Why is the Service in Customer Service Failing?

There’s no denying that customer service can play a huge role in differentiating online businesses. Even with all the self-service options available, Forrester has discovered that 45% of buyers require person-to-person contact.

And yet, according to a recent survey, only 30% of customer service professional think their company provides sufficient resources for them to effectively do their job. Why are we experiencing this glaring chasm that separates the results companies want and the means they are using to get there (or not to get there, as the case appears to be)?

Outdated customer service metrics

To succeed in customer service, you want to get customers answers as quickly as possible. It was from this theory that Average Handle Time (AHT) sprung. Shorter AHT means customers are getting their answers faster, right?

Well, as it turns out, that’s not exactly true. In fact, AHT has achieved the opposite effect as its original intent.

When the goal is to make calls shorter, the question becomes, “How can we get customers off the phone quickly?” The majority of the answers to that question hurt the business:

• Cut customers short
• Don’t take the time to fully answer customers’ questions
• Don’t spend time on additional selling opportunities
• Skip any follow-up
• Transfer questions so you don’t have to have a long conversation with a customer
• Don’t take the time to teach customers how to solve their own problems

There are more answers along those lines, but you get the picture.

The truth of the matter is that it’s time to rethink why businesses even have customer service departments. The goals should be more along the line of making customer experience great,solving customers’ problems, empowering customers with additional knowledge about how to use your solutions, and possibly even upselling your now happy and loyal customers.

There are many metrics that can be used to achieve those goals, including Customer Experience Score (CES), First Call Resolution (FCR) and more. AHT still is valuable from a capacity planning/scheduling perspective, but it needs to be woven in with other KPIs that emphasize customer satisfaction and customer influence.

It’s time for contact centers to make the move to improve customer experience, not simply shove customers off the phone as quickly as possible.

Outdated customer service technology

Contact center technology has changed massively in the past decade. It has become more critical than ever to provide customers a personalized, humanized and seamless experience across multiple channels. No longer is it enough to simply provide a phone number.  Increased online access, social marketing, mobile technology, visual chat and more have to be integrated in a single contact center.

Visual engagement technologies like cobrowsing and screen sharing are effective in creating a one-to-one connection between customer service and customers. In fact, the survey referenced above revealed that:

• 52% of customer service employees that worked for companies who had cobrowsing or screen sharing technologies reported better understanding of customer issues
• Moreover, 38% stated cobrowsing and screen sharing technologies improved customer satisfaction

It’s high time for a change

Introducing change in the contact center is no doubt a challenge. But today’s customers expect a strong customer experience. Staying in the past can hurt profits, loyalty, reputation and more. It’s time to take a step back and revisit your plans and strategies, aligning your business with today’s customers’ requirements.

Are you ready to discover how Glance visual engagement solutions can improve customer engagement and increase sales for your business?

Sign up for your personalized Glance demo today!

About Glance Networks

Glance helps enterprise organizations create the ultimate customer experience with smart, omni-channel visual engagement solutions based around integrated cobrowse, screen share, and one-way agent video. We are one of the world’s simplest, most reliable and secure platforms that enable companies to see, show and share anything online, creating a frictionless path to great experiences in sales, support and customer service. The result is improved customer satisfaction and loyalty, increased revenue growth and operational savings. From financial services and healthcare to retail and travel and leisure, even the most advanced technology and SaaS organizations – we transform the customer experience for today’s business. Learn More »

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