In the era of Twitter call outs and Yelp protecting your brand perception is of paramount importance. From headlines shaming airlines for lost baggage and delays to trending complaint hashtags, customer experience has become a matter of public record. The ubiquity of mobile devices coupled with the ever-presence of social media means that a single negative experience encountered by a customer can balloon in mere minutes.
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Businesses have started to take heed. A recent study by Walker found that Customer Experience is expected to surpass product as the key differentiator for businesses by 2020. This should come as no surprise considering the abundance of other recent findings that speak to the significant impacts of customer experience on the bottom line:
- 67% of consumers cite bad experiences as the reason for churn
- 91% of unhappy customers who are non-complainers simply leave
- It is 6-7X more expensive for companies to attract new customers than it is to keep existing customers.
A key driver in achieving a positive customer experience is the ability to drive personalization across all interactions. So it follows that in a recent survey of 650+ customer service leaders Establishing a Seamless Customer Engagement was listed as a top challenge this year.
To learn more about the evolving landscape of customer care in the digital age, we headed out to Customer Contact Week (CCW) last month. For 20 years, CCW has been the largest gathering of leaders within the customer care technology and service spaces. The conference showcases the insights of industry leaders with an impressive array of hot topic tracks and breakout sessions that present cutting edge thought leadership rooted in a customer-first mindset.
For their upcoming Fall Event in Nashville, CCW interviewed Jim Lynch, our Product Marketing Director here at LiveVox, to pick his brain about the challenges and solutions ahead in the world of customer care and experience. Below is an excerpt from the interview:
What do you view as the top challenge when it comes to customer contact and customer experience? What is your top recommendation for overcoming this challenge?
The ability to maintain consumer data across all interactions and channels within the customer journey is the number one challenge to improving customer experience. As the customer journey expands and becomes more complex, what happens during each interaction (and each department) becomes more and more difficult to unify, creating an increasingly less personalized consumer experience, not to mention ineffective operations.
This disjoint will also put businesses who wish to leverage advanced technology such as AI and chatbots at a significant disadvantage as the effectiveness of this technology is based on the ability to pull from a centralized data pool.
We believe investments in integrating disparate data will be key to removing the barriers that have long hindered the pursuit of true omnichannel.
Something we are addressing more and more at CCW is the end-to-end customer experience. What responsibility do you feel the customer support function has to the end-to-end experience?
Customer support plays one of the most critical roles in optimizing an end-to-end customer experience. The primary reason a consumer reaches a customer support center is to solve an issue. In today’s digital-first age, consumers are most likely to attempt to self-serve on a mobile channel. If that attempt fails, the consumer will attempt to escalate to another channel and eventually to a live agent. In this environment, the consumer will have put in more time and effort in engaging with a business and therefore will be more likely to be frustrated. A recent study by Gartner solidifies this trend, showing a connection between the complexity of a service call and the number of channels used by a consumer.
Ticketing systems are the mechanisms by which customer service resolutions are tracked and communicated, yet they’ve been largely built for either a voice or digital channel. The ability to marry the interactions in a ticketing system between digital channels and voice will be key to incorporating customer support into an end-to-end customer experience.
Technology advancements are spurring transformation across all aspects of customer contact. What do you believe will be the catalyst for the next generation of CX?
The next generation of CX will focus on creating a new level of personalization and self-service that blends automation with consumer data. The amount of data available on the consumer and consumer behavior has increased in unimaginable ways and we’re just at the beginning of figuring out how to leverage that plethora of information to improve customer experience across all channels.
To learn more about the topics discussed in the interview, visit livevox.com.
To explore how LiveVox can improve your customer experience, request a demo.
Unleashing the Power of Personalized Customer Experience
In today’s digital age, customer experience (CX) has emerged as a critical factor in determining brand loyalty and business success. Customers expect a personalized CX, and delivering tailored experiences has become imperative for contact centers. According to a recent study by Walker, customer experience is projected to surpass product as the key differentiator for businesses by 2020. Therefore, prioritizing personalized CX is no longer a choice but a necessity.
To achieve personalized customer experiences, contact centers must leverage the abundance of consumer data available. The ability to maintain and unify consumer data across all interactions and channels is a top challenge. In the ever-expanding customer journey, maintaining personalization becomes increasingly complex, potentially leading to less satisfying experiences for customers. Furthermore, investments in integrating disparate data will be crucial for contact centers aiming to leverage advanced technologies like AI and chatbots effectively.
By focusing on personalization, contact centers can unlock the true potential of customer data. Creating tailored experiences involves understanding customers’ preferences, behavior, and history, allowing agents to provide contextually relevant support. Embracing technology that blends automation with consumer data will be key to delivering the next generation of personalized CX. The vast amount of consumer data available offers untapped potential to elevate customer experiences across all channels.
The key takeaway is that personalized CX goes beyond meeting customer expectations; it delights and surprises customers, fostering lasting relationships and brand loyalty. Embracing data-driven personalization and adopting innovative technologies can help contact centers unleash the power of personalized customer experiences that keep customers coming back for more.
Paving the Way for the Future of CX
As the customer service landscape evolves, contact centers must keep pace with the changing needs and preferences of customers. Anticipating the future of CX is essential to staying ahead in the competitive market. With technological advancements shaping the industry, contact centers must pave the way for the next generation of CX.
The future of CX will revolve around creating a new level of personalization and self-service. According to McKinsey, 71% of customers expect personalized services. Leveraging the wealth of consumer data available will be paramount in achieving this goal. The massive amount of data on consumer behavior presents a unique opportunity to enhance CX across all communication channels. By harnessing this data, contact centers can better understand customers’ needs and offer tailored solutions, ultimately leading to higher customer satisfaction.
Incorporating automation with consumer data will be another defining feature of the future of CX. Automation streamlines processes, ensuring faster response times and smoother interactions. However, the key lies in blending automation with the human touch. Customers appreciate the convenience of self-service, but they also value authentic human interactions when needed. Striking the right balance will be crucial in delivering exceptional CX in the future.Contact centers that embrace innovation, invest in cutting-edge technology, and focus on data-driven insights will lead the way in shaping the future of CX. By staying ahead of the curve and consistently adapting to new customer expectations, contact centers can secure their position as CX trailblazers. Check out how LiveVox can help you and your team along the way.
Elevating Contact Center CX with Voice Systems
Amidst the digital revolution, voice systems contact CX remains an essential component of contact center interactions. The journey towards seamless CX involves elevating the role of voice systems and unifying them with digital channels. As consumers increasingly turn to digital-first engagement, contact centers must ensure that voice interactions are seamlessly integrated into the broader customer journey.
Revolutionizing Conversations
One of the primary roles of customer support is to optimize the end-to-end customer experience. Today’s customers are likely to attempt self-service on digital channels first. In cases where self-service fails, they may escalate their inquiries to live agents. To create a cohesive experience, it is vital to marry interactions in a ticketing system between digital channels and voice.
By effectively integrating the voice systems contact CX with digital channels, contact centers can bridge the gap between self-service and live support. This seamless transition prevents customer frustration and enhances overall satisfaction. As contact centers embrace advanced technologies like AI and chatbots, the effectiveness of these solutions depends on accessing a centralized data pool. Integrating the voice systems contact CX with digital channels facilitates data accessibility, allowing agents to deliver more personalized and contextually relevant support.
Contact centers must recognize the enduring value of voice systems in the ever-evolving digital landscape. As the reliance on digital channels grows, the human touch offered by voice interactions becomes even more vital. Through effective integration and optimization of voice systems, contact centers can continue to elevate CX and ensure that each customer interaction leaves a lasting positive impression.With LiveVox’s comprehensive customer engagement platform, contact centers gain the tools needed to revolutionize conversations and deliver unparalleled experiences that define the future of customer service. Embrace the power of voice systems contact CX today to forge stronger connections with your customers and foster brand loyalty. Request a demo from LiveVox now to embark on the journey toward contact center excellence.
Achieving Seamless CX in Contact Centers
In the ever-evolving landscape of customer service, achieving seamless CX is a top priority for contact centers. Customers demand effortless experiences where interactions flow seamlessly across various channels without disruptions. Contact centers must proactively address challenges and embrace innovations to create a unified, consistent, seamless CX.
A key challenge faced by contact centers is maintaining consumer data across interactions and channels within the customer journey. As interactions become more complex and fragmented, personalization suffers, leading to ineffective operations and less satisfying experiences. Addressing this challenge involves investing in comprehensive data integration to remove barriers hindering true omnichannel engagement.
Effortless Experiences
Seamless CX requires end-to-end optimization, and customer support plays a critical role in achieving this goal. Customers’ journeys often involve multiple channels, and support centers must be prepared to assist customers at any stage. Integrating ticketing systems between digital channels and voice is instrumental in delivering an end-to-end experience. This ensures smooth interactions and a higher likelihood of issue resolution, ultimately leading to greater customer satisfaction.
To achieve effortless experiences, contact centers need to leverage advanced technology and data-driven insights. By adopting LiveVox’s integrated customer engagement platform, contact centers can unify CRM, WFO, and communication channels in one place, enabling efficient management of interactions. Leveraging AI-driven chatbots streamlines routine queries, freeing up agents to focus on high-value customer engagement.
In conclusion, prioritizing personalized, seamless CX, anticipating the future of customer service, revolutionizing conversations, and achieving seamless experiences are key to contact centers’ success. By embracing LiveVox’s innovative solutions and keeping customer satisfaction at the forefront, contact centers can unlock their potential for excellence and deliver unforgettable customer experiences. Request a demo from LiveVox today to explore how we can help your contact center deliver a seamless CX.
