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The Microsoft Global State of Multichannel Customer Service Report underscored the value of resolving customer issues at speed and the importance of equipping contact centre staff with the right knowledge.
This customer demand is dictating the rise in real-time resolution solutions at contact centres – companies want customers, and customers want better attention. According to Jan Kühn, director at INOVO, this requires a pragmatic approach to technology and digital contact centre investment that’s driven by strategy and managed by realistic expectations.
“Customers are expecting to receive answers to their questions and problems immediately,” he adds. “They equally want to receive this information at speed. If a company can resolve a query fast, provide relevant information on time, and guide the customer to the right answers without frustration and hassle, then customers will be more inclined to wait or to remain loyal. What’s key is not necessarily always the speed of the engagement and the resolution, but in answering the question properly.”
The future
In the past, customers had to wind their way through increasingly complex self-service options that ranged from calls to personal visits to irrelevant self-service menus (IVRs) in contact centres. However, this is not what they’re prepared to tolerate today. Why? Because customers are time-starved and aren’t interested in adding an incompetent company to their already full to-do lists. They’ll just move on and go somewhere else.
“Businesses have to offer their customers self-service options that include applications, websites, social media and other relevant channels,” says Kühn. “These have to be executed perfectly, they have to include relevant pathways to resolution, and they need to be suited to the company’s target market.”
If customers prefer WhatsApp, invest in this platform for immediate customer engagement. If customers are more inclined to use Facebook, then that’s the right choice. Empower the customer with the right touchpoints and then further enrich this engagement by empowering employees with the right information so they can actually help the customer at speed. The Microsoft survey found that 68% of customers will walk away from a company that delivers poor customer service, this is how to make sure those feet walk directly into your business instead.
