Jeff Bezos, founder of digital titan Amazon, once said, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.” That statement could not have been better said. What might have worked in the past certainly would not cut it in the present, much less the future.

Expectations of customers, or simply customer expectations, have risen at an astronomical rate through the years. Decades have since passed since the average customer’s only expectation is to get a bargain from a product or service. E-commerce was an alien concept back then and brick-and-mortar stores was all there is to the economy. The expectation today is to be much more personal — personalized customer service — and efficiency.    

What about Call/Contact Centers?

To add to the above statement, technology was not as developed as it is today, obviously. Instead of the plethora of communication channels we enjoy today, landline was relied on to call for support. It was the landline where customers “fell in line” to have an issue resolved. 

But nowadays, everything is more advanced — all for the modern customer’s satisfaction. Contact centers of today, in particular, know the implication of prioritizing the customer and providing them with excellent service by adopting a customer-centric approach. And, 101 times out of 100, this approach translates into positive results. 

Below, we will talk about things to consider for a more customer-centric approach in contact centers.

Easily accessible and reachable with seamless experience and for support 

There are many different channels now available for communication — widely known by many. Websites, mobile phone apps, SMS, e-mail and social media are famous and usually-examples. And, they are all accessed through the modern devices such as mobile phones, computers and laptops. With the pandemic still here, that resulted in the “new normal”, these platforms are an effective substitute to book a product or service. This means that wherever customers go, they have the means to reach a business’s site. 

A business’s contact center must have multiple channels for customers to access. And, those channels must be integrated to provide a seamless experience without a hitch. Nowadays, the omnichannel approach perfectly gels the perfectly-implemented channels that provides consistency when customers shop. Whether they shop online from a personal computer, laptop, mobile phone, telephone or in brick-and-mortar stores, experience will be seamless. 

On the other hand, remember that no business is perfect and their product or service might not do its job and right, prompting support. Whatever the reason it is they contacted for, there is no better time to assist them than now. Customers want everything handed to them instantly — quite busy, some impatient and all expecting the best from businesses. Time is of the essence when it comes to customer service. This simply means for businesses to be there for customers anytime, anywhere while providing what they customers need swiftly.

Chatbots are particularly helpful to contact centers and customers alike. They can deal with customers at any given time of the day who asks FAQs — with human intervention when needed.   

Not thinking of a customer-centric approach in contact centers as a choice

At this point in time, think of a customer-centric approach being a requirement instead of a choice to succeed. As mentioned above, gone are the days when customers only think of getting a bargain to stay loyal to a company or business. Back then, they only thought of changing from one business to another as a hassle. It is important to know that devices back then are not as advanced as they are now. A customer can’t just get his or her mobile phone out of his or her pocket anywhere and inquire with businesses. Customers have to out of their way and call for support through landline or even go to the business establishment.

That would surely not work nowadays. 

Final points

Remember that customer feedback is also important to measure customer-centric approach success. Monitoring success is vital and can be used as a reference to either maintain or improve processes that involve catering to customer needs.  

It is best to have a team that monitors, analyzes and implements based on customer feedback. Additionally, they should use prominent channels such as the web or social media to gather immediate responses. Finally, businesses should have the latest tools that can gather information about customer feedback. 

Tegsoft: communication software to make you happy

A customer-centric approach in contact centers need the best software technology to work.
Tegsoft is a well-designed platform capable of helping companies provide the best customer experience. This can truly help in establishing good to great call or contact centers capable of almost everything it intends to do!
As call or contact centers continue to improve, so does Tegsoft’s technology. Contact us to learn more.

Reference/s:

https://www.icmi.com/resources/2020/being-customer-centric-is-a-requirement-not-an-option
 
https://www.talkdesk.com/blog/7-essentials-of-a-customer-centric-call-center/