Customer service has undergone a series of changes in recent years. These changes have helped businesses improve the quality of customer service and deliver a state-of-the-art customer experience.
So, what made businesses think that changing their customer service model is necessary? Here are four realities that compelled businesses to rethink:
1. Smartphones In Every Pocket
Nowadays, smartphones with extensive features are used worldwide. Pew Research reports that in 2015, 68% of American adults owned smartphones, almost double the 35% penetration in 2011. That means nearly every American has a supercomputer in his or her pocket.
Smartphones and tablets are all-purpose devices that let us interact in a variety of modes—phone, email, text, web chat, video chat, social media, online forums, and much more. As a result, people do not want to stick with just one mode of communication at a time: they switch modes as they please and expect companies to keep up so that they don’t have to repeat their backstory to different personnel along the way.
Changes in the customer service model to cope with this reality:
Companies can no longer stick to just one or two customer interaction channels with a smartphone in every pocket. They should be present in various channels so that a customer can reach them easily via the channel of his/her choice. When it comes to customer service, omnichannel is the way to go.
With omnichannel customer service, customers receive a seamless experience across all channels. That is a customer service model that never goes out of style.
2. 5G
Over the next two years, the transition from 4G to 5G will make the public wireless network experience 300 times faster. With 5G, we will see devoted slices of spectrum ready for tuning and optimization for specific applications and devices. When met with IoT/M2M devices, the blend of these two phenomena will facilitate secure real-time data transfer. That means no delay.
Changes in the customer service model to cope with this reality:
In the age of 5G, the faster a company can put data into action, the more value it can deliver. This is only possible when you put AI into the mix. When your customer service agents get real-time assistance from AI, it will be possible for them to assist your customers right away.
Here’s an example: If you get a call from your customer saying that his/her car broke down in the middle of the road, your customer service agent can use AI to resolve the issue quickly. AI can quickly show the agent the actual location of your customer, the location of the nearest tow truck, and the time it will take for the tow truck to arrive. It can also notify the tow truck and show the agent the location of the nearest clinic in case the customer needs medical assistance, saving your agent the time to look for the information and make the necessary calls manually. As a result, you can provide your customer with real-time assistance.
3. Getting Smart
Smart watches, smart cars, smart TVs, and other smart devices continue to have a mammoth impact on consumer-oriented experiences. Companies are building customer experiences around smart connected devices and reshaping customer expectations. The effect in the B2B segment will be just as remarkable and go beyond the automatic or single-tap wireless updating of software features and bug fixes.
Changes in the customer service model to cope with this reality:
For most people, the best customer experience would be one that provides problem resolution without them having to know about it. Otherwise, where the device notifies customer service based on a data trigger, empowering the user to help solve the issue on his terms.
As connectivity increases, contact center agents and technicians will increasingly interact with people and a wide range of devices, requiring these experts to hone their skills to handle different questions and complex situations.
4. Big Data Getting Bigger
Considering the ABI Research report that IoT/M2M will reach 40 billion in 2020, it is safe to say that connected devices will soon outnumber people 5:1 or more. And they will generate a lot of data. To deliver excellent customer service, businesses has to process this data to put the right information into the right Changes in the customer service model to cope with this reality:
Changes in the customer service model to cope with this reality:
At present, customer service agents get access to just the performance information and customer data available in the CRM. That is a small slice of data that is often segmented. To use big data to its full potential, businesses have to analyze all data points and spread them across an organization along with other data. AI, data science, and machine learning can help with that.
These advanced technologies help you process big data faster. They analyze data to understand your customers and their expectations better, and use it for future interactions. They give agents a full picture, enabling faster resolution, creating more upsell/cross-sell opportunities, and ultimately delivering a superior customer experience.
Smartphones, 5G devices, wearables, and big data will continue to bring positive changes in customer service. Is your customer service ready to deliver a new customer experience?
