We do a lot of customer surveys. Time and again, we find that despite all the options available, organisations have no idea what customers contact us about. Of course, call topics are logged, but what is the customer really calling about? Based on our years of experience, we give you 5 customer experience tips. You can read exactly what customer experience is here!
Our studies show that up to 50% of all contacts that take place at the initiative of (potential) customers are avoidable. You read that right up to 1 in 2 calls, emails or chats can be avoided. Here are 5 tips to increase your customer experience and reduce your costs:
A common pitfall for organisations is assuming they know what is best for their customers. Instead, it is essential to actually consult the customer and ask about their wants and needs. This inverse approach, from the outside in, can lead to deeper insights and better solutions that truly match what the customer wants. By proactively collecting feedback and listening to the voice of the customer, organisations can continuously adapt and improve their products and services. This often provides surprising insights and a clear direction in possible improvements that can be realised.
An effective customer contact strategy starts with a clear understanding of the role customer contact plays within the organisation. What are the strategic objectives and how does customer contact fit into these? By answering these questions, organisations can formulate the right tactical and operational objectives to provide a consistent and targeted customer experience. Whether aiming for valuable customer relationships, minimising costs or seizing commercial opportunities, a well-thought-out customer contact strategy is the key to success. Read more about what a customer contact strategy is here. We even have a sample customer contact strategy free available!
Many avoidable contacts result from internal processes that are not aligned with customer needs. To remedy this, it is crucial to look at all processes through the end-user's eyes and design them accordingly. When redesigning processes, always start with customer input. Identify where things are going wrong in the current process and how these processes can be adjusted to better meet customer expectations. By customer focus integrate into all aspects of business operations, organisations can offer a seamless and enjoyable experience to their customers.
A common misconception is that a high percentage of 'first-time fix' means that customer contact is handled effectively. However, even a high percentage can mask hidden inefficiencies. It is essential to delve deeper into the reasons why some calls are not resolved immediately and find ways to avoid this. By aiming for a higher first-time fix rate, organisations can not only increase customer satisfaction, but also improve operational efficiency and reduce costs.
Customer feedback should play a central role in shaping and adapting business processes. By establishing a feedback loop and regularly evaluating how well customer expectations are being met, organisations can continuously strive to improve. This means not only collecting feedback, but also actively listening to what customers have to say and turning those insights into concrete actions. By putting the customer at the centre of everything they do, organisations can gain a sustainable competitive advantage and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement.
Customer experience tips in particular revolve around aligning internal business processes with the needs of your customers. Minimising customer contact and improving customer experience are two sides of the same coin. By applying the right strategies, organisations can not only reduce costs, but also strengthen customer loyalty and build a positive reputation. By proactively integrating the voice of the customer into all aspects of business operations, organisations can gain a sustainable competitive advantage and foster a culture of customer centricity.
We are SpangenbergGroup! And we can help you make your customer service a good customer service to make. Just good customer service where the basics are in order. Where customer contacts add value to the customer experience. We unburden you in the area we are good at (customer service) so you can concentrate worry-free on what you're good at. Sound good? Get in touch.
With over 25 years of experience in optimising customer contact and customer experience SpangenbergGroup can help you. The optimise customer service or outsource? Use the form or see our contact page.
Also with other questions about customer contact and customer service you can always contact with us!
Get in touch, we'd love to check it out with you!
