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Several months into the pandemic, we are starting to see stay-at-home restrictions slowly lifting while organizations and employees continue to adjust to new ways of working. Many people are even thinking ahead to recovery. Whatever stage your organization is in, it's safe to assume that pretty much every area of your personal and professional lives has been affected by the pandemic. COVID-19 has changed how people and organizations interact—and what constitutes a "good" customer experience. Recently, Mitel CX experts, Shameem Smillie (@ShameemSmillie) and Matthew Metzger (@metzgermj), gathered on Twitter to share their insights on customer experience during COVID-19 in this latest #MitelChats session.
How has COVID-19 impacted the customer experience?
COVID-19 brought a wave of unexpected change; the biggest being a migration to the digital world. This movement has forced digital communication between organizations and consumers, which was a whole new territory for many people. In light of the digital transition, we have seen an increase in online shopping, an influx of customers and a spike in customer service calls. All these changes have impacted customer experience. The movement to online interactions has required organizations to have the right technology in place to support this change.
Along with the adaption to technology, people are trying to cope with other changes in their lives such as being stuck at home, taking care of kids full-time and, most importantly, staying safe and healthy. This has burdened consumers with an immense amount of stress, making it even more important for organizations to deliver a positive customer experience.
Many organizations have had to make changes in their customer service to keep a positive CX. Some have delegated automation to alleviate the stress of their customer service teams. In either case, organizations have had to make changes to keep consumers satisfied.
How are organizations adjusting to serving and responding to customers right now?
Organizations are having to think outside of the box to create a new norm. These unforeseen circumstances have required thinking ahead, and adapting to any situation COVID-19 may throw your way. Organizations are getting over the initial fear and wariness of digital transformation and are being forced to embrace change.
Customer service technology such as chat bots and automation have allowed for increased volumes of customers to be tended to at all hours of the day. #MitelChats participants said they anticipate that as more organizations see the need to digitally transform, there will be greater focus on adopting artificial intelligence (AI).
Another common adjustment will be towards a self-service option. This allows customers to quickly and easily get the help they are seeking and create their own customer experience. This option also alleviates the stress off customer service employees.
What technologies are essential to meeting customer experience expectations?
The answer is the perfect blend of technology and human contact. Providing customers with a variety of options including chatbots and self-service creates a customer experience for each individual. Leave the FAQs to the AI system and save the more complex or personalized problems for the customer service employees to help solve.
Between the stress of a pandemic, and the changes that have come with it, consumers are seeking quick and easy fixes to the problems at hand. Let's face it: nobody wants to sit on hold or wait to have their questions answered. When everyone is home and reaching out through digital means, it's more crucial to provide an immediate response that and AI or self-service solution gives.
The consensus according to #MitelChats CX experts is that there isn't one solution that works for every business. The key is to conduct research, try new solutions and think outside of the box. During this new age, try new things; trial and error is never a bad thing. Consumer experience is such an important part of a company's brand, it is worth the extra attention and adaptation.
What customer experience trends will we see more of in a post-crisis world?
A positive CX could be the one extra factor that sets you above the competition. As Matt (@metzgermj) so aptly put it, COVID-19 has further proven this fact.
If we've learned one thing from COVID-19, it's that you can never have too many backup plans in place. Organizations need to be able to adapt quickly to any situation, even the ones they may never have seen coming.
While all this new technology is exciting, remember not to get too caught up in all the bells and whistles. It's important to keep the consumer's best interest in mind while keeping up the positive digital interaction.
Both #MitelChats experts remind us the most important part of customer experience is culture. In a world that has moved primarily digital, it's important to keep up your organization's human dynamic. The standard is set at an all-time high, and it is the organization's job to keep connected to its internal teams and customers.
