Running a business in these modern times comes with new challenges. The most significant is that the customer now has more control.
What do we mean by this? Think back to the pre-internet days for a minute.
Customers had no choice but to go to physical stores if they needed anything. The number of outlets within a specific location would also be few.
There could, for example, be only one or two boutiques in the town. As you can imagine, business owners were in control.
Then came the internet and the power shifted to customers. Now, there is so much choice thanks to eCommerce. The internet also removed the limitations of where the customer could shop.
Thus rose, the concept of multichannel and omnichannel marketing.
Businesses must now meet their customers where they are. That means using websites, social media, retail stores, and email.
Beyond that is the need for an omnichannel experience. You must ensure customers have a seamless experience at all touchpoints.
This is the critical role of an omnichannel contact center.
INVEST IN AN OMNICHANNEL CONTACT CENTER SOLUTION
Running a call center on outdated systems will hamper customer experiences. Investing in an omni-channel contact center network is the way to go.
Remember, modern customers are more demanding of good service. There are tons of choices that allow them the privilege.
Your omnichannel solutions should:
- Provide a seamless experience across the different platforms. The switch between the communication channels should happen without the loss of context.
- Allow for easy transfer of communication to other support channels.
- Create meaningful and personalized experiences for customers.
- Ensure more agent touchpoints for easier connection with customers.
- Allow for third-party integrations that go into enhancing service delivery.
- Include technologies like AI and machine learning. Such innovations observe the patterns in customer behavior.
They can recommend services/products and help with prompt responses. The business can ensure a more proactive approach to managing customers.
ADOPT A CUSTOMER-CENTRIC APPROACH TO CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT
The strength of omnichannel marketing is its customer-centric approach. Everything the business does places the customer right at the center.
The most critical first step however is to have a thorough knowledge of customers.
The omnichannel contact center solution should have a CRM as an inbuilt feature. Collecting and analyzing customer information will give insights into their motivations, personas, etc.
Artificial intelligence can provide a deeper understanding by learning individual customer behavior.
With proper profiling, it becomes easier to personalize the call center experience.
APPROACH THE CALL CENTER SERVICE DELIVERY FROM A POINT OF EMPATHY
To personalize the call center experience, put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Indeed, that should be easy because you are also a customer of other businesses.
So, think about what you don’t like. These could include:
- Delays in getting responses
- Unanswered calls
- Long hold times
- Live agents who don’t seem to know the business, etc.
The next step is to listen to what the customers are saying. Their feedback is critical to improving your call center service provision.
You can find a solution to most of these issues with the right omnichannel contact software.
- The AI bots can provide quick responses, thus reducing waiting times. Chatbots are effective for handling questions customers ask a lot.
- Automatic call distributor or smart routing of calls. It ensures customers get the right support when they need it.
- Seamless channel integration means a customer does not have to repeat their issues. An agent only needs to look at the dashboard to get an update.
- Many digital channels remove dependence on tickets, emails, and calls.
- CRM ensures agents have quick access to customer information. This ensures no delays in service provision.
- Real-time reports provide insights on what to improve, etc.
PERSONALIZE THE EXPERIENCE BY UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY
How well do you know your customer journey?
Can you define their interactions with your brand from when they arrive until they leave?
Understanding their needs, processes, and perceptions is key to personalizing services.
The customer goes through a series of contemplations starting from the first time they come in contact with your brand to the point of purchase.
Knowing what would appeal to them at each of these experience points is key learning experience, customer journey mapping can help you achieve this.
We talked about machine learning and AI in your omnichannel contact center software. With such, you can get deeper insights into your customers.
The innovations can detect changes in customer behavior.
The insights can let the call center agents know how to interact with the customer. A customer who shows interest in a product may need a little convincing to convert.
One who is still in the discovery stage may need product information. An email or SMS reminder to a customer to complete the checkout could result in a sale, etc.
INVEST IN TRAINING AND RECOGNIZING THE CALL CENTER AGENTS
It is crucial to invest in routine training for call center agents. The training should focus on more than how to use new tools like the omnichannel contact center.
Rather it should extend to areas like empathy training, communication, and managing customers.
Remember, the agents have a very tough job. Most of the incoming communication is from frustrated customers. It takes patience and a willingness to help handle such scenarios.
Yet, the agents are human and can succumb to pressure. It may manifest in improper handling of customers.
So, ensure constant training and set up scenarios for role-playing opportunities. Also, pay attention to the mental and emotional health of the employees.
There is no way a stressed or unhappy agent can offer an excellent experience to customers.
Also, remember to appreciate the work the employees are doing. Recognition programs and rewards can be big motivators.
Empower the agents and listen to their feedback. After all, they are the ones who have one-on-one interaction with customers.
That makes them the best source of information always.
KEEP UP WITH MONITORING AND IMPROVING
Keep up with monitoring the omnichannel call center analytics and reports. Look at factors like the customer experience across the different platforms.
Check the effectiveness of the communication touchpoints. Pay attention to customer and employee feedback as well.
Remember, the only way to improve is to know what needs fixing.
And you can only see if you pay attention to what is happening at all times.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Call center service personalization is an ongoing process.
At no point should a customer, whether existing or potential, feel the business does not care.
The call center is a critical component in managing any business.
With the right omnichannel contact center solution, service personalization will be a breeze.
Source: How to Personalize Your Call Center Customer Experience (pixelproductionsinc.com)
