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Three Smart CRM Solutions That Your Customers Will Truly Appreciate

Consumers have more choices and a wider range of channels through which they can interact with a company than ever before. They may reach out via voice, text, or social media channels like Twitter. In fact, IBM Retail Research reports that 86% of consumers are using multiple channels.

When customers have a question they simply want an answer using the channel that is most convenient for them at the time. And, increasingly, they expect to start a conversation in one channel and easily continue it in another –without the frustration of having to repeat themselves. When you consider Forrester reports 89% of consumers who experience poor service will leave and do business with the competition instead, organizations need to be able to deliver exceptional, consistent experiences across all channels used by today’s consumers.  

Customers now have all of the world’s information right at their fingertips. Before they call – they’ve most likely tried to solve their issue themselves.  They’ve looked online, visited product forums, used self-service and social media. Contacting the company is the last resort. You need to prepare for a world where your customers are as smart as your best agents. 

Following are three strategies that will help you provide smart solutions from the perspective of your customers: 

Experience Continuity

In the 2014 Aspect Omnibus Survey 68% of consumers said they are annoyed when they have to repeat themselves about the same issue. Today’s consumers will often use multiple self-service channels and, at times, require help from an agent. Experience Continuity ensures that the context and relevant data from prior interactions is available across all touch-points. Examples range from passing data entered in an IVR to an agent to customizing engagements based on an understanding of recent interactions, failed transactions, behaviors and more. 

Experience Continuity is at the core of an omni-channel strategy. Maintaining context will help to personalize your self-service offering, streamline interactions, reduce agent handle times and improve the customer experience.

Make it Mobile

International Data Corporation (IDC) reported that 79 percent of smartphone users have their phone with them for all but two hours of their waking day. And, a full quarter of respondents couldn’t recall a time when their phone wasn’t in the same room with them. Today’s tech-savvy consumers expect service across all mobile-available channels, including voice, text, chat, social, web sites and of course mobile apps.

For most companies, mobile web and mobile native apps are under-optimized, siloed, and disconnected from the contact center, which results in a fragmented customer experience. It is critical that companies think about customer service when building their mobile apps. It can’t be an afterthought. And, the experience for the customer has to be seamless when they end up needing to call into an IVR or talk to an agent for help.

Make it easy for customers to contact your company on their terms. Consider the following ways to make it mobile: 

• Accompany a self-service voice call with a touch-screen menu of options to improve first-call resolution and reduce call times.
• Embed a qualification dialog into an existing mobile customer care app. After answering the questions, the customer receives a callback from an agent who already has screen-pop with all relevant details.
• Embed a chat, audio/video or co-browse widget into an existing website or mobile app, giving customers a way to communicate with an agent without leaving the application.
  
  

Proactive Engagement

Consumers feel more empowered, valued and are more likely to remain loyal customers if companies proactively support and engage them. That means communications are not limited to one-way notifications with no opportunity for consumers to respond. If a bill is past due, provide an opportunity for an immediate secure and authenticated payment. It’s more convenient for your customer – and profitable for your business. Customer outreach must advance desired business outcomes – or why do it? Whether it is reducing the number of incoming inquiries, promoting repeat business, streamlining business processes or collecting feedback, proactive engagement helps to maximize agent productivity, customer satisfaction and contributions to the bottom line. 

Benefits of proactive engagement include:  

• Reach customers with relevant and valuable information on their channel of choice
• Enable customer to take immediate action
• Empower customers to access a live agent when needed
  
  

More than ever, it’s critical for companies to provide customers with intelligent solutions while controlling costs. Simultaneously enhance customer interactions, improve satisfaction and decrease costs – all while staying at the forefront of rapidly evolving technology and ever-changing business requirements. Aspect can help you deliver remarkable customer experiences with intelligent omni-channel self-service, proactive engagement and agent capabilities.  

Learn more at www.aspect.com