-channel, rather than multichannel.
Perfecting omni-channel is becoming particularly important in an era where the subscription economy is ramping up the emphasis on customer service for consumers and providers alike. Consumers are increasingly switching from one-off purchases in favour of long-term, convenient subscription relationships with brands, where service is a key part of the picture. Indeed, a Salesforce report revealed that 80% of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products and services. It’s now more vital than ever that businesses maximise their omni-channel customer service capabilities to meet the expectations of customers and retain their loyalty.
With that in mind, here are five omni-channel tips for the coming year, that every business focusing on customer service can commit to:
1 – Know your customers’ preferred channels
Today’s consumers expect the brands they patronise to offer multiple engagement channels. A key consideration to accommodating this is not just providing those channels, but also understanding that everyone has their own preferences across both ‘traditional’ and digital platforms. This has made it essential that brands understand their customers’ channel preferences, and adapt their services accordingly. Good customer service practise then dictates that they should stick to these methods of communication or risk alienating customers with spam-like attempts to reach them across every available channel.
2 – Invest in one cloud-based omni-channel solution
In common with many other areas of today’s data-driven economy, solutions provided by cloud-based service providers are disrupting the way technology is applied in customer service environments. Businesses are making a strategic move away from traditional on-premise infrastructure in favour of versatile ‘as-a-service’ options which broaden functionality while reducing the need for big ticket CapEX investment. But in doing so, businesses need to be mindful that building an omni-channel solution from disparate service providers can present integration challenges and introduce multiple points of potential failure into the overall customer service platform. Providers who can offer a holistic solution are often better placed to meet the strategic and operational needs of customer service teams.
3 – Ensure quick support in real-time
Customers increasingly value and expect real-time responses to support enquiries – according to Hubspot, 90% of consumers rate an immediate response to a customer support issue as ‘important’ or ‘very important’. This means that agents who don’t have to spend time searching for answers to customer enquiries are much better placed to meet today’s service expectations. To deliver on this requirement, it’s likely that traditional Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems will be replaced by much more sophisticated and effective Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems. Any organisation that sells itself on the basis of customer service excellence needs to meet the immediate needs of its customers.
4 – Scale effectively when there are spikes in demand
Even for contact centres that are used to dealing with high volumes, handling spikes in demand can prove difficult across an omni-channel environment. Those working with cloud infrastructure are ideally placed to deal with high levels of enquiries and can ensure strong service levels even when demand jumps. For example, screen-pops bring customer data and information on past interactions directly to agents, reducing customer frustration, as callers don’t have to repeat information they have already provided. Intelligent automation can be used to route enquiries to the most appropriate available agent or chatbot, who are also equipped with the right information to engage with the contact. This ensures that customer service is consistently best-in-class, even for contact centres with thousands of seats.
5 – Make it easy for customers to self-serve using NLP
The sophistication and use of NLP has developed enormously in recent years, and research suggests that 65% of 25-49 year olds speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once per day. Instead of a value-add, offering effective NLP as part of an omni-channel strategy is becoming a must have.
In practical terms, by automating the handling of simple customer interactions, live agents can deal with more complex or urgent inquiries. Empowering customers by routing them to an AI service accelerates their call resolution, reduces frustration and improves satisfaction. However, it is essential that AI systems can process this data effectively and direct customers and agents towards accurate information. This requires a base platform with the capability of uniting all relevant systems, so that the AI can draw from multiple databases to formulate a response.
The demand for ‘as-a-service’ omni-channel offerings across all sectors is clear. However, any business that wants to succeed in this new subscription economy needs a comprehensive understanding of how to nurture happy, long-term customer relationships. Customer experience is now the key differentiator in business. Not only do they expect an attentive and efficient long-term relationship, but one that can take place seamlessly across every channel. Mastering this is absolutely critical to long term success.
Guest Blog by Martin Taylor, Deputy CEO at Content Guru
