It’s time to put CX back into customer service.
The pandemic presents customer service businesses with the opportunity to showcase your company as a brand that cares for its customers and goes out of it way to create, innovate and drive new solutions that forge the company ahead, taking customers with them.
The future belongs to customer service businesses that are bold and ready to face the challenges that disruptions bring and turn them into success stories. According to a 2020 Deloitte study, “The bold and ambitious companies that embrace the new reality and take timely action can capture market share and emerge after the crisis as market leaders. Action requires courage to reinvent your business model and invest in times of high uncertainty.”
So without further ado, here are 7 interesting, exciting ways to grow customer satisfaction for the bold and ambitious.
1. Press the Accelerator, Go Digital Faster
There’s no room for digital resistance any more. The pandemic has brought on the acceleration of the digital era in almost every sector. Thinking outside the box has resulted in increased customer satisfaction, positive brand awareness, and successful achievement of business goals. For instance, during the pandemic, the Bank of China conducted three online shows, attended by over 44,000 visitors, where market experts shared insights and offered advice. To gain new members, fitness gyms have rolled out free online trials of their app-based classes resulting in new membership increase of 80% to 250% in the months following the initial launch. Field and customer service businesses have managed to stay in business using remote video inspection software like Blitzz and dispatch scheduling software like Synchroteam.
2. Meet The Needs of Customers Right Where They Are
With shelter-in-place restrictions across the country, and around the globe, coupled with the fear of engaging with people in a crowded surrounding, companies that offer pick-up and delivery have seen significant growth. Not only have customers been grateful for door-drop services but are willing to pay a little extra for it. Auto shops offer to pick up cars from your home and deliver them after repair and maintenance. Being an at-risk demographic, the 65+ age group is the target audience for online grocery delivery. Food service companies have recorded over 25% increase in sales and a company in China has been able to quadruple their orders, according to a McKinsey study.
3. Messaging is Important
Strengthen the bond between your brand and your customers with marketing messages that showcase your brand as compassionate and helpful, and if you can add a bit of appropriate wit to make people smile in these dire times, it can also help in building lingering and lasting memories in the minds of customers, even post-Covid. In contrast, silence from customer service departments can speak volumes. By silence companies may be actually showing their customers that they are either not prepared for disruptions like the pandemic and cannot function or they do not care enough about their customers to put them at ease by providing continued service in a way that overcomes the Covid-19 restrictions and yet maintains safety.
4. Show The Community You Care
Almost any industry can show their support and care for the community at such times by serving them in ways that are meaningful and meet the needs of the community. Even a simple messaging showing that you care can go a long way. Highlighting safety protocols can show customers they care enough to make sure each on-site visit is being done with the utmost safety and hygiene. Some luxury perfume brands have explored new markets for earning revenue and served the community by switching from manufacturing perfumes to sanitizers.
5. Position Your Business to Offer Delightful Customer Experience
With customers running online rather than to brick-and-mortar stores, companies need to spend time in digital strategies that ensure customers have a delightful experience shopping online no matter what device they use – a laptop, desktop, mobile phone, or tablet. Customers need to shop in a digital environment they are comfortable whether it’s an app, an e-commerce platform, or just the old-fashioned way – over a phone. You want to show you understand the pain points of every customer you have and provide them with a satisfactory experience that keeps them loyal to your brand.
6. Touchless Customer Service
In the United States, there is a 20% rise in consumer preference for touchless or contactless operations, particularly in physical stores. Setting up an operational strategy that keeps customers six feet part at any given time in the footfall journey in your brick and mortar shops while making sure that customers can be out of the shop in the least possible time is key to success. Strategically placed sanitizers, installing plexiglass at every cash register, and drive-through shopping options can instill a sense of safety and confidence in customers about coming to your physical store. Lastly, make sure your customers know of your digital options for shopping and encourage them to shop online for a safer experience.
7. Cut Costs With a Customer-Centric Approach
Cutting costs is inevitable for many companies but remember that investing in creating positive customer experiences can lead to significant value in the way your brand is perceived and plays a long-term role in customer retention and acquisition leading to uptake in revenue. With Covid-19 having lasting implications, moving to digital platforms can be the most cost-effective way to build your company to meet the future, post-Covid-19 era. Data gained from digital platforms can help companies keep their pulse on changing customer preferences and be ready to meet them with agile strategies. Encouraging your customers to send feedback, provide star ratings can not only boost a brand’s online reputation but provide companies with valuable information that can help them improve customer satisfaction.
The future belongs to companies who keep the customer in focus while creating innovative strategies, thinking outside the box, to create new revenue avenues, install digital options into the business process and create wonderful experiences for target audiences. Think about it. Covid-19 may actually present your company with opportunities that are yet, untapped.