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Like me, you’ve no doubt enjoyed some truly awesome experiences as a customer as well as some you’d rather not remember at all. If you think back to those experiences—good and bad—you’ll very likely find that your communications with the organization in question was central to your experience.
The words people use when they communicate with us as customers, their tone, written or verbal and the channels they use all influence our perception of the experience. And that experience determines how much we’re willing to spend at a business, our recommendations (or lack thereof) to friends, family and colleagues and whether we’ll do business with that organization again.
According to the 2020 Microsoft Global State of Customer Service report,90 percent of customers consider the quality of customer service when deciding whether to remain loyal to a brand. And 58 percent of customers won’t hesitate to end the relationship if their expectations for high-quality customer service aren’t met.
A positive customer experience has an even greater impact on business. A recent Salesforce State of the Connected Customer report says that 92 percent of consumers are more likely to make another purchase after a positive customer experience.
You have the apps needed to meet customer expectations
If you haven’t updated your business communications system with integrated, cloud-based apps for voice, data and video communications and collaboration, now is the time to do that. Without these apps, it will be extremely difficult to deliver experiences that will meet customer expectations and keep them coming back to your business.
While third-party apps are often used as a quick-fix solution for messaging and video communications, they aren’t a long-term solution. There’s simply too much risk these disjointed point solutions will lead to a disjointed customer experience.
When your communications and collaboration apps are seamlessly integrated with your existing communications system, you have many more opportunities to impress customers with your flexibility, responsiveness and commitment to meeting their needs.
Integrated, omnichannel communications let you get personal with customers
In today’s era of digital communications, your customers expect to be able to connect with your business using their preferred channel—whether that’s voice, email, messaging, web chat, social media or video.
While we tend to focus on messaging, chat and social media communications these days, voice and email aren’t going away any time soon. In a recent study of 2,500 business professionals across five countries, 97 percent of respondents said these traditional forms of communications are among the communications methods they use most frequently on a daily basis. And speaking with your customers helps you deliver a more human experience that strengthens the connection and shows you want to engage with them.
The key is to deliver omnichannel communications in a way that allows your teams to smoothly switch between channels as conversations with customers evolve. Maybe a conversation starts with messaging or web chat, but a voice conversation is needed to streamline and accelerate the back and forth. Or maybe you need to spontaneously switch from a voice conversation to a video conversation so customers can show you what they’re talking about.
The only way to seamlessly shift between channels during conversations is to use fully integrated communications and collaboration apps. If you have to stop using one app, then launch a different app to switch to a more appropriate channel for the conversation, there’s a risk the conversation will be dropped. There’s also a risk customers will become frustrated with the experience and abandon the conversation—and your business.
Those Band-Aid Solutions Were Only Temporary Fixes. Discover Why Integrated Communications Are Essential in the New Normal
Connected teams meet customer needs faster
Delivering a great customer experience is a team sport. Whether your staff are on the front line, communicating directly with customers or working behind-the-scenes to support customer-facing colleagues, they all need the ability to instantly communicate, collaborate and share knowledge. With these capabilities, dispersed team members can quickly and easily join forces to meet customer requirements and expectations no matter where they are, or what device they’re using.
While your teams probably aren’t on the road as often as they used to be, they are very likely working from a much wider variety of locations than they were in the past. This fact needs to be completely invisible to customers. No customer wants to hear the phrase, “I’ll have to get back to you on that,” then find themselves having to engage in a subsequent conversation at a later time to get an answer.
When staff can seamlessly connect and collaborate with their co-workers during a conversation with customers, no matter what channel they’re using, your business comes across as more responsive and helpful. This level of integrated team work is only possible if you’re using a single app that provides voice, video, messaging, presence, audio conferencing, mobility and collaboration capabilities.
Happy employees help make happy customers
It’s easy to see how customers can become frustrated when their customer service experience is sub-par. But, it’s equally important to recognize that your staff can also become frustrated if they don’t have the tools and technologies needed to effectively serve and support your customers. They want your business to be successful, and they want to play a role in building that success.
Once again, think back to your own experiences. I’ve certainly spoken to customer service representatives who have expressed their frustration or disappointment at the limited options available to help me get the information or services I needed. You probably have too. In the end, you’re both frustrated and disappointed.
Conversely, I’ve also had experiences with customer service representatives where I’ve thought, “wow, you can do that—awesome.” The person was happy, cheerful and able to make connections across internal departments, and sometimes global geographies, to ensure I received the information I needed and had a great experience.
There’s no question which experience you want your teams to deliver.
Modern communications systems meet modern needs
If you’re using a Mitel MiVoice communications platform, it’s easy to upgrade to a modern communications system that meets modern needs. All of the integrated, cloud-based apps you need to deliver more efficient and helpful customer service experiences are ready and waiting for you.
It’s simply a matter of updating your system to include apps such as Mitel MiTeam Meetings. This integrated solution seamlessly connects to your existing infrastructure and is an ideal replacement for the disjointed third-party apps you may be relying on today.
To learn more about which apps make the most sense for your business and customer service goals, contact your Mitel certified partner.
