Customer Experience ‘To Don’t’ List for 2019

Part one of ‘three little pigs’

After all the Christmas and New Year’s deliciously over indulgent celebratory feasts, in contrary, the political, economic and environmental headlines of 2018 have left many of us with a bad taste in the mouth.

Each New Year we love to look back at the events from the previous year, to learn from it and to predict and prepare for what we hope will be a better year, or not? The pessimists among us might think 2019 is already off to a rocky start because, as of yet, there is no Brexit deal in place, although apparently (like every year) some scientist predicts Armageddon, this time on 1 February – by means of a giant asteroid heading towards earth – which could wipe out humanity, so in the great scheme of things, does it really matter?

While most of us will not heed the silly and weird predictions for 2019, some past year observations, turned into current strategic predictions. Gartner got this one right: In a study from four years ago, Gartner predicted that by 2019 more than 50% of organisations will invest more money into the customer experience. Today’s numbers indicate that even more organisations are making CX a priority. In fact, today 89% of companies believe they compete primarily based on customer experience, but while 80% of companies trust they deliver “super experiences,” only 8% of customers agree.

Go out and seek fortune

2019 sees the 12th and last position in the Chinese Zodiac, the pig, symbolising a compassionate, generous and sympathetic character. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the loyalty of retail customers in 2018. Year on year, to reap short-term gains, giants in the retail sector engage in price wars. A risk, as once some of the big names had bled margins dry, they had no resources left to improve on vital CX efforts. The number of retailer foreclosure headlines in 2018 echo why price cuts can’t compete with the long-term gains of offering a more sophisticated customer experience to create loyalty and repeat custom.

And while most industries understand that customer experience can deliver big gains, with advances in technology driving consumer expectations, many businesses will throw in the towel trying to differentiate based on CX, believing it to be too complex to achieve. Not having a clear strategy will render them unsure about integrating technology with human support, the cost implications or savings it might incur, and the impact it might have on job descriptions and staff numbers. These companies are not truly convinced that a competitor, that really focused on the customer experience, could be the blow that brings their house down.

Strong solid bricks, straw or sticks

CX is not just about firing messages at people, it’s about the story of how they interact, in every way, on and off-line, through every touch-point with a brand. Old tale morals, that hard work and ingenuity are the key to succeed, are still relevant today. CX initiative is no longer optional in today’s competitive business landscape, it’s vital to cement customer loyalty.

Consumers expect exceptional, frictionless experiences and support when they need it throughout the customer journey. They don’t just accept being able to self-serve answers, they expect to be able to contact a business at a time convenient to them, through a channel of their choice, accessible from any device, anywhere on the planet.

Therefore, there is no place for silos within business, legacy systems and legacy attitudes which hurt the customer experience and prevents growth. Businesses must re-assemble their CX house, realising that the potential of taking the time to invest in strong ‘materials’ such as customer support software to address the challenge of delivering truly exceptional CX whilst empowering their employees to contribute to customer lifetime value.

2019 to don’t list

Most of us will make New Year’s resolutions this year, and according to science, most of us won’t see it through. Change is hard. It’s like wanting to do something especially when you are told NOT to.
A little reverse psychology might trick the brain, #brainwave, a ‘to don’t’ list to help businesses looking to adapt to change and embrace customer experience which we will reveal next week. (Apparently that’s when most resolutions fail.)

Should Christmas be cancelled? Retail revolution or CX nightmare?

It would be wrong to think that it’s just the serial bargain hunters, ‘retail therapy’ enthusiasts, or Wizzard fans who “wish it could be Christmas every day”. With UK consumers set to spend more this Christmas than any other country within the EU, the competition among retailers, has us listening to songs that everyone knows, but that should never be heard repeatedly in public places, as early as October!

But it’s a long drag from October to Christmas Day so it’s difficult to maintain a consumer buying fever in the twelve days weeks of Christmas. Enter Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Although many headlines state that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become unpopular, spending figures during this period, proves it a myth. Bah humbugs will have to accept that the concept of the season of discounted shopping isn’t going away soon.

Apart from an increase in consumer spending, not a lot is reported on the effect this trend has on both customer experience and ultimately the retail industry’s bottom line. Naturally, gratuitous spending delights retailers, however as margins become wafer thin, some retailers won’t survive, especially when conversion rates slow down, with customers only browsing particularly online, in readiness for the Black Friday bonanza.

Joanna Causon, Chief Executive at the UK Institute for Customer Service says, “Retailers are grappling with uncertain consumer demand and a fundamental shift in customer behaviour which has forced a rethink in the economics of serving large numbers of customers across multiple channels.”

Naughty or nice

Britain is now the biggest online shopping nation in the developed world, with almost two thirds of adults using the internet to buy goods or services, according to IMRG, a body which represents the UK’s online retailers. The first half of 2018 alone, saw online retail accounting for more than 20% of retail sales, growing at ten times the rate of store sales.

But with everyone flocking to purchase online, not all retailers are able to cope with the number of visitors to their websites, which will leave some customers – looking for an online bargain – frustrated. Customers are still expecting instant, 24/7 customer service across multiple channels, and pressures on contact centres will increase in the lead up to Christmas. While online sales figures might seem like a dream, LCP logistics consultancy reports that e-tailers are expected to be lumbered with £2.5bn worth of unwanted presents being returned after the Christmas period, which could be a customer support nightmare!

Making a list

Happy customers put businesses on the ‘nice’ list, equal repeat custom, and have them sharing their experience with friends, colleagues and family. Emulating great customer experience is however a long road for those who have neglected their customers for years.

Although the numbers of consumer engagement with digital technology are growing daily – and some retailers are adopting a multichannel model – overall customer satisfaction in the UK is 0.3 points lower than July 2017. The UKCSI says, “Although this downward movement is relatively slight, it is the first time since January 2015 that two consecutive UKCSI surveys show a decline in overall satisfaction. We are seeing a trend of divergence between the highest performing organisations and the rest, coupled with a growing body of evidence indicating that achieving consistently superior levels of customer satisfaction is a crucial enabler of sustainable financial results.” This should be of concern not just retailers but all businesses, no matter their industry.

Checking it twice

As the online world of retail expands into our physical shopping habits – driven by our desire to access information on products and services and to compare prices – retailers will need to adapt to keep customers engaged with instant access to the information through search, FAQs and across social platforms too.

Whether a business operates online, offline, or both, the most important thing should be the customer, and the experience delivered to them to ensure the financial results associated with customer satisfaction.

Even brands that are boycotting the Christmas shopping phenomenon, promising to deliver year-round value to customers, must still adhere to the oldest brand values: Good, informative customer service and a multi-channel strategy that supports this. If not, ending up on the ‘naughty’ list will surely impact the future of the business.

Businesses developing their customer service strategy might want to visit the resources section on our website where we can offer insight into:

1. Increasing customer satisfaction & loyalty levels
2. Reducing customer contact – improving first contact resolution
3. Offering a consistent multi-channel customer service
4. Improving operational and service cost efficiency

The gift of enhanced online customer service

Synthetix UK: Avinity, well-known and respected for their customer loyalty, employee engagement and supply chain management programs chose Synthetix to enhance their online customer support for their latest gift card service, GiftChoice.

The GiftChoice service will be launched online and in Argos and Sainsburys stores throughout the UK offering customers the choice to purchase giftcards in denominations of £25 or £50 to redeem at over 30 brands. Hoping to eliminate the days of unwanted gifts that get left in a drawer, customers unsure of what to buy will be able to redeem gift codes from a wide range of their favourite retailers.

Avinity chose Synthetix FAQ self-service to enable customers to find answers and information simply and quickly, especially with the festive period predicted to increase visitor spikes to their website.

Neil Spalding, Head of Channel Sales at Synthetix said, “It’s an honour to partner with a company who are so passionate about creating strong commitment and trust levels for businesses and their customers. We look forward to working closely with Avinity to enhance the ongoing dialogue they have with their customers.”

The AI-powered channels dictating the future of the contact centre

Keeping up with the AI Joneses

Online, always on, your door is always open, regardless of business hours. You understand that today’s customers ask questions at any time of the day or night and you have invested in self-service customer contact channels to address to this need.

But are you trying to impress customers with archaic self-service tools on your website?

Recently, after a well-known retail brand presented me with biblical proportions of static FAQs on their website, I was perplexed to discover the plethora of enterprises still offering dusty old customer support tools. Left on the website shelf for years, site search, static FAQs and info@ email options were eagerly on-boarded years ago, as new digital service channels to keep up with, or intimidate the competition, without a thought to how these channels would have to adapt to the future.

It is fair to say that legacy systems are not just dust bunnies to be swept away and be replaced by shiny new AI-powered channels. A symptom of dated business models means that many customer touchpoints are independently run across enterprise and even conflict or compete within the customer journey. And many CFOs find it difficult to invest in new technology with lengthy budget cycles, clearly reportable ROI and the risk of disruption to the business standing in the way of agility.

But customers are already digital; brands need to catch up. Businesses must be ‘present’ on their customers’ preferred support channels and respond swiftly, no matter the means customers use to get in touch.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past year or so, you would have noticed how the hype around AI and bots, especially headlines predicting ‘the death of the contact centre’ and how bots will take over our jobs. It has created uncertainty, fear and a frenzy – much like the goldrush – to make organisations experiment with customer engagement through this new channel.

Some believe the overall impact of deploying AI-powered channels in customer support and e-commerce will replace jobs, however real-world cases show how the sensible deployment of conversational AI translates into cost savings, time savings and improved customer experience with minimal demands on IT resources.

As consumers grow more and more comfortable with messaging, AI applications offer the contact centre some dramatic benefits that stretches way beyond chatbots. But for AI to introduce new value and break fresh ground, strategists must take an innovative approach to CX and consider its impact beyond its novelty. Moreover, AI cannot be hampered by legacy views and processes around today’s customer experiences.

Whether you’re a CFO, CMO, CC Manager, CIO, CTO, Customer Experience Officer, Chief of Marketing or Head of Digital, AI represents a golden opportunity to improve and modernise customer experience. And with the right strategy, intelligent CX can thrust businesses on an accelerated maturity path to help digitally transform the organisation with purpose and customer centricity.

Why not view a recording of othis webinar that dives right into the chatbot phenomenon. Leave with actionable ideas on implementing AI-powered customer support with US Practice Managers explaining AI / Virtual Agent strategies for improving top-line growth along with increasing deflection rates and dramatically improving first contact resolution.