Exceptional customer service is the holy grail of business.
Communication and marketing teams around the world focus on this key element. Yet, exceptional service remains elusive and often problematic for many. A key reason is the inter-play between technological evolution and consumer behaviour creating shifting communication landscape. Thus, challenging brands to adapt in communication behaviour, rather than settling on a fixed approach.
Consumers today have a different communication mind-set compared to ten years ago. Social media’s momentum means Generation Y (Gen Y)’s mind-set dominates the market, quickly spreading across age segments a short while ago were considered immune to such things. Now consumers of all ages and types want to communicate with brands in their own time via their choice of medium – from Facebook to Twitter, fax, email, SMS and Skype chat, to name a few. If a brand has unreliable communication within these channels, the consumer will simply go somewhere else.
In the past consumers seeking out and exercising choice was a painful. Now choice is inherent in the digital landscape. Brands need to find a way to deal with this reality, shrinking the space between bosses and consumers. Brands cannot dictate the terms of customer conversations. Instead, consumers are increasingly demanding immediate access to executive level communication, something unheard of five years ago. As the recent Blackberry saga illustrates, where once delayed press statements redeemed a brand dealing with product failures now spark outrage.
Evolving the general customer service paradigm beyond manning the phones as politely as possible. Attempting to give customers what they want, brands must understand and address issues of fragmentation. Depending on the products brands offer and its’ audience, specific communication demands and challenges will vary. The first crucial customer service step any organisation must take is establishing a method through which to listen – very carefully and identify what it is that its own customers really want.
Ideally, the brand/consumer conversation should take place in a neutral context, threaded into the fabric of the brand’s communication structure, rather carried out as a intervention. All decision makers should not boast about what their knowledge of customers at the door. Install a process you to hear what customers desire. Interpreting and acting comes later. Regardless of the specifics, common threads will emerge and organisations need to first assess before they address.
Given the communication rate change we’re seeing, it’s impossible or advisable to cater to every communication channel. Rather, your organisation should assess consumer conversation outputs, decide how each element impacts your business strategy, before settling on an appropriate response. Then map out tactics and technologies.
This might sound like dry, process orientated stuff and boring compared to revolutionary new technology within a contact centre. But it’s imperative the process occurs to achieve high customer service levels and maintain. Many organisations have regretted rooting their business strategy in technology – letting the shiny stuff define the strategic business parameters. Any MBA student will tell you, positive business evolution occurs once technology enables well designed business strategy.
To evolve an effective business strategy harnessing this current communication revolution, your organisation must partner with a service provider backed by proven credentials across the business communication spectrum. Listening and acting to what customers want can be an extended process, but the participation of an experienced specialist with a detailed understanding is central to avoiding getting stuck on edge of technological change.
CEOs and leaders behind the wheel of the process enhances potential. Without energetic executive backing, listening to customers’ needs can dissolve into a chaotic, never ending endeavour.
Should your customers be able to put a Skype call through service agents via your website? How to control your digital reputation? What potential revenue do outbound campaigns have? The questions goes on and on and what customers want and how they want it delivered differs. Brands must manage and utilise multiple communication forms agents and customers. They need to achieve this within what their consumers tell them about how they prefer to communicate. Learning to listen is the first pivotal step every company needs to take.
Karl Reed, Elingo Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer
