What’s the Best Channel for Communicating With Customers? Part 2
In part one of this two-part series, I analyzed the best way for retailers to communicate with their customers. This subject was prompted by STELLAService's research, which revealed that when customers emailed 25 of the largest American retailers, they only got a complete answer 54 percent of the time.
In this follow-up article, I look at voice, social media and mobile support as customer service channels and the benefits of using each.
Voice Support
I'll start with the telephone, the longest-standing way to communicate with customers. Voice remains popular for the following reasons:
- People like the "human touch." People like to speak to other people; it makes them feel valued.
- It's immediate. Voice offers an immediate channel to the company, so issues can be resolved quickly.
- It's convenient. Most people own a telephone (either home or mobile).
- It's expected. Consumers expect retailers to offer customer service via the phone.
Despite its longevity, voice as a customer service channel does have some drawbacks. For example, when a company is experiencing high call volumes (e.g., following an incident), customers tend to get frustrated when kept on hold.
Then there's the dreaded "press one for" menu system (also known as the interactive voice response menu, or IVR for short). All companies should make a real effort to streamline this menu to ensure customers can make quick, clear selections to reach the person or department they want.
When customers do reach the right customer service representative (CSR), the CSR needs to be empowered to deal with telephone inquiries immediately. Customers don't like to be passed between multiple departments in a contact center. The more efficiently questions are dealt with, the better.
Social Media Support
A recent whitepaper from TELUS International shows that customers are increasingly asking questions via social networks, opening a back door into customer service. This communications channel is known as 'social care' and it has numerous benefits:
- It feels like the whole world is listening. When a customer voices a complaint or asks for help, help comes from all corners.
- Responses are immediate. When people have a problem, they ask a friend. Social networks have become that friend (multiplied) and answers or suggestions are readily available.
- It's easy. Social networks are the norm nowadays with Millenials, with Facebook the most popular of the networks. It's simply convenient for this generation of consumers to use.
The ease with which customers can draw attention to their issues online is forcing companies to continue to formalize their social care strategy. The number of conversations can seem overwhelming, but technology allows posts to be ranked based on relevance, urgency and influence to help CSRs prioritize their workload.
The downside of social media support? For customers, it's frustrating when their questions go ignored. Retailers developing a social care program will benefit from increased brand loyalty, higher conversions rates and greater customer retention levels while those ignoring the changing communication landscape may notice a dip in satisfaction levels and risk public backlash via these same social channels.
Texting and Mobile Support
Texting and mobile apps are the next 'paradigm shift' to consider in customer service. The benefits of the mobile channel for customers include the following:
- flexibility: People can ask questions whenever, wherever and however they like.
- affordability: Many consumers have unlimited text messages or large data packages as part of their mobile contract, making this a preferred channel for them.
The difficulty of mobile as a customer service channel arises when the question or answer is too long or complex for texting or mobile apps to handle. Gently moving the customer to a more suitable communication channel and/or platform is critical in this situation.
Customers are also expecting retailers to have mobile apps which go beyond product information and store location features. Incorporating mobile support into these apps will be required for today's on-the-go consumers.
Final Word
In the end, customers are looking for the same thing when interacting with retailers in all channels: complete answers delivered in the fastest and most convenient method possible. Retailers can use these channels to better anticipate customers’ questions, build readily available FAQs and proactively address customer inquiries via these multiple support channels.
By understanding and reacting to the changing communications landscape, and understanding the options available to communicate with customers, retailers can maximize their customer experience efforts — and today's happy customers can tell the whole world.
Al Rose is the vice president of retail and internet properties at TELUS International, a provider of contact center outsourcing solutions to global clients.
- Places:
- Canada