What makes the customer service experience memorable? This is a question that all CEOs must ask.
In an increasingly digital and focused in satisfying the customer era, investing in good CX practices is fundamental for companies to become referenced in the subject, retain customers and stand out from the competition.
The success of the customer service depends on exceptional CX
It is not new that the success of the customer service depends on an exceptional CX. According to the “Global Customer Experience Trend Report 2021”, the focus on CX is increasingly essential to ensure successful customer service.
Such a conclusion can be confirmed through the following example: Let´s suppose that a customer had passed through a bad service experience with a determined brand. After long hours in the waiting line to be served, time-consuming responses and unpleasant managers, it is very unlikely that this customer will continue to consume that company’s products or services.
In this scenario, we can say that a great CX results in loyal and satisfied customers and, consequently, brings more revenue to companies. It’s a circular process. When companies invest in CX improving the agent experience, adopting new technologies and putting the customer at the heart of its vision, loyalty increases and translates into better results for organizations.
But what is necessary to become a Customer Experience leader?
To answer this question, the ESG consultancy made an analysis to identify the main characteristics of champions in this area, as well as a guide to best practices that every CEO should follow.
What is the importance of becoming an expert in customer experience?
CX champions stand out from the competition, according to a study
To discover the importance of companies to become references in CX, the ESG has interviewed around 3.250 CEOs, responsible for taking decisions to guarantee and improve the customer experience in their organizations.
These respondents were divided into 4 groups based on one of four stages of maturity in CX: Beginners, Emerging, Advanced and Champions.
Another factor that has also contributed to the classification of respondents, were 7 essential items that make references in Customer Experience stand out from the competition. Are they:
- Services’ team training;
- Maintenance of appropriate levels of staffing;
- Actions based on customers’ feedbacks;
- Visualization and solid data about the service performance and customer support;
- Timeliness of support and service performance data;
- Quality of technological experience offered to service and support teams.
Therefore, the classification of the four maturity groups in CX was as follows:
- Beginners – Companies at risk to be behind the CX standards, 35% of medium and large companies interviewed with three or less points;
- Emerging – Companies that are still gaining ground, constituting 33% of medium and large companies interviewed with 4 to 5 points;
- Advanced – Companies on the path to excellence in CX, comprising 21% of medium and large organizations that achieved six points;
- Champions – Companies that have a well-structured and proud CX operation. Only 12% of medium and large companies interviewed, which reached a total of 7 points.
As it was expected, the survey has proved that the adoption of good practices in customer service is directly related to greater business success and improved metrics.
In relation to the beginners, champions were 2.1 times more likely to accelerate major CX initiatives, such as adopting new channels, focusing on agent experience, and investing in better technologies.
Leaders in CX: What are the benefits for business?
According to the research, CX leaders gain positive results in three main areas:
1. Customer experience
It is not surprising that CX champions are companies that deliver superior customer experiences.
Customer Experience Leaders reduce customer efforts, provide more conversational experiences and interact in more channels than their competitors, increasing the chances of satisfying the customer.
2. Agent experience
CX experts put their agents in the best position for success, providing remote work, full view of customers and easy switching between channels.
3. Businesses operations
The Champions understand that the customer experience is a differential and they invest to accelerate the CX projects in the face of uncertainties.
Besides that, these champions understand the need to daily analyze CX metrics and can quickly increase the number of new agents to obtain better results. It is these results that make mastering CX practices and investing in good customer service so important.
As we mentioned above, there are many other reasons to invest in customer service. However, for the organizations, one of the most convincing, clearly, is the one that gives the best results.
As the ESG survey suggests, CX champions are 2,4 times more likely to claim that their service’s team is profitable. And this is only the advantage, since the support data can be used to increase the sales. In fact, 87% of respondents integrate data from sales support, and 76% report significant impacts: A strategy worth gold.
Guidelines to become a leader in Customer Experience
Below, we highlighted some best practices shared by all champions in CX.
1. Focus in significant interactions
Despite the new era consumers being highly multiconnected and being used to modern technologies, they do not want to be treated like just a number. Increasingly, they are looking for a humanized and personalized service.
In this scenario, CX leaders understand that investing in technologies with a humanized approach and that provides real-time customer data like the URA, for example, is increasingly important for a personalized, agile and effective service.
The ESG survey has concluded that almost all CX champions interviewed (97%) are focused on transforming commercial relationships with customers into interactive and conversational experiences for building relationships. In addition, these champions are 9,7 times more likely to have a broad view of customer needs, as they integrate into their system tools that generate insights and store the history of previous conversations.
A good conversational experience transmits empathy, creates relationships and provides productive interactions between agents and customers. Therefore, it is possible to offer to the customers a better and more personalized service.
2. Give bigger relevance to the conversations
The conversations are the future of customer service and it is necessary to be present at the relationship channels that the customers are. The references in Customer Experience understand the importance of this digital presence, and, increasingly, invest in digital and integrated channels, such as chats, social networks and messaging applications.
According to the survey, this digital presence started to be even more important during the coronavirus pandemic context. Messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, are convenient, scalable and easily customizable. Not to mention that, thanks to them, it is possible to communicate with clients and companies from all over the world.
Surveys revealed that WhatsApp use has increased more than 100% since the coronavirus outbreak. It is worth remembering, yet, that 76% of Brazilians prefer to contact companies through the messaging app.
The tendency, according to the ESG survey, is that these channels will be used even more in the future, even though traditional support channels such as email and telephone will continue to exist.
The CX champions have already noticed this a long time ago and are 2,7 times more likely to expand customer relationship channels.
3. Do no measure efforts to reduce frictions
According to experts, customer service interactions shouldn´t be so difficult for customers.
According to these professionals, customers know what a good service is and their frustration lasts until they go through the “exit door”.
ESG’s CX maturity survey identifies some proven ways to reduce friction.
Add and manage customer support channels
Although it is extremely important for a company to be flexible and provide different channels for contact, it is important to remember that customer preferences change over time.
Therefore, it is necessary that companies anticipate these changes in their ways to interact with customers so the support teams are better positioned to provide services in the future.
An excellent option to anticipate these changes is investing in solutions with workforce engagement management metrics, such as a Workforce Management (WFM) platform. Integrating leaders and support teams, the solution can help CEOs to manage and preview the channel volume in relation to teams’ needs, schedule the appropriate number of workers to complete a given task, measure team performance, and provide feedback and incentives to each team member.
Reduce reaction time (FRT)
The reaction time says about the time needed for a company to answer a customer support request. Here, we exclude the automatic responses.
According to the ESG survey, the group of respondents classified as beginners had a longer reaction time than champions, with an average of more than three hours. The champions, who demonstrated investing more in CX, reduced reaction time by 43%.
To help reduce the reaction time, omnichannel and integrated tools like the URA, can be an excellent option.
Make your problem resolution as fast as possible
The total resolution time is calculated from the moment that the customer makes a question, by email, message or form. Some channels are faster than others, but from the moment companies make contact with the customer, time starts to run. The champions solve the customers ‘problems 53% faster than the beginners, resolving 84% of tickets in one-time interactions.
Focus in the customer
Experts claimed that the focus in the customer consists, literally, in prioritizing the customer in all that is done.
Evolving to meet customer needs, investing in relevant technologies, and making customer service essential are qualities of customer focus that set champions apart from the rest.
80% of the champions consider their support organization a competitive differential, not a source of expenses. They offer more channels, shorter reaction times and are 9.6 times more likely to exceed satisfaction targets.
Increase the CX investment
Here, we are not talking about a simulation, but the practice.
Champions in CX spend more on customer experience initiatives and at a much faster rate than competitors.
In fact, the survey had concluded that among the champions, the probability that they have increased their investment in the client is 7.6 times greater. Most beginners have kept the same or reduced their investment in CX.
To invest more in support, tools and modern channels and even in agents, the champions are receiving the rewards. It is more likely that most of them have a very positive return on investment (ROI). This positive ROI is proof that CX champions do better than their competitors.
Besides that, the champions are also 2.4 times more likely to say that the service and the support are a source of profit, not a cost, and are 3 times more likely to have increased their customer base in the past six months. Most organizations, and especially the ones with a high level of maturity, started to invest in CX, despite business uncertainties. Sectors like retail, travel and technology have changed dramatically in the past year, not to mention changes in personal lives. The innovation in CX is essential to competitive success. Be where the customers are, now or in the future.
DNK is number one in digital solutions focused in CX for call centers and contact centers
Aligned with the market trends and needs, DNK offers the best solutions for Call Centers and Contact Centers, being specialized in the development of high-performance products, solutions and services for companies in the area.
The use of last generation technology combined with a team of experienced professionals, leads DNK to constantly innovate to transform the experience of customers and partners with their consumers.
DNK values excellence in customer service providing their partners tools and platforms with innovative and customizable functions in order to guarantee a satisfying and unforgettable CX.
DNK’s solutions are intelligent and provide real-time performance reports, which helps leaders and operators to analyze KPIs and identify possible optimizations in the customer service.
In addition, DNK constantly realizes satisfaction surveys to be always improving their service, based on his client’s opinions.
With DNK’s services and products, the customer service is provided through an integrated omnichannel platform, which connects all service channels (WhatsApp, voice, web, chat and others) with fast recovery of client’s information and data, in order to offer a complete and satisfactory management of the client journey with differentiated results and in compliance with the standards required by the LGPD.
The company is recognized by the market and awarded for solutions and successful cases. Champion of the “Best self-service Solution” category in the XXI Modern Consumer Award and winner of the silver trophy in Client SA 2020 Award in the category “Leader in Innovation Strategy”, in partnership with a client, DNK understands that a well-attended customer is the secret for the successful of the service.
DNK and Infobip bring together CEOs and market professionals to discuss CX and service at a special event
Understanding the importance of a good service to the business success, DNK, in partnership with Infobip, conducted, on the last November 24, a special day to discuss how the customer experience impacts the businesses.
The event, performed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, in São Paulo, complied with all security protocols and brought together experts and leaders (CEOs and executive directors) ahead of renowned companies.
On the stage, experts like Antimo Gentile, Felipe Salgado, Silvia Goldman Ber Kapel, Dr. Luiz Augusto Filizzola D’urso and Hilda de Tanure shared good practices to become a leader in CX and ensure the confidentiality of customer data, in addition to successful cases recognized and awarded by the national market.
“Discussing the consumer experience theme is fundamental nowadays. It is increasingly necessary that companies understand the importance of offering a positive experience to the consumer, because it is this experience, together with a good service that will dictate the business success. DNK and Infobip teams are really happy to be joining clients and professionals at a special event to present successful cases achieved thanks to the customer service solutions offered by the two companies”, celebrated the CEO of DNK Infotelecom, Ântimo Gentile.
Ending the day properly, the guests were surprised by the presence of the professor and historian, Leandro Karnal, who shared his vision about the changes in the consumer’s behavior. In addition, two lucky ones were drawn to meet the Infobip campus, in Croatia. It was a success!
