The type of experience today’s customers are looking for is complex. You only need to look at chatbots to see that. Once cited as the ‘next big thing’ in customer service, according to PWC today, 59 per cent of all consumers feel companies have lost touch with the human element of customer experience and 78 per cent of UK consumers want more human interaction. The bottom line is that the majority of customers would still rather interact with a real person.
What do customers want?
According to the 2018 Customer Experience Market Study, two of the most important aspects in customer service are speed and personalisation, and those are two areas where we can make changes to improve the experience by using VoIP.
“VoIP phone system technology...holds the potential
to completely overhaul the customer service
industry this year”
The Federation of Small Businesses confirms that more than half of SMEs use VoIP systems to boost their communications. But just how many are using this technology to bridge the gap between what today’s customers are looking for and what type of experience the business is able to provide for them?
Development of VoIP phone system technology — and certainly the potential developments possible with the widespread adoption of new, advanced, technologies — holds the potential to completely overhaul the customer service industry this year, offering businesses new opportunities to meet customer needs.
First, let’s look at the growing desire for personalisation. It has long been a significant consideration in marketing, and it’s slowly but surely expanding into other areas of business. Customers want to be able to reach someone with knowledge of their account at any time, anywhere. And possible integration with an existing CRM ensures that each rep, no matter where they are, has access to essential caller information that will help them to provide this personalised experience they crave.
“66 per cent of customers will switch
companies because of poor customer service”
And how about speed? Today’s customers value instant gratification. Remember ‘28 day delivery’? That is truly a thing of the past. Today, we can order something online and have it on our doorstep the next day, or even within just a few hours.
Customers are accustomed to having what they need at their fingertips; they’re growing more and more used to supreme speediness. And that’s again an area where VoIP could transform the industry this year. For instance, advancing VoIP technology can support calls being answered and managed ever more efficiently.
Answer every call
VoIP enables your business to efficiently answer every call, and with Accenture reporting 66 per cent of customers will switch companies because of poor customer service, efficiently answering customer service calls has never been more important. Advanced call routing options allow your staff several ways to answer, while ‘follow me’ call control stops the problem of calls ringing at an empty desk, ensuring customers are never left waiting around.
“VoIP enables your business to efficiently
answer every call”
Gain competitive advantage – solve issues faster
Harvard Business Review reports that 62 per cent of B2B customers have to repeatedly contact a company to resolve an issue. Accenture says that 89 per cent of customers get frustrated because they need to repeat their issues to multiple representatives. By being able to efficiently route service calls to the right team, your business will provide more efficient customer service than the majority of businesses. You can resolve problems faster and delight more of your customers.
2019 is just the start of the customer service industry revolution. The scheduled rollout of 5G within the next 12 months will improve the speed and quality of VoIP systems, and with integrated technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) being improved on, the potential of VoIP is truly endless. That’s why InformationWeek reports that 70 per cent of businesses said they have already deployed VoIP technology, or plan to do so in the near future.