In the latest report from The Economist Intelligence Unit, “Creating a seamless retail customer experience,” it asked consumers what exactly they want in their customer service and asked companies how they felt they deliver positive service through new technologies.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of respondents on both sides appear to understand that the key to modern customer service lies in the proper delivery of multiple communication channels. The Web and social media can connect consumer to brands with smartphones, desktops, and in person at brick-and-mortar stores. Moreover, technology can make seamless the interaction of mobile and in-person interactions.
Bill Price, the president of Drive Solutions commented on the nature of the study and noted that companies are now responsible for thinking outside the box.
“Companies have to stop thinking of themselves as business-to-business or business-to-consumer. Instead, they have to put the consumer first,” Price said.
It is that stretch of imagination that can place businesses on top of their competitors. Those that are willing to conceptualize and deliver technology and communications channels in a way that transcends B2B or B2C will go far. The findings in The Economist's study reflect that idea first in the way that consumers look at brands. Survey respondents said they want speed in their transactions; they want, for instance, to be able to research a product online, make sure the product is in the local brick-and-mortar, and pick up the product that same day. If they pre-order the item, they want it ready for pickup at a moment's notice.
It appears, however, that companies have a lot of work to do. Consumers note that online businesses are models of efficiency, but they still look at some retail stores with a primary in-person presence as being unable to connect to consumers through multiple channels. Even though businesses have taken an interest in this future, only a handful reported having a chief customer officer to handle the integration of platforms and customer tracking across those platforms.
This is not as much a technical hurdle as it is a matter of mindset, The Economist shows. It says 36 percent of company executives reported the belief that information silos within their organizations are the biggest hurdle to customer service. Meanwhile, 24 percent cited a lack of senior management vision as their own biggest hurdle. Adopting the technology is apparently easy compared to the task of getting a group of corporate minds around the problem.
Unfortunately for those brands stuck in a rut, the study also found that customers are willing to leave businesses that provide them with poor customer service. There is enough variety that customers have a glut of choices when it comes to electronics, clothing, banking, restaurants, and any other types of goods. They will up and leave, so businesses need to get their acts together, get their minds around thinking that creates silos of information, and better serve their clientele.