Respond to new customer expectations, hypertrophied by the promises of digital technology
In recent years, a wave of funds driven by digital technology has led companies, both large groups and mid-sized companies, to initiate real transformation projects by placing the customer at the heart of their concerns.
These transformation projects have resulted in the redesign of the experiences that these companies want their customers to have in the short, medium and long term.
Today, the promises of digital technology, embodied by certain players who have made customer satisfaction their DNA, have raised customer expectations in terms of the experience delivered by companies.
- Hyper simplicity: in search of “zero effort”
- Immediacy: one wonders if the word “wait” still exists!
- Hyper choice, especially in terms of contact channel: because it is the customer who wants to decide how to interact with the company and not the other way around!
- The “real” relationship: because when a customer decides to contact a “human” it is no longer a default choice. They are looking for a personalized, value-added relationship, full of empathy and emotion.
- Sharing, because an experience is only truly successful if it can be shared
Meeting these new expectations is becoming more and more a strategic issue for companies, in order to :
- Differentiate in increasingly competitive markets (or catch up)
- Improve operational performance, in particular by using the “simplification” lever
- Build customer loyalty over the long term and turn them into brand promoters.
A loyal customer is a customer who :
- Consumes more
- Continues to consume
- Recommends the brand
Customers with the best past experiences spend 140% more than those with the worst past experiences.”- Peter Kriss, Harvard Business Review
Challenge your multi-channel policy to align it with the target customer experience
As noted in the latest BVA 2020 study, the digitalization of customer relations is increasing over the years. It is reflected in:
- An increase in the number of digital channels used by the same customer.
- An increase in the frequency of use of digital channels, especially “emerging” digital channels.
Some companies have chosen to make digital channels the cornerstone of their exchanges with their customers.
This is the case of Fnac Darty, which since 2019 prioritizes the use of Chat and WhatsApp messaging because it is considered more instantaneous and closer to the uses of their customers [Source Floriane Salgues – E-Marketing.fr].
Nevertheless, the telephone is still very popular with a majority of customers and email will become the 1st contact channel for the French in 2020.
In a long-distance relationship, the customer often chooses the telephone channel when :
- Their request is complex
- They do not find a satisfactory answer through self-care channels
- Their emotional situation requires it
Be careful with false beliefs!
Opening a new contact channel will not redistribute “existing” interactions.
A new channel can create a need among a customer who would have done otherwise before. Finally, the flow of contacts for the company can increase and will be spread over the different contact channels.
This is one of the reasons why the company needs to work, upstream, on the organization to be put in place according to the experience and the targeted customer commitments.
Opening a new contact channel must be prepared and anticipated!
1- Describe the desired target experience, in order to put things back in place: first define the target customer experience that the company wants its customers to have and then align the “internal”. That is, processes, organization, tools and skills.
2- Define the “multi-channel matrix” in order to define the “preferred” contact channels (the highways), the channels available to customers but not recommended (the alternate routes) and the contact channels that are not recommended (the no-ways).
3- Ensure a seamless “omnichannel” path for the customer, by implementing a solution that provides a 360° view of the customer and his interactions.
4- Set up an appropriate organization to meet the challenges of immediacy and added value of the response provided.
5 – Deploy in “test & learn” mode, to avoid the tunnel effect and be able to react quickly to customer feedback.
6 – Monitor the key indicators defined, to ensure that the solution meets the needs over time.
7 – Accompany the teams on the relational posture, adapted to each channel, and aligned with the target customer experience. This can be translated into a relational charter.
Exploit the full potential of a multi-channel solution
Multi-channel solutions, such as RingCentral’s Engage Digital, can bring value to the enterprise for both the customer and employee experience.
1. To enrich, simplify and personalize the customer experience:
- The customer is directed to the best channel at a given moment to improve his experience with the company (example: call deflection allows to direct a contact from the telephone channel to a digital channel)
- The customer is known and recognized at each interaction.
- The omnichannel customer experience is seamless and without loss of context during cross-channel sequences (e.g. Bot to chat session or chat session to phone advisor).
2. To simplify the employee experience and enable them to provide the added value expected by customers
Advisor view:
- A consistent interface regardless of the contact channel used by the customer.
- Better customer knowledge through a 360° view of interactions.
- A fluidity in the treatment of the customer request.
Managers’ view:
- Unified, real-time management for their team across all contact channels.
- Availability and reliability of reporting data in a single tool.
IT team view:
- Better control of support and maintenance costs.
For 25 years, the Activeo group has been accompanying companies in France and abroad towards relational excellence.
The complementarity of our three businesses (consulting, integration and application development) allows us to respond to 4 major challenges facing companies
- Simplify and enrich the multi-channel customer experience
- Improve the operational performance of companies
- Capitalize on the voice of the customer
- Develop new means of collaboration within companies
Activeo Group is a member of the international LimeBridge alliance.
