Each time a business interacts with a customer, it has a chance to leverage an opportunity, and should it not take effective action, that opportunity will be lost.
These are the thoughts of Amir Rubin, portfolio marketing director at NICE Systems, who discussed decisive moments in customer service at the NICE Systems Executive Thought Leadership Seminar, in Johannesburg, yesterday.
“Every year, NICE conducts a survey of its customers' customers, and according to that survey, the average customer uses six different channels to communicate with a brand,” said Rubin. What this means is that a customer's interaction with a business is not the same as it was 15 to 20 years ago.”
“As the number of channels has increased, so too has the customer's expectations,” said Hayley Kitson, customer transformation manager at NICE Systems, who has worked in the customer service industry for over a decade.
Kitson constantly witnesses a level of inconsistency between the various channels, and these contradictions can deter a customer from making a purchase. “It is really important that all channels work together and have access to the same information so that they can better understand what customers are looking for in today's market,” said Kitson.
"We are seeing the emergence of the engaged, knowledgeable, empowered and influential customer - customers who do research for themselves so that, when they get in touch with the call centre, they know what they want. Agents need to be clued up enough to deal with this new breed of customer," said Rubin.
Today, businesses need to give these informed customers exactly what they need, or they will get it somewhere else. “A key way that a business' call centre can stand out from competitors is by making the service more personal,” said Rubin.
One way to do this is to make use of the vast volumes of information, or big data, available within most organisations. According to Rubin, businesses can turn these stockpiles of data into customer intelligence. “When a customer calls, all of this information needs to be made available to the agent in order for them to create a positive customer experience,” Rubin said.
Kitson gave an example of a UK telecoms company that handled system downtime successfully and was able to reduce customer fallout. The company contacted customers early, informing them that it was aware of the problem and was attempting to fix it. By communicating with customers through various channels, the company kept its clients informed and happy, despite the fact that their services were not working. “Customers really appreciate that personal service,” said Kitson.
“Interactions are happening through the contact centre into the back office and the branch, and they need to be consistent in order to create a more holistic customer experience,” said Rubin.
“Businesses must shape the interaction they have with their customers,” said Rubin, adding that a good way to do this is to have a well-trained and well-prepared workforce with all the necessary information at their disposal.
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