It’s the rare construction firm that doesn’t pride itself on putting customers first. But are those customers getting what they truly want? And when employees are asked to go the extra mile on a project, are they clear about where to go?
https://www.enr.com/articles/43585-new-customer-service-role-raises-client-advocacy-to-its-highest-level/
Most companies have recognized the value of investing in knowledge management (or KM), especially as part of their customer service strategy. It provides an always-available and ever-expanding repository of solutions accessible to customers and agents alike. It also reduces the impact of “information loss” for companies because, though staffing may change and skilled agents move on, solutions are preserved.
There is no argument that KM offers many benefits, but it’s by no means a silver bullet. Too often, companies make these mistakes:
https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/reorient-knowledge-to-drive-greater-customer-satisfaction-02104742/
Many businesses today are tasked with a common issue, making a connection with Gen Z. This new generation of consumers is unique to other age groups as they have been born into the era of technology and the 24/7 economy. In 2020, Gen Z will make up 40 percent of U.S. consumers, so many businesses need to be prepared to capitalise on this rising market segment. After all, they currently have the buying power of $143 billion.
http://uctoday.com/contact-centre/the-answer-to-connecting-with-gen-z-the-power-of-voice/
Customer service leaders frequently ask me about employee empowerment. It sounds so good in theory, but it’s often difficult in practice.
When I talk to them, there’s usually something missing. Here’s an example...
http://customerthink.com/the-new-rules-of-employee-empowerment/
A customer’s experience with a business will be at its best during the sale more often than not. From there, the interaction value typically declines as businesses devote more attention to new sales opportunities or upselling. Nowhere is this more evident than in customer service models in which representatives are evaluated based on the speed and efficiency of how they handle inquiries rather than the service provided. Companies have even been known to establish a metric for “efficiency” by encouraging the highest volume of calls in the least amount of time. That approach doesn’t leave a lot of room for personality or attention, does it?
In today’s competitive environment, whether interacting with potential or existing customers, keeping them happy is critically important. No customer should be treated as an afterthought or an “issue.” Businesses need to stop considering customer service an unnecessary cost center and start focusing on its potential value.
https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/the-opportunity-to-be-a-leader-in-customer-service-02055160/
Customer is indeed the king. In today’s market, we – as customers – have become accustomed to getting what we want. From personalised interactions and connected experiences across channels, we have set the bar high and this is no different with customer service. In fact, according to a HubSpot study, consumers are now more impatient than ever. Nearly 90% of them deem “immediate” online response (within 10 minutes) from businesses very important when they have questions. It’s no wonder live chat software is becoming increasingly important and popular among marketers and salespeople.
https://mopinion.com/live-chat-software-an-overview/
A Voice of Customer (VOC) program aims to gather and analyze customer insights, allowing you to identify trends and strategies to improve customer experience and deliver positive business outcomes. In simpler terms, VOC offers a way to give your customers a voice within your organization.
Organizations that have well-developed VOC programs consider feedback from every customer, respond immediately, and ultimately use what they learn to make improvements across departments.
Today, we’re sharing how you can leverage VOC data to improve customer service.
https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/use-voice-of-customer-voc-data-to-improve-customer-service-02156948/
Despite the e-commerce boom, numbers show shoppers still want the touch-and-feel experience of brick-and-mortar — recent data from the National Retail Federation found that nearly 80 percent of consumers primarily shop in traditional stores. While the increased foot traffic is great for a retailer's bottom line, it can wreak havoc on sales associates if you don't give them appropriate tools to manage the many needs and requests of shoppers in real-time.
https://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/blogs/using-push-to-talk-technology-to-boost-the-customer-experience/
After much of the global economy went into recession back in 2008, public confidence in financial institutions took an equally dramatic dive. Whatever the reality, a large percentage of public and media opinion shifted blame towards global ‘bankers’, unseen financial professionals that were painted as the villains of the crisis. Perception and reputation are difficult concepts to quantify, often the evidence for good or bad reactions is anecdotal and is noticeable from talking to individuals or groups. Because the perception and reputation of any business is vital to its on-going success (and indeed its survival!) the use of Voice of the Customer (VoC) technology has become a common and highly prized asset, which the financial sector is readily embracing.
https://mopinion.com/voice-of-the-customer-helps-financial-sector-regain-trust-and-increase-productivity/
Are you in the habit of closing the loop with customers that offer negative feedback on post-interaction surveys like Customer Satisfaction or Net Promoter Score? I certainly hope so, because it’s a great practice that many companies aren’t in the habit of doing. When I led a customer service team, I was very proud of the fact that we made every attempt at closing the loop with the upset customers we knew about, and by some combination of resolving their issue and offering compensation, we managed to save a good many of them from churning.
But what about those customers that don’t complete a survey voicing their displeasure? What about those where something goes wrong and it’s “too much trouble to complain?” Or perhaps they do complain and the disinterested reply from support is enough for the customer to cut their losses and move on to a company that actually wants their business. And then there’s that statistic where upset customers tell dozens of people about negative experiences while happy customers tell a small handful of their friends. I’m convinced that someone invented that statistic to strike fear into the hearts of customer service leaders with the sole purpose of selling books, software, consulting, etc.
https://www.kustomer.com/blog/voice-of-the-customer-fcr/
