{"id":126116,"date":"2019-01-15T05:16:45","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T13:16:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/?post_type=blog&p=126116"},"modified":"2019-01-15T05:16:45","modified_gmt":"2019-01-15T13:16:45","slug":"is-your-retail-contact-centre-as-customer-obsessed-as-you","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.genesys.com\/en-gb\/blog\/post\/is-your-retail-contact-centre-as-customer-obsessed-as-you","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Retail Contact Centre as Customer-Obsessed as You"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]All retail contact centre staffers <\/span>want<\/span><\/i> to give great service. It\u2019s why they stay in the job \u2014 and why the best ones are worth their weight in resolved trouble tickets. <\/span><\/p>\n

But while the customer is the same <\/span>person<\/span><\/i> over the sales lifecycle \u2013 initial acquisition, the buildup of loyalty, transformation into NPS Advocate \u2013 they don\u2019t behave or respond in the same way at every stage. (It\u2019s only natural; think of how a friendship develops.) To be truly obsessive about the customer, agents need information on where the caller is on that journey. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But if getting that info means constantly switching between apps, or placing busy customers on hold, or doing end-runs around procedures to satisfy a customer need, your customer experience will end up in the emergency room. <\/span>Because the <\/b>agent<\/i><\/b> experience is suffering too<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why a third of contact centres say <\/span>improving agent experience is a top goal<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

So that\u2019s one key to making your contact centre obsessive about customer experience: <\/span>remove the impediments at every stage<\/span><\/i>. It allows agents to focus their energies on customers rather than technology, making them more customer-centric. And it boosts the side to customer obsession: making it pay in terms of ROI. Higher NPS scores, greater up-sell and cross-sell, higher conversion rates and longer customer lifetime value. <\/span><\/p>\n

These are all outcomes worth the effort. So never forget <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> it\u2019s worth fostering that obsession. Ultimately, the success of your whole retail organisation depends on the experience created in its contact centre.<\/span><\/p>\n

Empower the agent, and you empower the customer experience<\/b><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at how we can create that situation \u2014 with four key questions to ask yourself on the path between first contact and ongoing friendship.<\/span><\/p>\n

QUESTION #1: What\u2019s stopping first-call resolution stone dead?<\/b><\/p>\n

Of course, the ideal customer outcome is to solve any problem on first contact. That means making sure the agent who answers the phone (or email, or webchat) is the same agent who checks the \u2018completed\u2019 box. It\u2019s key to building the trust and comfort that lead to customer loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s surprising how many contact centres, festooned with legacy apps brought in over decades, prevent this from happening. Often one team of agents has access to one set of apps, while other apps are needed for the resolution. That means switched screens, different databases, and verbal acrobatics to keep the customer engaged. <\/span><\/p>\n

The problem, then, isn\u2019t with your agents \u2014 rather, it\u2019s the stuff getting in their way. To work out how to make customer obsession blossom, look critically at what\u2019s making it <\/span>stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have a grab-bag of outdated apps that your IT team is constantly having to patch and fix? See if there are ways to simplify, perhaps by moving to an all-in-one, click-to-install solution in the cloud. <\/span><\/p>\n

OUTCOME: Increase in first-call resolutions \u2026 and greater customer loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

QUESTION #2: Is your eCommerce system hailing all frequencies?<\/b><\/p>\n

Connected to \u2014 or rather, disconnected from \u2014 the first call resolution (FCR) issue is pouring too much resource into channels your customers don\u2019t use. <\/span><\/p>\n

The typical contact centre still concentrates on calls. But a <\/span>quarter of millennial workers don\u2019t even use their phones for voice<\/span><\/a>. Today\u2019s customer is omnichannel, using email, SMS, and chatbots with as much ease as the spoken word. So if your contact centre is focused on voice, or treats different channels as different queries (for example, the apps dealing with different channels aren\u2019t connected) it\u2019s time to start being where your customers actually are. <\/span><\/p>\n

So bring text, voice, even video channels \u2013 whatever you want to offer \u2013 together as part of the retail contact centre offering. And when you\u2019re ready to listen (or watch, or read) across all channels, make sure the data you gather from each is connected into one meaningful view of each customer.<\/span><\/p>\n

OUTCOME: Faster response to pertinent inquiries \u2026 and an increase in customer acquisition speeds.<\/span><\/p>\n

QUESTION #3: Can your personalisation dig even deeper?<\/b><\/p>\n

At one time, contact centres would have \u2018offers of the month\u2019 and blast them out to every customer, going for volume. But with artificial intelligence (AI) making its play for contact centre hearts and minds, offers and options given to each customer are being individualised much more deeply. <\/span><\/p>\n

The recognition that each customer is a single individual, not a demographic or cookie-cut segment, is the basis of <\/span>hyper-personalisation<\/b>. Treating the customer not as a set of numbers, but as an integrated whole with a human face.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t get that from traditional checkbox-driven profiling: it\u2019s less quantitative, making more use of value judgments and obscure correlations between unrelated areas of the dataset. That\u2019s why AI is increasingly taking charge. No human can interrogate gigabytes of data to identify causations and coincidences \u2013 but the right software can.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speech analysis alone will be a $1.3 billion sector by 2019<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s becoming more common for the list of options a customer sees to be ultra-customised especially for him or her. Psychographic profiling, past actions, dreams, and desires are analysed and turned into predictions of what that customer will respond most positively to, <\/span>now<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0Treating each customer as if they were your only customer \u2014 <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span><\/i> customer obsession. Are you seeing the potential of AI?<\/span><\/p>\n

OUTCOME: Higher conversion rates, stemming from intelligent options.<\/span><\/p>\n

QUESTION #4: Are your agents micromanaged or empowered?<\/b><\/p>\n

Many contact centres over-administer their agents, seeking to eliminate any possibility of the agent not toeing the company line. Such over-emphasis on control has a negative outcome: the agent doesn\u2019t feel empowered to treat the customer as a human being.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tim Ferris, the author of <\/span>The 4-Hour Work Week<\/span><\/i>, once found himself getting swamped with escalations from a team of agents asking him to make decisions above their authority. He solved it with a critical eye on risk and reward. If the resolution cost the company less than $100, he told them \u2014 just do it, according to your best judgment. <\/span><\/p>\n

At first, agents were hesitant. But they very quickly learned to like it, because they were being treated with respect and trust. Today, empowering your team is easier than ever, because all-in-one solutions let you collect many more metrics without interrupting the agent\u2019s flow- you\u2019re watching, rather than controlling. To give your customer obsession character \u2014 empower your agents with seamless solutions, and see where it leads.<\/span><\/p>\n

OUTCOME: Trusted bonds with agents and a happier contact centre team-leading directly to deeper connections with customers as they become advocates.<\/span><\/p>\n

From first acquisition to long-term advocacy score, customer obsession is the route to a truly customer-centric contact centre.<\/span><\/p>\n

And what\u2019s more, your agents are probably as enthusiastic about it as you \u2014 they\u2019re customer-obsessives-in-waiting, ready to be empowered! <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

So help them<\/b>. Remove obstacles in the agent experience, replacing apps that are costing more resource than they\u2019re worth. Connect applications into a seamless whole, and build a 360-degree view of each customer across all channels of communication. Then use that data to understand customer behavior more deeply \u2026 and empower your team to do the right thing, every time, according to best practices. <\/span><\/p>\n

A contact centre focused entirely on the customer \u2014 now <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span><\/i> where obsession pays off. Moving successfully from acquisition to loyalty to advocacy is a process, not an event. And with the right tools, your agents are the ideal team to achieve it.<\/span><\/p>\n

TAKEAWAYS:<\/b><\/p>\n