In a market where too many companies are offering commodity solutions, how does one stand out against the other? Selling on price is one option, but it rarely lasts long. Companies can easily adjust their pricing so as to avoid losing share to a competitor. Plus, today’s customer is much more concerned about the overall value than simply price alone.
To that end, companies are increasingly making investments in customer experience management (CEM) solutions with a focus on optimal performance in the contact center. This is a smart move, but does it ignore the value already being built on the customer relationship management (CRM) side? If so, are these same companies building silos of information that drain resources instead of integrate solutions?
These are common questions among company leaders as they aim to make the most of their investments while earning a place of loyalty in the heart of customers. A wealth of knowledge is likely captured in the CRM system that could be used as key business intelligence when creating the optimal experience for the customer. If contact center agents don’t have immediate access to that information, can they still deliver on the experience customers want?
For any contact center operation, there are two very clear goals: provide the optimal experience for the customer and do so with efficient productivity. Delivering that optimal experience sometimes requires that the contact center agent know what the customer prefers. This many include understanding the preferred channel, knowing the last activity on the account and anticipating the customer’s request.
Achieving these goals requires an investment in solutions, such as CEM software, that enable agents to gain access to the information they need, when they need it. If that information is difficult to find or isn’t synched correctly with the customer’s information, the attempted quality customer experience may turn into one the customer would wish to avoid. The agent struggling to find information is one that causes frustration for the customer.
To that end, a number of companies are looking at their current investments around customer intelligence and the customer experience to measure effectiveness. In the process, they are discovering a clear gap – CRM and CEM are not integrated to optimize the experience for the contact center or the customer.
If you have the same challenge and want to learn how to integrate the two for maximum profit potential, CRM vs. CEM: Why not both? will discuss how to maximize potential in your customer-facing initiatives.
Also this week, LiveOps vice president of product management, Ilan Dar and Ann Sung Ruckstuhl, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, will be speaking during sessions at ITEXPO Las Vegas on topics covering customer relationships, engagement and the customer experience.