The Top 3 Traits Every Successful Customer Experience Team Needs to Have

3 min read

February 13, 2023

These days it takes as much (if not more) effort to keep an existing customer as it does to gain a new one. About half of customers report they would switch to a different brand after just one negative customer service interaction, according to findings from Zendesk.

Yet, it’s more challenging than ever for organizations to deliver an exceptional customer experience. The past several years underscored the importance of adaptability. Our world is amid a significant transition, and people’s needs and wants are shifting. As a result, organizations must constantly improve their customer and employee experiences. For instance, since the pandemic, 69 percent of customers believe companies should offer new ways to get existing products and services.

Previously, we discussed how businesses could optimize customer and employee experiences by providing the three Cs of Context, Collaboration, and Control. Both groups expect all three whenever they interact with your company. Still, organizations can meet evolving expectations. By adopting three attributes – Agility, Autonomy, and Alignment – you can empower your CX teams to go the extra mile consistently.

With the three As, your CX team has a new mnemonic to help them steer decision-making and pivot faster.

1. Agility, for All Ways

An atmosphere of rapid change requires agility to respond in a meaningful way. When was the last time you talked on your smartphone and didn’t simultaneously use it to do something else? Whether confirming an order history, checking your calendar, or messaging a colleague, the difference between the apps you keep and the apps you delete is convenient.

With all this in mind, employees need agile technology to meet the expectations of today’s customers. It’s all about the omnichannel experience. Transitions from face-to-face interaction to digital formats like email, online chat, voice, SMS messaging, and social media must feel seamless. The right communications platform will enable this from a single intuitive interface.

Not only do customers want a seamless omnichannel experience, but they also want their questions answered fast. Technology like unified cloud communications gives employees access to the data they need anytime, anywhere. Just think about how much faster a customer service agent can respond when they have immediate access to the customer’s order history, call history, and order status. And if they don’t have all the information they need, an agent can use presence status to see who’s available to help and reach out in one simple click.

Customers have many options, which means businesses vying for their loyalty must deliver an exceptional experience. Equipping your customer service team with agile technology empowers them to provide stand-out service.

2. Autonomy, for Every Individual

Everyone has a unique way of achieving a given objective. Rather than pigeonholing customers and employees into following a particular path during brand interactions, successful businesses offer technology with choices. Half of the customers have reevaluated their purchasing motivations due to the pandemic. Options are a priority, and customers are willing to pay more. They’re prepared to take their business elsewhere if their preferences aren't met.

Meanwhile, today’s employees are scrambling to pivot as customer behaviors change. A static script will only set them back in such a dynamic environment. Employees need the autonomy to adjust if they want to meet customers where they are. The right tools can empower CX teams to adapt workflows as needed and optimize marketing lifecycles to meet fast-changing demands. And when data is well-integrated into their communications solutions, they can make intelligent decisions to improve customer retention.

The right technology makes all this not only possible but – gasp – enjoyable. For example, in a multi-channel contact center, employees are more likely to achieve optimal performance when they have the following:

Easy access to analytics from customer survey data and call recordings
Self-guided tools for learning
On-demand coaching

When employees can set the pace, they’re empowered to serve customers in a more personalized, frictionless manner, perform at a higher level, and feel better about the entire process. When your CX team is happier, they’re more likely to deliver memorable service and impart that feeling to your customers. In turn, more satisfied customers are more likely to spread the word. Now you’ve got a recipe for growth in organic brand (and revenue).

Build Long-term Loyalty with Customers and Employees. Learn what tech you need to make it happen. >

3. Alignment, for a Strategic Alliance

Getting and keeping your people on the same page is crucial to accomplishing organizational goals – big and small. When you align everyone, you can achieve those goals faster and better. The name of the game is strategy.

Consider this: 20 percent of contact center interactions require collaboration with general business staff. Regardless of whether employees are on the customer service team, they still need to be on the same page regarding how they engage with customers. If not, there’s a substantial risk of less than outstanding service. Twenty percent is significant when you consider the value customers place on the quality of their interactions with employees. If it’s not exceptional, they’re out the door.

So how will you ensure every department employee has the correct information and can effectively support each other? Communications and collaboration solutions with options for convenient phone and video conferencing and instant online chat make it effortless for employees to work together to give customers consistently positive experiences.

When the necessary actions are easy, the objectives are more likely to be attained. Translation? Your customer base will grow when employees have the tools to cultivate and cater to their needs and wants. The right technology makes it possible for your customer service team to obtain the information they need and deliver it quickly, on any device, from anywhere, all within a single virtual workspace.

As you can see, the three As is a powerful mnemonic. With Agility, Autonomy, and Alignment, organizations can transform the employee and the customer experience.