Now that we’re in the throes of the 21st century, customer expectations are changing. We’ve always known that customers wanted a friendly and efficient service. But developments in technology are actually increasing customer expectations. It’s not just about being friendly anymore. It’s about having a service that is actually personalised to them. Let’s take a look at what this means in practice.
Expectation #1: Customers Expect Omnichannel Support
Customers interact with your company in multiple ways. They chat over the phone, send emails and bombard you with tweets. But the problem is that most companies don’t integrate all this communication data. Instead, the customer has to repeat what they said on the other channels each time they call up. For reasons they don’t understand, firms are unable to remember the conversation they had with the customer the day before.
PixabayThis is a problem. According to the data, 60 percent of clients change the contact channel they use when talking to a business. As a result, they now expect companies to be able to speak with them seamlessly over multiple channels. The best companies are now using software that integrates all their communication channels. In the future, AI will interpret voice conversations and summarise the relevant information for sales reps.
Expectation #2: Data-Driven World Means That Customers Want Personalized Services
What is User Experience? Essentially, it’s the way your website reacts to your customers. Today, most websites are static. But now things are starting to change. Web sites are picking up on cues from users and actually adapting to meet their needs.
Google, for instance, has already begun personalising search results. Other firms are now personalising their customer service experience, based on the data they have collected. Soon ringing up your car insurance company will be like tapping a search term into Google. It’ll all be on an individual basis.
Expectation #3: Ecommerce Is The Norm, Shoppers Want Seamless Checkout
FlickrPeople use ecommerce websites for the convenience. They don’t want to spend half their Saturday queuing for a parking space just to visit the local department store. As a result, more and more business is moving online.
The problem for online retailers, however, is preventing their customers from abandoning their baskets. It’s annoying having to fill out so much information each time you want to make a purchase. In-store, you just grab and go. Now, though, companies are looking to make the process much easier. For starters, they’re getting rid of the need to make your own account. Top startup ecommerce stores now allow customers to log in with a single click using their Facebook or Google account. Second, many ecommerce stores are integrating third party payment methods into their own systems. Customers can set up their Paypal the first time, and then just pay with a single click for all future purchases.
Expectation #4: Customers Want 24/7 Service
Finally, customers are starting to expect 24/7 service. We already see 24/7 service in the IT outsourcing sector. But it’s soon going to be going nationwide. New technology and chatbots may end up taking over customer service in the small hours.
