Customer experience is important to every industry, but particularly vital for retail. Fierce competition, exacerbated by the rise of ecommerce, means it is increasingly important for retail companies to differentiate themselves. And with many stores often selling the same products, customer experience is a more appealing way of differentiating than competing on price...
Research shows that 82% of consumers say they’ll switch to a rival if a mistake made at one of these touchpoints* is not addressed. It is easy to see why businesses focus on making every interaction as seamless and high quality as possible.However, a new report by consultants McKinsey points out the downsides of focusing solely on individual touchpoints rather than also...
For the majority of consumers digital channels, such as the web and email, are now the default method of researching and buying insurance. This is driving major change in the market, as forward-looking businesses invest in the digital customer experience.
Given the complexity of business today and the rising expectations of consumers, most organizations will be on the receiving end of customer complaints. It could be down to a problem with an order, overcharging, or a complete failure to provide services, such as when a telco’s network goes down.What all of these examples have in common is that it will be the customer service team.
In today’s fast changing world consumer expectations are continually rising. This means that delivering the right levels of customer satisfaction is a journey not a destination. Companies have to keep investing in improving the service and experience they offer if consumers are to remain satisfied. It seems that these investments are beginning to pay off...
Email has been a mainstay of customer service since its inception, providing a digital alternative to the telephone for consumers. Despite the growth of other digital channels, such as social media and chat, it continues to thrive – 69% of people still want to contact companies through email, according to Forrester. In some sectors (such as retail), ...
In 2015 the US Census Bureau reported that Millennials outnumbered Baby Boomers for the first time, meaning they now make up a quarter of the population. Here’s the breakdown: 1 million Millennials (born 1982-2000), 66 million Generation X (born 1965-1982), 4 million Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964). We’re currently at a tipping point, as more and more Millennials...
20 years ago customer service existed in a world dominated by voice, hence the widespread reliance on call centers to manage customer service interactions. Things have obviously moved on since then as email, and more recently digital channels such as social media and chat, have become a regular part of managing customer service delivery. Call centers have now evolved into...
Since the days of coaching inns, providers of accommodation have had to focus on delivering the right customer experience to their guests. Constant competition and travelers sharing their feedback with those they encountered meant that inns could quickly gain a good reputation – or lose it just as swiftly if standards slipped.Today, the customer experience is even more vital...
All brands should now understand the importance of social media to customer service. For example, over two thirds (67%) of consumers say they’ve used social media for customer service, rather than phoning or visiting a company website, according to research from J.D. Power. Over 1 million people view tweets about customer service every week. However, many companies are still...