Better customer engagement is a must – what’s your strategy?
In our digitally connected world, we have a wealth of choices as consumers. By the time we reach a buying decision, we’ve done our research, identifying who can provide the best and fastest option with the biggest bang for our buck. Whether making a small personal buying decision or researching enterprise software for a commercial business, if my expectations aren’t met, the next provider is just a click away.
Given this, how can brands differentiate themselves from the competition and capture loyalty? According to the Walker 2020 Customers report, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020.[1] Customer service organizations are well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity by delivering fast, effective, and personalized service that is effortless for the customer. In fact, customer service plays a role in the choice of and loyalty to a brand for 96% of us around the globe, which makes providing exceptional service experiences a top priority for every brand.[2] And as cited in a recent paper from thinkJar, research from Gallup indicates that organizations can expect to see a 23 percent premium in key metrics (revenue, wallet share, profitability, etc.) from their customers who are highly engaged.[3]
What does an effortless customer experience look like? It means:
- Instantly connecting via my channel and device of choice whether that’s a self-service option or an agent assisted experience
- Getting fast, personalized and effective service once I’ve made that connection
- Experiencing consistent service across channels and touch points
- Receiving proactive and predictive service through social channels or my connected device
Delivering personalized, contextual interactions across the customer journey is a strategic imperative. But it’s easier said than done. As a customer, my journey may begin on a support portal where I can view knowledge articles, engage in a forum, read a blog, or chat with an agent. If I decide to pick up the phone, the agent who answers my call needs full visibility into the products or services that I’ve purchased, past cases, and any previous interactions across other channels.
A personalized, contextual interaction may also require information from back-office applications or other third-party data sources. If an agent needs an invoice, for instance, that information should be at their fingertips from that same single interface. To ensure customers have the best possible experience, one that keeps them loyal to your brand, data from any relevant source should be surfaced contextually to the agent – exactly when they need it.
Recent research by thinkJar offers additional insight into creating an effective strategy for better customer engagement. Download Creating Highly Engaged and Satisfied Clients, a free report that discusses:
- The business case for customer engagement
- Strategies for creating an effective engagement model
- Why effective self-service is good for your customers – and for your brand
Of course, customer service organizations also need the right tools to execute their strategy, successfully.
At Microsoft, we help organizations differentiate their brand through intelligent customer service. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Customer Service empowers customers with their choice of self-service options, and provides agents with tools and resources to deliver fast, informed, and effective resolutions. Regardless of engagement channel, customer service organizations are empowered with a single, unified experience, improving customer engagement and agent effectiveness.
Interested in learning more?
thinkJar’s research offers a number of insights to optimize and enhance the way your organization approaches customer service. We encourage you to download the free whitepaper here.
Differentiate your business from the competition and capture loyalty
[2] 2017 State of Global Customer Service Report, Microsoft
