The pandemic has, in one way or another, impacted nearly every facet of life. That’s true for brands across industries, as well. One metric that organizations will see change rapidly in 2021 is customer service. These are the trends your organization needs to be aware of.
The Name of the Game
Recent surveys show that customer service is a key metric in the customer experience these days. Businesses that have already invested in exceptional CS will thrive while those who have not will need to change lanes fast if they want to stay competitive.
Customer expectations are shifting at a rapid rate. In a recent survey, 59% of post-Covid consumers care more about CX than they did prior, especially when deciding which companies to support and buy from. That means your CS needs to hit above-average marks consistently and remedy situations quickly as well as efficiently if your business wants to retain customers.
Thankfully, there are plenty of tools and practices at your disposal to help you adapt to these new expectations. Shift alongside the following trends and you’ll be ready to win over consumers while thwarting your competition.
Agent Experience (AX)
The importance of CX has only grown over the previous decade. However, the AX piece of that puzzle has been sorely missing. Your CS agents need to be empowered, efficient, and effective if you want to boost your AX, allowing them to become truly effective in creating positive customer interactions that aid retention.
While the concept is simple, there are some steps you need to take. Providing enhanced training and better software is an excellent first step. More accessible customer data, relevant feedback, and flexible guidelines also help. Finally, prioritize customer outcomes over agent performance metrics.
Omnichannel Comms
Consumers demand the ability to communicate with companies in ways most convenient to them. Live chat isn’t enough anymore, though it does still play a part. Your organization needs omnichannel communications from Facebook to email and everything in-between.
Your CS agents need the ability to meet these demands, communication to customer through multiple channels. Those channels also need to operate in a unified manner. The CX may start via Facebook, move to email, then finish on WhatsApp. Regardless of the channel, everything needs to be open, ready, and share seamless communication among agents to deliver the results consumers want.
Personalization is Key
Customers want a personalized experience, and the data supports that statement. Their CS experiences should be tailored to them, and you can make that a reality with the latest tools and software. Namely, you need a top-notch customer value management platform.
These tools allow you to make customer data easily accessible to CS agents, segment customers to keep up with your base, and turn analytics into actionable steps. This allows you to focus on medium to high-value customers, aiding retention and creating a unique CX to set you apart from your competitors.
The C-Level Strategy
CX and C-suite will continue to grow hand in hand. That means you CXO, CMO, and CCO need to work more collaboratively on growth strategy. CEOs should also take a more active role, primarily through social media, to help connect an audience with the brand.
That doesn’t mean setting the CEO up with an Instagram or TikTok, but rather that they ensure personal connections to the brand are made. Ideally, they need to be transparent with the CS department so agents can deliver the most personable experience possible.