Good customer experience, driven by customer behaviour and increasingly competitive markets, is becoming one of the top strategic priorities for companies.
So said Devon Dalbock - country manager for Africa at Presence Technology, a contact centre solutions provider - presenting at the Contact Centre Management Conference in Sandton last week.
According to Dalbock, about 80% of customers will stop doing business with a company after poor customer service, and 70% are likely to switch brands if agents are unable to answer their questions.
In order to face the challenge of rising customer service expectations, companies need to evolve their customer interaction strategies, he added.
He pointed out that contact centres should define a customer experience strategy and ensure customer service operations are aligned.
Dalbock believes new technologies are the driving force behind the increasing number of consumers choosing to use mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to communicate with contact centres.
Therefore, contact centres should empower their agents to work efficiently using multiple channels to communicate with consumers, said Dalbock.
Multi-channel is when contact centres use all communication channels available - voice, e-mail and the Internet, he explained.
He added the multi-channel contact centre should be a tool that is used to boost customer loyalty - customers should be able to get answers to their enquiries using a communication device of their choice.
The use of multiple channels by consumers means contact centres must provide a consistent customer experience across all communication options, he stated.
However, before adopting a multi-channel approach, Dalbock advised businesses to focus on succeeding on one channel and then potentially extending to others.
For a better customer experience, Dalbock stated contact centres should offer customers a self-service option.
In addition, they should make every self-service experience personal and contextually aware - adding personalisation and tailoring self-service by customer segment.
According to Cisco's 2013 Customer Experience Report, 54% of consumers are okay with retailers storing their purchase history in exchange for more adapted service and 65% are completely comfortable receiving retail advice based on their location, said Dalbock.
Therefore, contact centres should focus on providing proactive and personalised service and also understanding user trends to successfully adapt to the evolution of customer service demands.
The contact centre must adopt a customer-centric strategy in order to achieve long-term profitable relationships that will enhance customer experiences, concluded Dalbock.
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