In this context, the customer experience becomes a key factor in the purchasing decision: It is not just a matter of having a superior product or service, but of achieving customers satisfaction in their interactions with the company. And for that, companies must know how to properly communicate.
In addition, companies today must be present in various communication channels (social media, telephone, email…) and at the same time provide an excellent, consistent, and seamless service in each of them. In other words, we have moved from a multichannel to an omnichannel customer communications approach.
One of the secrets to improving customer communications lies in mastering the omnichannel experience, which is extremely important in modern customer service management. Here are four reasons why the omnichannel experience is so relevant.
Four reasons why the omnichannel lens is important
- Customer expectations: Customers expect to be able to interact with companies on the channel of their choice, whether it is a physical store, a website, a mobile app, via email, social media, etc. They also expect these interactions to be consistent and to be able to move from one channel to another smoothly.
- Increased satisfaction and loyalty: When customers have a positive experience across channels, they are more likely to be satisfied and become loyal customers.
- More sales opportunities: A good omnichannel strategy allows interacting with customers at multiple touch points, which can increase sales opportunities and conversion. For example, a customer might discover a product on social media, research it on a website, and finally buy it at a physical store.
- Data collection and customization: Omnichannel strategies help collect data across channels to better understand customers and personalize their experience based on their behaviors and preferences.
In this paradigm shift, companies must constantly ask themselves how to improve customer communication and what steps to take at any given moment. The key to improving customer communication lies in considering users’ new needs and finding ways to meet them, supported by CRM and CCM (Customer Communications Management) software.
Six keys to improving customer communications
1. Proactive listening and empathy
Proactivity requires companies themselves to take the first step and anticipate potential customer needs or problems. Gone are the days of reactive approaches in which companies simply solved customer problems. Now it is a matter of anticipating and preventing them.
To do this, conversations must be started with customers and active listening must be practiced to detect potential needs, concerns, and improvements. This can be done through advanced technological CCM tools, such as automating the sending of surveys or installing a chatbot in the user’s preferred language.
Customers should notice that the agents do not just do enough to get by, but that they really understand them and know how to put themselves in their shoes to find an effective solution.
2. Choosing the right channels
Technological advances have multiplied communication channels between customers and companies. In fact, there are so many channels nowadays that it is difficult for companies to fine-tune their approach and choose the ones that suit them best.
Although there are many channels, companies do not necessarily have to be present in all of them: They should analyze which ones are being used by their target audience and enhance their presence in all of them, whether there are many or few.
Some companies will benefit from implementing a chatbot on WhatsApp and others on Facebook Messenger. In any case, it is a matter of providing quality service in all the chosen channels and supporting CCM software, implementing an omnichannel strategy that achieves customer satisfaction.
3. Consistency and transparency
In a market as saturated and competitive as today’s, customers are looking for brands whose communication fits not only their needs but also their values. Once active listening to customers has been applied, it is essential to develop a customer communications strategy that is consistent with brand values and transparent, without contradictions. In this way, companies gain customer trust and loyalty.
4. Speed
According to the latest research, 71% of consumers believe that a quick (if not instantaneous) response from customer service teams drastically improves their experience.
5. Customization
Today’s customers have become very demanding and expect personalized product and service offerings. This makes them feel that the company knows them and knows what they are looking for and need.
Technological solutions such as Customer Communications Management software and chatbots facilitate this customization process: equipped with the right conversational script, they are able to serve customers in a personalized and automatic way, thus freeing human agents from repetitive tasks.
6. Monitoring
There is no point in setting objectives that cannot be measured. What is not measured is not done. Therefore, improving user satisfaction involves maintaining continuous improvement processes, monitoring conversations and customer service results, and implementing the necessary changes.
The chatbot: one of the keys to improving customer communications and support
If there is a protagonist that has clearly gained ground in recent years in the customer service area, it has been the chatbot, so it deserves its own section.
The direct and instant messages offered by chatbots allow users’ questions or needs to be resolved quickly. It is estimated that 37% of people who use a customer service chatbot do so to get a quick response in case of an emergency.
In addition, chatbots allow listening to and tracking conversations with customers to obtain valuable information for companies. It is a key tool for developing any omnichannel strategy and delivering a consistent user experience.
The numbers speak for themselves. The chatbot market was valued at around $17 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $102 billion by 2026, representing a CAGR of 34.75% over that forecast period.
These virtual assistants are becoming increasingly sophisticated due to the development of deep neural networks, machine learning and other advances related to artificial intelligence.
Moreover, their use has become widespread, and they are already present in various sectors such as retail, healthcare, banking, and financial services. It is precisely the banking sector that has broken through and has been one of the first to adopt new technologies. Chatbots in this sector facilitate communication and build a relationship with customers through cognitive analyses by learning how they think for providing an instant response.
But let’s not forget: Behind a chatbot there is always a human being who nurtures, trains, and manages it. This is about forming tandems and technology enhancing human skills. Additionally, chatbots are only one of the technologies in a complete customer communications process and should be closely integrated with other applications like CCM and advanced CCM software solutions.
About DocPath
DocPath is a leading enterprise document software company that offers its international customers the technology that allows them to complement their ERP and implement advanced Document Output Management, Customer Communications Management and document software pooling processes.
Founded in 1993, DocPath is based in Europe, USA and Latin America and is present with its Solutions in companies around the world. Among its customers there are prestigious banks and top-tier corporations, facilitating the difficult and complex task of designing, generating and distributing their business-critical documents. DocPath keeps a strong commitment to R+D+i, an area to which it allocates a large part of its revenues, and in which lies one of the keys to its success.
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