For years, the customer experience industry has strived toward fast, easy, painless experiences for customers. However, time and time again, we feel failed by brands for bad customer service and wasted time.
The common theme among bad experiences in customer service revolve around the fact that customers feel powerless. This can be caused by long waiting times, having to be transferred multiple times, and dealing with unknowledgeable agents. Even if the intended query is resolved, taking customers out of the driver seat still creates the feeling of a bad customer experience.
And we know that 80% of customers today say that the experiences companies provide are as important as their products or services, and customers are 2.7 times more likely to continue doing business with a company that provides high-quality service. 75% of customers even say they will pay more to purchase from a company that provides good CX.
In other words, it’s important for customers to be happy with their experiences.
Now obviously, customers can’t make whatever demands they want (business rules must be followed), but there is a level of control that customers need in order to feel satisfied.
Here’s four ways to keep customers feeling empowered for a better customer experience.
Don’t keep customers waiting.
According to our recent survey, 75% of customers experience a long wait time when contacting a brand. Clearly, waiting has become the norm. But, a lot can happen during that wait– whether it’s two minutes or ten. When customers are forced to wait, they can feel undervalued, frustrated, and ultimately walk away with a worse perception of the brand.
Empowering customers with the ability to self-service eliminates the wait times by reducing the reliance on human agents. Customers will feel more valued and more in control, which will lead to greater loyalty and revenue to the company.
Streamline Processes.
Have you ever called a brand only to be transferred multiple times? Or maybe had an agent that couldn’t help you on an issue because it was outside their department? These situations boil down to complicated backend processes and systems. When the customer journey is not designed cohesively, but rather in silos of departments, customers feel the effects.
Conversational AI can unite the customer journey to give customers a smooth experience with a brand. When technology takes the lead on the interaction, customers can be set forth on the most efficient path of success to get their issues resolved.
Follow the rules of conversation.
For customers to feel in control, they must be able to speak naturally. In other words, they should not have to conform their phrasing, pronunciation, or tone in order to be understood by the automated system. When customers are forced to do this, it not only creates a negative experience, but may also prevent them from completing the task that they set out to accomplish.
In order to create a natural, conversational experience for customers where they are in control, ensure that the automation technology implemented meets the conversation criteria set forth by conversation and AI experts.
Keep business rules consistent.
Have you ever been told something by one agent only to call back and hear a completely different story from another? This gives customers whiplash and makes them feel powerless. When relying on a human agent to lead the interaction with a customer, it leaves an opportunity for these inconsistent customer experiences.
Instead, businesses should lead interactions with technology, like Conversational AI, that is supported with cohesive backend integration. Conversational AI follows business rules every time to ensure that customers are given a consistent, intentional journey. And, with the backend systems integration, customer data can be used to personalize the interactions to make customers feel valued.
— — —
The world’s leading enterprises don’t have the ability to economically treat every customer with the care and attention that they want. However, technology can help bridge the gap by putting customers in the driver seat so they feel valued, respected, and leave with a positive perception of the brand. Learn more about how leading with technology supports this approach in our eBook.
