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ITEXPO Panel: Keeping the 'Care' in Customer Care

January 30, 2014

When it comes to customer experience, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to keep factors such as personalization, modality and automation top of mind to increase efficiencies and bolster productivity. After all, just one simple misstep can cost your company its market.


The fact is that today’s consumers are increasingly connected and are interested in working with brands that can promote standards of excellence when it comes to customer service and that always keep the customer first. Such was the center of discussion during today’s ITEXPO Customer Interaction panel titled “Personalization for a Mobile and Social World.”

One of the first tactics companies can employ to augment their customer care efforts is to offer consumers various touch point modalities so that they can interact with brands across the platform they prefer—whether it be social, live chat, phone or email.

“The second point is to have the proper technology in place to understand who your customers are,” Lance Fried, Senior Vice President of Social and Mobile at Five9, explained. “Then you can find out the modalities they prefer and how they like to communicate with you which gives you the ability to recognize the value they bring to your company and what type of preferential treatment and offers you want to make.”

Personalization and choosing the correct methods of communication are critical to the 21st century customer experience, the panelists argued.

As Aaron Wellman, Director of Sales for Genesys, explained, just imagine the frustration that can occur when you contact a company about a problem and they have no idea who you are.

“It’s kind of a double whammy for the company if they don’t have personalization because it leads to a terrible customer experience and you are ultimately taking longer to solve the problem because there is no upfront information about who the customer is and why they are calling,” Wellman said. “But these days, this information is critical to maintain your business.”

The benefits of personalization are vast, including the fact that it leads to a more “dignified experience,” as put by Fried and puts you down the path toward building a strong relationship and bond with your customers. Doing so encourages your customers to become brand advocates for your company, instead of detractors as you are showing your customers that you really care.

The fact is that today’s unhappy customer has the ability to do considerable damage to your brand. After all, a dissatisfied customer will tell between nine to 15 people about your negative experience and 13 percent of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people.

So how do you stay on top of consumer sentiment about your brand? By considering the following:

  • Choose customer applications wisely: Decide whether you will go the automated or human route. For example, automation might work great with email but not so well on the phone when the auto attendant mispronounces the name of your customer.
  • Ask questions: Find out from your customers how they wish to hear from you and build up platforms accordingly.
  • Look at the data: Data is readily available so look at your reports and metrics to see which care tactics are working well for you.
  • Use social: Social media platforms can provide you with great insights into the preferences and purchasing behaviors of your core market.
  • Be cautious: Design applications that aren’t too overbearing and be mindful of spamming your customers

There is one more day of ITEXPO left! Be sure to check back at ContactCenterSolutions for coverage of the conference. 




Edited by Cassandra Tucker



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