TALKING
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Customer experience is changing to a degree we have not witnessed before . Individuals now have a seemingly endless list of expectations when interacting with a brand .
Take the exploding popularity of Buy Now Pay Later ( BNPL ) services as an example of this shift . endless applications looking for resources , or are overloaded with time-consuming administrative work .
It ’ s critical staff feel supported to reach their professional potential ; not only kick personal goals but to better connect with colleagues and focus on developing spontaneous creative ideas .
Dustin Laidsaar , Strategic Business Consultant for Avaya
People want to receive items before they have paid for them , to complete transactions with the touch of a button , while also having iron-clad assurances around the security of their information . Today , it ’ s all about operating on the customer ’ s terms , not the company ’ s .
It would be natural for business heads to approach servicing the needs of today ’ s customers with a degree of trepidation . Indeed , there is no silver bullet for meeting this challenge .
Automation and Artificial Intelligence can be leveraged to take over routine tasks , whether it ’ s typing the minutes of meeting or transcribing customer calls , while staff focus on actually servicing customers ’ needs .
AI-enabled tools can also help with dissolving the departmental siloes that keep teams separated and customer queries from being addressed . In one example , it allows subject matter experts to be called upon at any time to assist with resolving customer
But there is a crucial element that is often overlooked when designing the customer journey and that ’ s the employee experience . When employees are engaged and empowered , they go the extra yard to improve customer interactions and drive results .
Recent research from Gallup found that satisfied employees are three times more likely to resolve customer issues than those who are less engaged or motivated .
While revamping the employee experience is not an overnight process , there are initial steps that can be taken to make your staff not only more productive but also more satisfied at the workplace and ultimately add more value to your customer experience initiatives .
Let them focus on what ’ s important
Let ’ s face it – it is almost impossible for staff to absorb themselves in meaningful work and provide value to customers when they are forced to shift through
Automation and Artificial Intelligence can be leveraged to take over routine tasks .
queries even though they aren ’ t on the front line of customer service . The insurance industry , for example , would benefit greatly by bringing back-office experts into the customer service front line . Actuaries make changes to premiums , but it ’ s usually only by the time the customer makes contact that the customer service agent on the other side knows anything about these changes and is tasked with providing a solution .
Skills-based routing can identify subtle patterns within human interactions and draw upon customers ’ demographic information , credit card usage and travel habits to intelligently match them with the employees best suited to resolve the enquiry .
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