How to change with the conversational customer dialogue
Conversational customer dialogue signifies a shift away from managing customer experience as tickets towards authentic, channel agnostic conversations with customers. This strategy calls for the cooperation of all channels and touch points to the benefit of the customer.
schedule2 minute readConversational customer dialogue signifies a shift away from managing customer experience as tickets towards authentic, channel agnostic conversations with customers. This strategy calls for the cooperation of all channels and touch points to the benefit of the customer.
The vast majority of people have smartphones and use several different channels for communication: web, mobile web, SMS, calling, apps, bots, email etc. In fact, 66% of customers contact a business using at least three channels and 75% of customer expect an agent to know their purchase history.
Consequently, contact centers should be prepared to carry the customer conversation smoothly from one channel to the next.
More seamless interactions between customers and businesses
Customers prefer companies that allow them to consistently interact in different channels and devices without delay or disruption. Studies show that up to 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for great customer service. Conversational customer dialogue is consumer-centric by nature, because it makes navigating between touchpoints seamless. Over time, the dialogue can jump from channel to channel to the best suited for the occasion.
To provide omnichannel service, you need smooth blending between channels and queues and escalations from one channel to another – although a customer journey may begin on one channel, they might want to continue it on another one. Customers should always be able to switch between channels and still have a quality experience that boosts your sales.
From a customer point of view, nothing is more frustrating than repeating the same issue to different recipients. Over a third of customers expect to be able to contact the same agent on any channel. Contact centers need to make sure that the agent always knows the customer’s history and can resolve the problem quickly. Agents with access to details across all channels from a single user interface provide the best service.
What are the implications for Contact Centers?
Contact centers will need support all channels together. This requires using a contact center software where all channels are part of the same core product, sharing the same UI to deliver a unified brand experience. They have standardized actions, reports, supervisor monitoring and management.
Additionally, agents need visibility into the customers’ history. And not just the order history and contact details visible in the CRM or order tools, but all of the past communication the customer has had with the company. This way, agents can carry the customer dialogue from one channel to the next without delays or repetitions for the customer.