Customer is Still King – From Customer Service to Customer Experience

Before customer experience (CX) was a thing, businesses treated customer service as an afterthought. They made no deliberate efforts to improve customer service. Then emerged some semblance of customer service, characterized by designated booths where customers would queue to access customer service.

As businesses shifted from customer service of convenience to customer-centric efforts, customer service moved to the telephone. Still, customers would be put on hold for hours, waiting to speak to the “next available representative.” Power still lies in the hands of the service/product provider. However, with the emergence of social media, power shifted back to the customer.

Today’s customer has limitless social media outlets at their disposal. They can now communicate instantly through instant messaging platforms, Twitter, Facebook, or email. Businesses also do not control these media, meaning customers can now share bad experiences with the masses unrestricted. In the past, businesses monopolized information outlets, restricting information about them and their products that became accessible to customers.

Today’s customer expects the whole CX package, and they want it 24/7, through a most convenient channel. Businesses that serve a global market have had to innovate. They realized they serve customers who speak different languages and are in different time zones. A customer, say in the far-east, is not waiting around for a US-based office to open in the morning so they can get answers to their most pressing questions.

The quest for on-time, convenient customer service gave birth to self-service. It started with Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), empowering customers to solve customer service issues on their command. Then came Artificial Intelligence-powered, text-based chatbots. Today, some smarbots leverage the power of predictive analytics to tailor CX to individual customer needs, improving customer loyalty and retention.

Customer service used to be about assisting customers on specific issues. However, the focus has shifted to CX for a more holistic approach to customer service. Today, the customer service experience is so important that 63 percent of Americans would permit companies to collect personal information for a more personalized CX.

CX maps out a customer’s journey and interactions with a business. It takes individual customer service needs and other important touchpoints into account. It has become one of the most sought-after drivers of the business’ success. In 2019, 75 percent of businesses competed on the CX front. Businesses that are not doing enough to streamline the customer experience risk losing customers to those that put their customers first. Even the most beloved brands risk losing customers because of bad customer service experiences.

A 2018 PWC survey revealed that 59 percent of Americans would avoid a brand after numerous bad experiences. For 17 percent of Americans, one bad experience is enough to walk away, even if they love the product or brand. On the brand front, customer-centric businesses registered 4-8 percent higher revenue than the rest.

The age of omnichannel customer support is here. Customers who can’t reach customer support personnel through email can tweet them and have their issues resolved in no time. There are FAQs, chatbots, and smartbots to walk them through the troubleshooting process for the handy ones. Today’s customer service endeavors are customer-centric, and businesses that treat the customer as an afterthought will lose them.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/uNja7bK
via IFTTT

The Customer Is Still King

The customer is the most important part of a business. Without customers, companies would not exist. Companies that focus on profits and neglect customer service find it hard to develop customer loyalty.

Customer service is the support companies offer their customers. Unfortunately, many companies focus their service on potential customers, neglecting the existing ones. Robust customer service focuses on both.

Customer service has come a long way. Customers used to queue on the phone or in customer care booths to get answers. Today, there is a wide range of communication channels: social media, email, text messages, and web-based questions and answers (Q&As) for seamless product support.

Gone are the days when customers would choose to buy a product or service based solely on the price. Today, the overall shopping experience influences the consumer decision-making process. Businesses with a streamlined shopping experience tend to attract and retain more customers.

Many years ago, a service business could get away with sub-par customer service because of limited communication channels. That has changed. Online discussion forums and social media platforms have forced companies to go the extra mile.

Today’s customers expect premium service, both before and after the sale. Therefore, companies that prioritize customer support and take the necessary steps to enforce it will likely outperform those that treat it as an afterthought. Eighty-nine percent of companies now see an excellent customer experience as a key competitive advantage.

Additionally, customer dynamics have changed significantly over the years. There are numerous options and factors to consider before making a purchase. As a result, customers want to deal with companies keen on creating an enjoyable customer experience.

Customer expectations have risen over the years. Research shows that 68 percent of former customers left the business because of poor treatment. Customers now want to know whether the service vendor provides the necessary product support during the purchase and after. While a customer support strategy like after-sales service does not necessarily generate profits for the business, it does buy the goodwill of the customer. It can even bring back lost customers.

In the last decade, more companies have been paying attention to customer service, as evidenced by the emergence of customer relations management (CRM) software, which helps companies manage customer relations. Companies use CRM to collect customer data and centralize all customer information with the end goal of creating better service. Without a robust CRM strategy, customer information is scattered, making it hard to cover all customer touchpoints. The result is an extended, sub-par sales cycle.

Data on customer’s preferences, purchase history, and interests allow a business to customize their offerings, marketing, and customer service to cater to their target customer’s unique needs. If a customer believes that a business has made an effort to understand them and make their journey painless, they are likely to stick with the brand.

Today’s customers expect more, and often base their purchase decisions on the customer experience. Consequently, companies continue to seek new ways to improve customer relations, as evidenced by the existence of hundreds of CRM programs with a broad range of applications for companies keen on enhancing the customer experience. Customer service is now closely tied to the bottom line, meaning today’s companies are highly motivated to prioritize customer satisfaction.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2ZA3rWW
via IFTTT