Customer Care

Redefining Customer Experience in the Modern Context

Businesses have been exposed to the challenges and opportunities of online buying for the last 15 years. However, the market has experienced a series of drastic and unprecedented changes along the way. So, how has this impacted Customer Experience and the way we deliver it? By being in tune with the changing consumer needs, especially during the pandemic, companies continue to reinvent and redefine customer experience, to stay relevant and on top of their game.

That which seemed like a luxury a decade ago, today is a casual expectation.

But how do we know what those things are?

As market experts, research companies and enterprises gather findings and consolidate their data, it helps the entire CX sector to evolve and improve. As a business owner or manager in today’s times, your job is to stay informed of industry standards, tools and technologies, to in the least, stay competitive and at most, overtake other players in your sector.

Let’s analyze how Customer Experience has evolved and what the modern trends are, compared to earlier qualities, in the past years.

CX – Then & Now

It began with infusing efficiency and engagement via websites and UI’s while collecting customer data, but unfortunately, not utilising it to the max. Customer communication was yet not a priority while business decisions were being made without taking into consideration the entire customer journey or the sum total of every customer interaction. It begins with advertising, the buyer’s research, purchase elements, and includes customer care, delivery and after sales.

Another issue we noticed was spamming all customers with the same offer-based or discount emails, with zero personalisation. This still occurs today. Other brands are limited due to their inability to communicate with their customers over multiple channels.

Today, we know it’s about more than making a sale. Customer interactions are just as important and if you want a more holistic and true picture of a customer, you need to track across all channels.

Personalisation is Key

The modern consumer prefers to be treated like an individual rather than one of the masses. Plus, due to an overload of business-related emails, whatsapp and sms, non personalised information tends to get discarded or ignored.

If you wish for your business communication to stand out, understand each customer or customer group and speak directly to them. Don’t generalise.

The earlier siloed systems that saw each customer interaction in isolation are today considered to be dated and inaccurate. They do not offer the big picture and restrict the ability to personalise.

Also, customer likes, dislikes and preferences rarely stay the same.

Hence, real-time customer communication via a unified omnichannel platform is the way to go. This technology is backed by AI and Machine Learning programs that take CX to the next level, by preempting, predicting and getting proactive. Knowing what your customers want and giving it to them before they ask, is the epitome of personalisation in today’s age. If you take too long to understand your customers, it’s likely that by the time you do, they have changed in some way or the other!

The Pandemic Effect

The changes that the pandemic introduced to us are expected to last long after it.

Here are some of them:

Health Features

Consumers today are drawn to health, safety and sanitary features. These can be applied to a variety of products in the Travel, Tourism, Hospitality, F&B, Beauty, Fitness and Wellness markets, among others.

They call it a ‘health economy’ and by injecting healthy messaging and features into your products or services, you can elevate your offerings to match the current temperament.

Chatbots and Voice Assistants

Automation is one element that has moved from the ‘luxury list’ to the essential one. When automation is applied to customer interactions, it makes life smooth, simple and easy.

Even with a wide range of channels available, the most preferred modes of communication continue to be audio calling and chat, across almost all age groups. Clear, stable and professional audio or tele calling is the need of this particular hour. The good news is that outsourcing this function to a professional voice assistant team and installing an AI + Human Chat system could be enough to launch your customer support program towards new and improved customer experience.

Self-reliant and Automated

The WFH percentage of consumers that will continue to operate from their residences, have shown a propensity towards digital purchasing and payment. A system that enables quick and simplified onboarding, purchase and knowledge resources such as tutorials, blogs and FAQs is one that will work well with this group.

Automated customer service functions that do not require to get in touch with a customer support agent, raise a ticket nor make a fuss, is the modern preference for the ‘new normal’ consumer.

Important of CX in the modern context

A happy customer will share his experience with, on average, around 9 people but an angry customer will talk about it with at least 15 people. A customer these days is likely to leave or desert a brand, let alone their cart (!), after just one bad experience, even if they’ve been associated with the brand for years.

That’s why businesses need to continue to stay agile, adapt and stay in tune with the modern consumer. Once you are certain that your product or service is relevant and useful in today’s market, customer experience could be the only differentiator in this dynamic and highly competitive environment.

If you require guidance on how to improve your CX, contact us today!