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1、Sponsored by:CX TRENDS,CHALLENGES,&OPPORTUNITIESJUNE 2022CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities2CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|CX TRENDS,CHALLENGES&OPPORTUNITIESBrands can continue talking about customer centricity.They can continue exploring new digital
2、options and workflow models.They can continue aspiring to compete on the customer experience.What ultimately matters,however,is whether these mindsets and strategies are leading to better,more frictionless,more personalized experiences across all channels.As far as todays consumers are concerned,bra
3、nds still have considerable work to do.Only a small portion of consumers believe experiences have gotten markedly better over the past year.Worse,they continue to experience many of the same pain points they have for the past decade.They also remain underwhelmed by the caliber of agents,the efficacy
4、 of digital channels,and the level of personalization they experience across the omnichannel journey.Where are brands going wrong?What opportunities do they have to turn customer centricity into a reality?Is there anything that is working?This Market Study,the product of CCW Digitals annual Consumer
5、 Preferences Survey,has the answers.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities3CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|TABLE OF CONTENTS2 CX Trends,Challenges&Opportunities4 Methodology&Demographics4 About the Author5 Key Findings6 Understanding the Urgency of Customer Centricity8 Scoring Todays
6、 Customer Experiences12 How Customers Feel About Omnichannel Engagement15 CX Trends That Matter18 Real Customer Centricity Starts On The Front Line22 Facilitating Experiences that Align with Customer Needs25 Increasing CX Personalization Amid Digital Transformation29 Does Customer Intent Guide Your
7、CX?33 The Customer-Centric Approach to Knowledge Management37 Beyond Surveys:Building a Modern VoC Program39 Speech analytics helps leaders increase volumes from target audience by 150%during the pandemic by maximizing marketing campaign effectiveness41 Appendix42 2022 Editorial Calendar43 Meet the
8、Team2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities4CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|ABOUT THE AUTHORBrian Cantor Principal Analyst,CCW Digital Customer Management Practice CUSTOMERMANAGEMENTPRACTICEBrian Cantor is the principal analyst and director for CCW Digital,the global online community
9、and research hub for customer contact professionals.In his role,Brian leads all customer experience,contact center,technology,and employee engagement research initiatives for CCW.CCW Digitals articles,special reports,commentaries,infographics,executive interviews,webinars,and online events reach a c
10、ommunity of over 150,000.A passionate advocate for customer centricity,Brian regularly speaks on major CX conference agendas.He also advises organizations on customer experience and business development strategies.METHODOLOGY&DEMOGRAPHICSTo understand customer behaviors,preferences,and expectations,
11、who better to ask than the customers themselves?Indeed,CCW Digital compiled data for this Market Study by conducting its annual Consumer Preferences Survey,attracting participation from adults over the age of 18 across all income levels.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities5CUSTO
12、MER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|KEY FINDINGS1 The stakes of the customer experience remain high,with 60%of consumers saying they would switch to a competitor after just one or two bad experiences2 Whether they ultimately switch or not,consumers are also ready to badmouth brands when experiences go awry.Afte
13、r dealing with rude employees,a staggering 63%will share the experience with close contacts or social media followers.3 Other key complaint drivers include the inability to solve customers problems,long wait times,declines in product quality,or challenges accessing a live agent.4 Despite these high
14、stakes,customer experiences have not been improving.Only 10%feel their brand interactions have gotten much better over the past year.5 Long wait times,no option for a live agent,limited support hours,repetitive questions,and frequent transfers rank as the most frequent“pain points”during interaction
15、s.6 A mere 14%of consumers feel the majority of their brand experiences are personalized.7 Consumers are not high on todays contact center agents;only about a third feel agents know about them and their problems,and a similarly small number feel agents actually care about the customers they are serv
16、ing.8 Although they identify repetitive questions as a common pain point,some consumers do believe brands are making strides toward omnichannel.Nearly 50%would call their typical brand experience“seamless.”9 Consumers do,however,express some doubt about the omnichannel revolution.They still view pho
17、ne as the most trustworthy channel,and confidence levels in digital channels like social media,self-service videos,and chatbots are very low.10 The clear majority of customers still expect access to live agents for most issues;30%downright prefer live support for all interactions.11“Asynchronous sup
18、port”may be a trendy topic,but many consumers still seek real-time support options.12 Consumers have a mixed reaction to brands that align with social issues.The key takeaway is that the position should be rooted in authenticity rather than strategy.13 Consumers are not over the moon about how brand
19、s have been addressing recent supply chain issues.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|UNDERSTANDING THE URGENCY OF CUSTOMER CENTRICITYDemonstrating the stakes of the customer experience has never been challenging.For the past many years,companies hav
20、e been able to point to statistics confirming that many customers will consider competitors after just one or two bad experiences.That reality holds true in 2022.A whopping 60%of consumers would consider switching to a competitor after two or fewer bad experiences,with 17%only requiring one poor int
21、eraction to look elsewhere.And it is not as if the other 40%have infinite tolerance for suboptimal experiences.Thirty-five percent(35%)would consider switching after 3-4 experiences,meaning only 5%are willing to give a brand five or more tries.To put it simply,customers are demanding great experienc
22、es with the weight of their long-term business and support,not just their short-term happiness and feedback.Granted,many customers will voice their dissatisfaction either in lieu of or alongside their decision to switch to a competitor.Rude or disrespectful employees make for the largest complaint d
23、river,with 63%saying they would discuss the poor treatment with friends,family,coworkers,and/or social media followers.Other noteworthy complaint stimuli include the inability to solve customers problems(58%),too much waiting or delays during the experience(57%),a change in product quality(45%),and
24、inability to access support from a live agent(43%).Collectively,these factors confirm that quality absolutely matters.Customers expect to receive great products;when operational changes compromise that quality,customers feel no choice but to voice their frustration.Not simply about letting the brand
25、 know of its failure,such complaints reflect customers willingness to remove their prior endorsement for a brand.Brand support dictates identity in the era of social likes and follows,and customers cannot let a brand losing its way or choosing to cut corners adversely impact their own credibility.Gr
26、anted,even the best-made products will have problems,which will require customers to seek support.If the process of getting support is slow,impersonal,or ineffective,many customers will publicly share their frustration.After how many bad interactions with a company would you consider switching to a
27、competitor?17%1 43%2 35%3-4 5%5 or more2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Which of the following would make you complain about a brand to friends/family/coworkers or on social media?Rude or disrespectful employeesBrand and its employees are not help
28、ful/problem doesnt get solvedToo much waiting/too many delays during customer experienceWebsite is unattractive,slow,or otherwise difficult to navigateBrand raises prices/cuts value of offeringChange in product quality/new product doesnt live up to original standardCant easily access help from a rea
29、l personBrand takes a polarizing stance/has a public image crisisBrand blatantly ignores your feedback;this is the only way to feel“heard”Brand introduces/refines a“policy”that you dont support63%58%58%24%37%45%43%29%20%21%2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEE
30、KDIGITAL|SCORING TODAYS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCESWhether in the form of lost business,weaker advocacy,or viral criticism,the costs of poor customer experiences are obvious.Coupled with the buzz around“competing on the customer experience”and“exceeding customers growing expectations,”this fear of fallout
31、should pressure brands to improve their operations and commit to exemplary customer journeys.Should and does are,unfortunately,two vastly different concepts.Many brands continue to deliver underwhelming experiences.Worse,they continue to struggle with some of the same pain points and challenges that
32、 have been affecting them for many years.ARE EXPERIENCES IMPROVING?Even as all companies recognize the importance of the customer experience,rebound from COVID-driven limitations,invest in new technologies,and respond to growing competitive threats,the majority are failing to make meaningful improve
33、ments.Only 33%of consumers,in fact,feel that their typical customer experience has improved over the past year.A paltry 10%,moreover,report meaningful improvement.The remaining 67%report stagnant or declining experiences;just shy of 35%cite no meaningful changes,while just under 33%say experiences h
34、ave gotten worse.Nearly 9%feel they have gotten much worse over the past year.Have your customer experiences with businesses gotten better or worse over the past year?10%Much better 23%Slightly better 35%No change 24%Slightly worse 9%Much worseBIGGEST PAIN POINTSOn the one hand,it is certainly plaus
35、ible that the sobering“improvement”scores are a consequence of growing customer expectations.As consumers become less tolerant of the“COVID excuse,”hear all the hype about customer centricity,and begin to interact with 2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIG
36、ITAL|disruptive brands that deliver legitimately remarkable experiences,they have reason to expect more from each brand interaction.A brand that technically made slight improvements,therefore,may still register as a stagnant or even deteriorating provider.On the other hand,companies cannot exclusive
37、ly blame the moving target.The unfortunately reality is that many long-lingering pain points continue to affect many,if not the majority of,customer experiences.And so customers who cite a lack of improvement are not simply signaling a lack of remarkable evolution.Many are sincerely blaming brands f
38、or not getting better.Proof of this reality comes in data regarding the pain points that consumers frequently encounter when interacting with brands.A staggering 60%,for example,often encounter long wait or hold times when reaching out to brands.Although the number is better than the 68%specifically
39、 reported in last years CCW Digital Consumer Preferences Survey,it is generally in-line with data from the past half-decade.More importantly,it is simply an inexcusable number in a marketplace that trumpets the value of efficiency and convenience,let alone one in which brands could use proactive eng
40、agement,low-touch digital channels,and predictive analytics to mitigate volume and hold issues.Other frequent pain points include no option for reaching a live agent(46%),limited support hours(39%),repetitive questions(37%),and frequent transfers(37%).In theory,self-service represents the antidote t
41、o long wait times.Many customers will be able to avoid waiting for live agents by solving problems on their own,and those who do still require agent assistance will have a faster pathway to the requisite support.Unfortunately,self-service experience quality and education continue to underwhelm.Custo
42、mers do not trust these as credible support options,meaning they will continue to seek live agent assistance and continue to condemn brands who do not offer such support when they want to connect.As frustrating as lengthy wait times can be,they are even more problematic when customer service is not
43、available at the end.Such treasure is elusive in todays environment,as evidenced by the fact that many customers deal with repetitive questions and frequent transfers upon finally reaching an agent.These issues add friction to the journey,while further signaling the brands lack of respect for its cu
44、stomers and their time.Which of the following issues do you frequently experience when interacting with companies?Long wait/hold timesRepetitive questions/re-authenticationInconsistent communication(different people/websites promise different things,etc)Limited hours;cant get 24/7 supportExperience
45、feels too rushedTrouble finding the right channel or employee for your issueEmployees are not friendly or empatheticEmployees are not knowledgeable or confidentNo option for reaching a live agentNo option for self-serviceCant access the service tool on your specific device or browserConversation doe
46、s not feel specific or personalizedEmployee only follows policy,wont provide custom resolutionsFrequent transfers to other employees or supervisorsNo opportunity to provide feedback60%37%32%39%14%36%21%31%46%12%16%22%34%37%18%2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT
47、WEEKDIGITAL|Clearly,agents are not engaging in the most productive,empathetic conversations possible.They do not come across as sensitive to,let alone knowledgeable about,the problems customers are facing.In some cases,this is directly attributable to the agent.Not all potential candidates are meant
48、 to engage on the frontlines,especially at a time when customers expect agents to handle more complex interactions,with higher degrees of personality and empathy.In others,the issue is one of training and performance management.If leaders do not provide agents with the necessary skills and guidance
49、or fail to measure their performance in the most customer-centric manner,poor interactions will result.Another explanation involves tools.If agents do not have access to AI assistance,robust knowledge bases and 360-degree customer analytics,they will have no choice but to focus intently on searching
50、 for information or asking repetitive questions.Neither supports the agents ability to focus on the quality and tone of the actual customer conversation.Do you feel the typical customer service employee seriously cares about you,your feelings,and your issues?36%Yes 64%NoDo you feel the typical custo
51、mer service employee knows a lot about you and the company/product theyre supporting?35%Yes 65%NoARE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES SUFFICIENTLY PERSONALIZED?Thought leaders routinely remind contact center leaders that frictionless and personalized experiences are not mutually exclusive.The best brands,in fac
52、t,leverage personal data to expedite the engagement process.Unfortunately for todays consumers,the opposite can also be true.Experiences that are slow and plagued by wait times can also be decidedly impersonal.Only 14%of consumers feel most of their brand experiences are personalized.Fifty-two perce
53、nt(52%)encounter some degree of personalization,while a staggering 33%feel most experiences are not personalized.At a time when customers are not only demanding higher-caliber experiences but sharing a plethora of personal data with brands,the absence of experiential personalization is very disappoi
54、nting.In general,do you feel companies are sufficiently personalizing customer experiences based on your specific preferences,needs,past interactions,etc?Most experiences feel personalizedSome experiences feel personalizedMost experiences do not feel personalized15%52%33%ARE AGENTS LEAVING A FAVORAB
55、LE IMPRESSION?One does not need to be familiar with adages like“happy agents equal happy customers”to appreciate the connection between employee performance and customer satisfaction.Agents are the ones on the frontline,engaging with customers,providing resolutions,and humanizing the brand and its s
56、upposed commitment to customer centricity.Todays agents are,unfortunately,not consistently providing stellar impressions.A disconcerting 64%of consumers feel that the typical customer service employee does not care about them.An even greater 65%,moreover,do not believe the typical customer service e
57、mployee knows much about the customers they are serving or the companies they are representing.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|ARE EXPERIENCES SEAMLESS?About 91%of companies acknowledge that agents have to access multiple interfaces to solve even
58、 the most typical customer issues.Few trumpet their ability to access 360-degree customer views or deliver truly“omnichannel”experiences.Surprisingly,these self-confessed fracture points do not always trickle down to the customer.Just over 45%of consumers believe their typical experience is seamless
59、,allowing for easy transitions between different channels or different employees.Although that means the majority still feel as if they face undue friction moving throughout the journey,the number is not nearly as bad as it could have been given how commonly businesses discuss misalignment within th
60、eir organizations.Do you feel your typical customer experience with brands is“seamless”(can easily move between communication channels,from bot to agent,never have to repeat information,etc)?45%Yes 55%No2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|HOW CUSTOME
61、RS FEEL ABOUT OMNICHANNEL ENGAGEMENTThere is no denying that business leaders are prioritizing the omnichannel revolution.They are consistently pursuing new channels for engaging customers,as well as improved methods of connecting those touch points.A business own feeling about its channel mix canno
62、t,however,be the driving force behind strategy.The principle of customer centricity mandates that customers themselves make the rules.It is therefore imperative to understand how customers themselves feel about different engagement methods.WHAT CHANNELS DO CUSTOMERS TRUST?Although customers are incr
63、easingly comfortable engaging in digital environments,they still see phone as their best customer support option.Seventy-five percent(76%)of customers say that they trust phone as a venue for getting their problems solved.Other comparatively trustworthy channels include live chat(59%),e-mail(45%),an
64、d text or messaging(34%).The least trustworthy channels include social media(8%),instructional video options(15%),and chatbots(15%).The hierarchy offers two conclusions:customers are most comfortable with what they know,and they are most comfortable with direct support.Phone,e-mail,chat,and messagin
65、g are familiar both as customer service options and general engagement platforms.Social,video,and chatbots,on the other hand,are newer concepts.Social and video,moreover,make no guarantee of a singular“human”response.Some brands go out of their way to answer social inquiries as brands rather than as
66、 individual people.Self-service video and chatbot options very explicitly do not involve live conversations.When it comes to the idea of“trust,”social media does offer the option of public pressure.A brand that fails to solve a problem will be doing so publicly,therefore risking its reputation with
67、existing and prospective customers.The fact that customers are so unenthusiastic about social,however,suggests that companies have not been caving to this pressure.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities13CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Phones status as the most trustworthy channel is
68、 wholly understandable insofar as it is the most familiar and generally the best-resourced.The fact that many generations of customers are less likely to prefer phone for everyday conversation,however,suggests that businesses In another sense,it is hard to blame the statistic entirely on poor experi
69、ences.Some customers clearly value what live agents represent accountability,creativity,and emotional empathy and will demand that from brand interactions moving forward.No company,therefore,should be plotting a strategy for eliminating agents from their customer contact operations.They should not b
70、e hiding phone numbers or adhering to narrow support windows to force customers into self-service.Instead,they should be using self-service where appropriate,to ensure customers who need agents can access a higher-caliber type of agent,where and when they prefer.High-caliber is,of course,an importan
71、t descriptor here.Given the noted concerns customers have with agents knowledge and empathy,it is important to hire and then empower agents who are capable of thriving in todays ever-complex engagement landscape.Suppose you have a customer support issue.In which of the following channels would you t
72、rust companies to successfully solve your problem?have an opportunity to close the gap.If they commit to delivering the same caliber of conversation,with the same commitment to creative and unique problem-solving,in channels like chat,they can start to position the digital transformation as a realit
73、y rather than an aspiration.Phone/voiceLive chat(web/mobile)Mobile app toolText/messagingSocial mediaEmailHelpdesk/ticket systemChatbot/self-service toolInstructional videos on website or YouTube76%59%28%34%8%45%21%15%15%SELF SERVICE VS.AGENTS The aforementioned channel breakdown shows a high prefer
74、ence for agent-led conversations.The fact that customers cite a lack of a human agent option as a top pain point offers further support for this notion.Only 3%of consumers,in fact,feel self-service is wholly sufficient.A whopping 30%,meanwhile,prefer an agent for all interactions.A substantial 47%wi
75、ll try to solve some issues on their own but always seek the ability to escalate,and 19%expect to handle most issues on their own but still value agents for complex issues.In one sense,these statistics may be a condemnation of existing self-service practices.After so many suboptimal interactions wit
76、h chatbots and IVR platforms,customers have little reason to trust self-service platforms and thus more reason to demand live agent help for most or all issues.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities14CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|REAL TIME VS.ASYNCHRONOUS SUPPORT For todays custome
77、rs,it is not enough to provide access to human agents.It is also important to grant them access to live conversations.A staggering 41%of consumers say it is flat-out unacceptable for brands to only offer asynchronous options like e-mail or messaging.Successful brands,in their eyes,must allow consume
78、rs to engage with human employees in real-time.Just shy of 40%are willing to forgive a lack of real-time agent support in some cases,but they fully expect it in other situations.Another 14%,meanwhile,accept the principle of asynchronous support but believe it belongs on a tight leash.They are only O
79、K with delayed support if the company commits to addressing e-mails,messages,or social posts within a few minutes.Only 5%completely absolve businesses of the burden of live conversations.Although some consumers are more demanding than others when it comes to live support,it is clear that most do val
80、ue speed.They want to know that when they have an issue,the business will take accountability for solving it in an accurate,timely fashion.I want/expect to work with a live person in all casesI might try handling some issues on my own,but I expect the*option*to connect to a live person for most issu
81、esI expect to handle many issues on my own,but I want agents to be available for select difficult or unusual issuesI have no interest in working with a live person;self-service is sufficient in most or all casesDo you require access to an agent/representative when dealing with a customer service or
82、tech support issue?Or is it OK or preferable if the brand focuses on self-service options like chatbots,FAQ pages,and automated voice menus?Its unacceptable-brands should always offer live/real-time helpIts acceptable for some issues/companies/product types,but unacceptable in othersIts only accepta
83、ble if they respond quickly(within a few minutes)Its fine in most cases;I dont expect and/or care about live conversations with brandsSome companies do not offer live chat/phone/messaging options and only allow you to request help via email or support ticket.Which best describes how you feel about t
84、his?30%47%19%3%42%39%14%5%2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|CX TRENDS THAT MATTERThey may still command ample conversation,but concepts like self-service and omnichannel engagement are hardly“hot trends.”They have been focuses for customer contact
85、leaders and trickled down to consumers for many years.There are,however,customer experience issues that do constitute buzzy trends.They are uniquely reflective of the current landscape,and how brands navigate them can enormously impact business ability to attract and keep customers.SOCIAL ISSUESConv
86、entional wisdom once said that brands should rarely take stances on hot-button social or political issues.Why risk alienating half of a potential customer base to advocate for a cause that may not have any direct relevance on ones business?That mindset has shifted in recent years,in part because com
87、panies increasingly believe there is direct relevance.Brands are looking to transcend from serving customers into connecting with them.By taking a stance on issues,especially ones of relevance to the customer base,brands humanize themselves and open the door to these meaningful connections.At least,
88、that is the argument in theory.Not all consumers agree in practice.Nearly 28%of consumers do not care either way,while 26%do not support it regardless of the brands specific stance.Brand activism,therefore,will fail to generate positive enthusiasm from more than half of customers.Support for activis
89、m comes from the other 46%of consumers.Just shy of 28%value brand activism if they agree with the cause,while 19%appreciate the effort regardless.With a limited guaranteed upside,but also reasonably low risk of alienating the overwhelming majority of customers,a fair takeaway is that brands should p
90、rioritize authenticity.If it makes sense for their brand,their customers,or their personal morals to speak about a particular issue or cause,they should feel every incentive to do so.More innocuous brands should not,however,feel pressure to speak up on every issue just because social advocacy is mor
91、e common and accepted in todays business landscape.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities16CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|SUPPLY CHAIN DELAYSIntroduced by COVID-19 and accelerated by many other world factors,numerous industries have been facing supply chain shortages.These supply ch
92、ain shortages directly affect customers,who not only have to wait months for the privilege to buy products like new cars or appliances but may even have to spend thousands over the anticipated list price to secure their purchase.Naturally,this reality has ramifications for the customer experience.Th
93、e very idea of waiting for overpriced products will itself affect customer sentiment and support.Companies success in disclosing,navigating,and alleviating these wait times will also speak to their commitment to customer centricity.Support it,even if I disagree with or am neutral to their stanceSupp
94、ort it,but only if I agree with their stanceDont care either wayDont support it,regardless of their stanceHow do you feel about brands that take a public stance on social/political issues?19%27%28%26%In todays landscape,consumers feel that brands are comparatively strong at the acknowledgement compo
95、nent.They are less celebratory,however,about brands ability to transparently address and resolve problems.Just shy of 41%,in fact,say the typical brand responds to supply chain issues by showing some degree of communication and empathy but nothing approximating a solution.Nearly 22%feel brands gener
96、ally offer transparent communication and even alternative solutions for expediting the process,while 21%feel they offer little-to-no support.The remaining 17%have not yet encountered noteworthy supply chain issues.I receive little help or support when my products are delayedI do receive some communi
97、cation and empathy,but ultimately no“solutions”to product delaysWhenever products are delayed,companies give me transparent communication and even offer alternative ways to get what I want quickerI have not experienced many/any product or delivery delays over the past 2 years21%41%22%17%From your ex
98、perience,which best describes how have brands been handling supply chain challenges and/or other recent product and delivery delays?PRACTICALITYGUIDEJUNE 2022CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|REAL CUSTOMER CENTRICITY STA
99、RTS ON THE FRONT LINEIn CCW Digitals 2021 Consumer Preferences Survey,95%of consumers said that the quality of their agent interactions impacts their willingness to support a brand.In the 2022 Study,they offered sobering reviews about the caliber of these agent conversations.Only 36%of consumers fee
100、l that the typical agent cares about them and their issues;only 35%feel the typical agent knows about the companies and products they are representing.What explains this discouraging landscape?The answer is simple:for all the statistics and rhetoric about the impact of employee engagement on custome
101、r engagement,leadership rarely puts power in the hands of the frontline.Decisions are either made from the confines of a boardroom or dictated by the limitations of dated technology.Brands may preach customer centricity,but until they remove these barriers to employee success,they have little chance
102、 of making it reality.Agents will continue to come across as disengaged and unprepared,and customer satisfaction scores will continue to underwhelm.It is time to break free of this challenging landscape,and this briefing will help.Across five pointed recommendations,it will reveal how to empower the
103、 front line to make customer centricity a reality.LET VOICE OF THE AGENT DRIVE DECISIONSSitting on the front lines and in constant communication with customers,agents have uniquely valuable insight into the customer contact operation.They know which technologies are difficult to use.They know which
104、training material is 2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities19CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|ineffective or irrelevant.They know which knowledge bases and data platforms are unintuitive,fragmented,inaccurate,or otherwise burdensome.They know which aspects of their job are most frustr
105、ating.They also receive direct feedback from customers,learning which parts of the journey are least efficient,which products and policies spur the greatest number of inquiries,and which solutions and offers generate the greatest degree of happiness.Unfortunately,many leaders ignore this valuable in
106、telligence.Whether by unilaterally developing training curricula,implementing new enterprise systems,mandating scripts and policies,or establishing metrics,customer experience teams send the message that agents are there to follow orders and not play an active role in creating customer-centric exper
107、iences.Brands that amplify the voice of the agent,therefore,have the opportunity to differentiate themselves with uniquely rewarding experiences.For starters,the mere idea of listening to agents will communicate a degree of respect and appreciation for the team,leading to greater employee engagement
108、 at a time when hiring and retention is so challenging.These engaged agents,moreover,will have a clearer incentive to actually collect and share feedback from their time on the frontline.Savvy leaders double down on this reality by providing agents with intuitive platforms for capturing and sharing
109、their insights.“Leadership needs to put more trust and investment into the people who are customer service:agents,supervisors,admins,managers and all other frontline employees.Do they have a modern way of listening to the customers through multiple channels?Do they have AI tools to make sure that th
110、ey pay attention to every scrap of customer interaction data they receive,including analyzing all recorded customer interactions for top issues and sentiment?Do staff have an easy way to provide their input and ideas on improving customer experience and even be the custodians of automation?These kin
111、ds of information and tools create an operational loop that continually focuses on customer-centricity.”-Jay Gupta,TalkdeskWith a better stream of intelligence at their disposal,companies will be able to elevate every facet of their customer experience operation.They will gain a more accurate unders
112、tanding of which systems and data sources to optimize,fueling technology investments that will actually generate a meaningful return.And with a window into what customers are actually saying,they can successfully refine training,rethink policies,reorchestrate customer journeys,and recalibrate metric
113、s.Indeed,they will use the voice of the agent as a mechanism for better understanding and adapting to the voice of the customer.Listening to agents is particularly essential in todays climate,as the standard“best practices”that worked in the traditional call center will not always apply to distribut
114、ed workforces who are addressing ever-demanding customers across a wider spectrum of channels.Todays agents are,realistically,the first employees to ever navigate this landscape.Listening to them is not simply a nice gesture;it is mission-critical.FOLLOW CLEAR,UNMISTAKABLE CX METRICSIn an age-old co
115、ntradiction,many brands trumpet the importance of customer centricity only to hold agents accountable for rigid policies and“efficiency”metrics like call count and average handle time.This thrusts employees into a troubling dilemma:should they go all-out to satisfy customers and risk upsetting their
116、 bosses?Or,should they rush through calls to meet AHT expectations,even if it means hurting the customer experience?Successful leaders avoid this pitfall;they ensure their rhetoric,coaching curricula,policies,and metrics all irrefutably emphasize the importance of customer centricity.In addition to
117、empowering agents to go“off script”where necessary,they gear agent performance to customer satisfaction,loyalty,advocacy,and lifetime value metrics.They may measure handle time to identify resource needs and undue sources of customer or employee effort,but they never suggest that these“scores”supers
118、ede valuable customer outcomes.“Business leaders dedicated to orienting their company towards a unified CX take extreme ownership of core metrics like CSAT score or NPS.They empower the organizational chain of command,especially customer-facing stakeholders,to make decisions that solve customer prob
119、lems,deliver faster response times,and mitigate risks of losing customer loyalty.”-Jay Gupta,TalkdeskADAPT TO EVOLVING EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE DEMANDSThe evolving landscape is not affecting the connection between“happy agents”and“happy customers.”It is,however,redefining how companies can go about drivi
120、ng employee happiness.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities20CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|As they adapt to the era of remote work,employees favor companies that provide them with considerable flexibility.True flexibility,it should be noted,is not simply allowing employees to work
121、 from home a few days a week.It is about fully committing to the idea of a remote,agile customer contact function.This process includes supporting unconventional work hours and dynamic workflows,ensuring employees never feel bogged down by the constraints of a heavily scripted,9-to-5 workday.It also
122、 involves leveraging modern workforce technology,both to automate mundane tasks and keep employees connected to each other as well as key data systems no matter when or where they are working.Other key priorities include clear and consistent metrics,real-time coaching and support,and transparent car
123、eer pathing.Not content to simply pay lip service to the idea of a flexible,pro-employee culture,leading brands hold themselves accountable for the employee experience.From a process standpoint,they actively rely on the voice of the agent to drive knowledge creation,experience design,and technology
124、purchases.From a performance perspective,they pay careful attention to metrics concerning agent effort,agent satisfaction,agent retention,and agent advocacy.DEMOCRATIZE OPERATIONAL DATA,KNOWLEDGE,AND CUSTOMER DATASeeking a sense of purpose from their careers,employees require vivid insight into what
125、 the business is trying to achieve and how their work contributes to those goals.Seeking a sense of satisfaction from their work,employees require robust knowledge and 360-degree customer views to engage in more meaningful,personalized,resolute conversations.By democratizing data,companies meet both
126、 demands.With real-time awareness of operating metrics,employees can see how the business is faring and see how their own KPIs signal success or failure.These employees will subsequently feel more invested in the companys outcomes,proactively identifying their own performance gaps and offering recom
127、mendations that can help the business at large.Driving this investment is particularly important for remote workers,who cannot“feel the vibe on the floor”and rely upon data to assess how they are performing in comparison to peers and the bottom line.Workforce distribution also underscores the import
128、ance of unifying and democratizing knowledge including the content creation process.Employees cannot as easily ask their deskmates for help when dealing with a challenging inquiry,and they may not even know which internal“subject matter expert”can provide support from afar.They are more reliant than
129、 ever on the knowledge in front of them,which means a unified,up-to-date,readily searchable knowledge base is essential in todays era.If said knowledge base also supports an intuitive content creation process,the knowledge each agent independently acquires from supporting new customers,with new dema
130、nds,in new channels will no longer be siloed.Each agent can share their findings with the team,creating more data democratization and,ultimately,more consistent support.Seamless access to integrated customer data solutions,such as CRM or CDP systems,ensures that employees can provide more personaliz
131、ed,relevant support throughout the journey.ADOPT AGENT-CENTRIC ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEIn theory,listening to the voice of the agent,supporting customer-centric conversations,prioritizing the employee experience,and unifying data are admirable endeavors.They should all empower the front line,leading
132、to better employee performance and more impressive customer experience results.In practice,each initiative can represent a challenging undertaking.For contact centers already dealing with a host of operational inefficiencies and challenges,the intimidation may seem prohibitive.Artificial intelligenc
133、e represents the solution if approached correctly.Far too many companies have been haphazardly investing in AI as a trend-chasing endeavor,which has bottlenecked results and created understandable wariness.“One trend we see in our research is that companies are generally more cautious about moving f
134、orward with advanced AI techniques.Many want a clearer view of operating costs and how to navigate the global complexities of data privacy and regulatory obligations.”-Jay Gupta,TalkdeskThe stakes are too high,however,to let this caution thwart progress.What will it take to overcome reservations and
135、 actually achieve results?The answer is to put employees at the center of the strategy,and then find partners who can assist with effective rollouts.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities21CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Key employee priorities include reducing boring and frustrating
136、 tasks,creating more engaging workflows,supporting more meaningful customer conversations,amplifying the voice of the agent,and allowing employees to shape strategy.The best AI helps with each of these goals.“Contact center practices must focus on the best ways to empower agents to showcase their sk
137、ills and expertise.Tools like an AI-powered virtual agent can intelligently route voice and chat interactions to the right subject matter expert quickly.Agents feel more motivated knowing they can focus their time solving more complex customer problems where they can apply their knowledge and skills
138、.Agents should also have the opportunity to upskill and have an instrumental role in operationalizing new technology like AI.A no-code AI training tool means agents can input their expertise to fine-tune AI and improve automation outputs.By democratizing AI and automation,contact centers unlock a gr
139、eater diversity of thinking,faster problem-solving,more customer-centric data and will reduce the operational burden on IT managers and data scientists.”-Jay Gupta,TalkdeskThe impact on data is particularly significant,with AI enabling companies to not only democratize actionable insights from 100%o
140、f interactions but surface vital intelligence that can elevate customer interactions,coaching sessions,and overall experience design strategies exactly when and where it is needed.“Companies often have thousands of survey comments,social media messages,emails,and call recordings that they just dont
141、have enough staff to answer,and no time to analyze.It is great to know the top two or three pain points customers would like you to solve,but how about knowing the top ten or 20 or the unmet needs of customers you didnt know existed?With AI,you can analyze 100%of your interaction data,very quickly a
142、nd at scale.Many problems can be identified and solved with less time,cost,or effort than the top three that normally get all the attention,and each one solved builds loyalty and improves the customer experience.”-Jay Gupta,TalkdeskREAL EMPLOYEE CENTRICITY MAKES AGENTS MORE INVESTED,CONTENT,AND PROD
143、UCTIVEReal employee centricity is not about a single endeavor.It is not simply about adding some parties to the docket or equipment to the office.Rather,it is about doing everything possible to ensure employees have the right mindset,the right tools,the right guidance,and the right motivation.By amp
144、lifying the voice of the agent,companies symbolically confirm their respect for their employees.They also gain access to insights that can demonstrably improve day-to-day processes and systems.By making customer centricity the irrefutable priority,companies provide employees with a clear objective a
145、gainst which they can calibrate their effort and find purpose and motivation.By holding themselves accountable for the employee experience,companies remove operational bottlenecks and cultivate a loyal workforce that will stay and meaningfully contribute over the long haul.By democratizing vital cus
146、tomer and operational data,companies keep employees connected and ensure they can deliver relevant,consistent care to an increasingly demanding customer base.By using AI as a way to streamline and enhance agent workflow,companies ensure that nothing prevents employees from wowing each and every cust
147、omer.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|FACILITATING EXPERIENCES THAT ALIGN WITH CUSTOMER NEEDSOrganizations are placing more emphasis on customer engagement than ever before yet this focus has not yet paid off.Customers are increasingly seeking out
148、 better experiences,but are often presented with unacceptably slow,and painful interactions.With only 33%of customers claiming their typical experience has improved over the last year,it is clear that companies are not prioritizing the right initiatives to truly optimize,streamline and improve the c
149、ustomer experience(CX)they provide.While it may be easy to criticize,it is often difficult to determine what is most important to customers,where they want to see change,and how organizations can implement the most meaningful improvements.All of this can be identified by properly listening to,analyz
150、ing,and deeply understanding customer needs.By uncovering their greatest points of friction and alleviating these concerns,organizations can implement changes that add value to the experience and align with customers evolving expectations.Once aware of their challenges and successes,organizations ca
151、n emulate the most exceptional experiences,facilitating consistent,meaningful,and streamlined experiences across all channels.At the end of the day,companies will be able to measure positive shifts in satisfaction when they truly understand what their customers are experiencing.With a singular focus
152、 on the customer,rather than on their broader experience,companies can then establish better processes and practices that more closely align with those expectations.Here we highlight the greatest challenges of the modern customer and the key reasons why organizations may be facilitating less than st
153、ellar experiences in 2022.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities23CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Customers are Telling us What they Want,Why Arent We Listening?CCW Digitals last market study outlined the make or break components of an exceptional customer experience.Customer contact
154、 executives stated that customers expect accuracy and consistency across channels,they want seamless and personalized experiences,along with little-to-no wait times for support.With this list of requirements,most organizations have a roadmap that can help them drive positive improvements in how they
155、 serve their customers in 2022.However,when looking at the leading customer pain points this time around,many companies may still be missing the mark when it comes to actually delivering on these make or break issues.As high as 58%of customers are not currently having their problems solved,57%are fa
156、cing service delays and as little as 14%of customers are receiving personalized support.All of these established pain points go against the very nature of what organizations are now trying to achieve.At a time when customers are hyper-focused on experiences,it seems unreasonable that companies would
157、 allow friction points anywhere along their customer journey.However,without a clear focus on gathering and analyzing customer data,companies will continue to perpetuate inefficiencies and diminished experiences.Steve Nattress,Product Director of Artificial Intelligence at Enghouse Interactive state
158、s “Exceptional CX requires that every element,of every process and interaction,align in support of delivering on customer expectations.Many attempts to provide better CX fail because the brand does not understand rapidly-changing customer expectations,or there are legacy internal processes that slow
159、 down or even block attempts to improve the customer experience.”Customers are now leading the way and organizations must be prepared to effectively navigate and adapt to new realities which requires an ongoing prioritization of data collection and analysis.To align improvements with customer expect
160、ations,we must work harder to listen to what customers are actually saying and react accordingly.The New Agent Experience What is most alarming,beyond the lack of awareness of customer needs,is the fact that customers perceive that agents are not engaged.A recent survey noted that 64%of customers co
161、nfirmed that they perceive the typical customer service employee does not care about them or about resolving their issues.While that may be true in some cases,the more probable cause of this perception of a lack of agent empathy and engagement,is the agents complex and disconnected workflow.When cus
162、tomers sense a lack of concern at the other end of an interaction,they may not realize the reason behind the agents behavior.Aggravated by disconnected and dated technology,ever increasing performance demands,and a general lack of support,agents are navigating an overly complex environment on their
163、own as they work to meet those customer expectations.Therefore,this“care less”attitude often has more to do with the employees personal work situation than a lack of willingness to help customers.To alleviate these challenges,companies must ensure that their agents are equipped to effortlessly engag
164、e with customers.Optimally,agents should be provided with a comprehensive view of the customers profile,past issues experienced,and any corrective steps that were taken to address those issues,along with situational context to properly support their customers.Without such information,agents will con
165、tinue to struggle,and that frustration will negatively impact the customers they are actively working to support.Delivering exceptional experiences ultimately depends on the agent,and companies must recognize the impact a poor employee experience will have on the customer.Therefore,companies should
166、take this statistic as a major warning sign for the future of their CX.If we cannot improve the agent experience now,we will continue to disappoint employees and customers over the long term.FACILITATING EXPERIENCES THAT ALIGN WITH CUSTOMER NEEDSTo effectively meet customer needs,we must listen,unde
167、rstand,and act on what the customer is telling us.Customers today willingly share detailed information about what they want,how they want to engage,and why they are reaching out.Companies must use all this information to identify the deeper customer needs to deliver the experiences that align with t
168、hese ever-changing realities.Once organizations determine the customers intent,they can begin to provide exceptional CX.Here we break down how to analyze and interpret customer data in order to deliver more meaningful customer experiences.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities24CU
169、STOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|The Measure First ApproachBefore organizations dive headfirst into experience optimization,they must recognize the deeper motivations and context behind customer behavior.While we may think we know what customers want,we can learn much more from their actual feedback.Steve
170、 Nattress shared,“At Enghouse we recommend“measuring first”which means focusing initial efforts on gathering as much data as possible from your contact center,self-service platforms,polls and surveys,social media,and support teams,then analyzing that data to understand the“what”to determine the why
171、from the customers perspective.This will simplify determining how best to improve and/or optimize your customer experience at every possible customer touchpoint.”By collecting and interpreting this free-form and honest feedback from multiple touchpoints along the customer journey,organizations can f
172、ocus their efforts on improving the most pressing and problematic areas.For example,if customers are increasingly looking to engage using voice(i.e.over the phone)it would be counterproductive to invest in expanding automated self-service and other digital capabilities.Highly visible CX trends are n
173、ot always universal,and organizations would be best served by prioritizing the channels that their customers prefer and expect.Leverage Voice of the Customer InsightTo deliver on the measure first strategy,companies should lean on their own Voice of the Customer(VoC)data.This information can uncover
174、 the most accurate and in-depth view of your customer interactions.Through call recordings,emails,and chat transcripts,companies can better categorize,prioritize,and interpret what their customers are saying and more accurately determine the motivations behind their actions.By leveraging these chann
175、els,companies can develop a comprehensive understanding of their customers on both an aggregated and specific basis to implement the appropriate changes to best address their expectations.Further,with AI technology,organizations can better analyze and extract detailed insight from this first-party d
176、ata,including an understanding of overall customer sentiment and emotion as they interact with the company.This is increasingly more important as only 14%of customers report that they are provided a basic level of personalized support.As customer expectations rise,the need for tailored support will
177、become even more important.Therefore,providing agents with key information about each customer,their history with the company,along with insight into their intent and general sentiment,will help foster the more direct and comprehensive interactions that they expect.Providing context underlying the w
178、hy behind every unique customer action ensures that companies can better target the right areas for improvement.Rather than focusing on general trends,organizations must work to uncover their own customers needs and adapt accordingly.The key is to LISTEN to what customers are telling you.Equip Agent
179、s with ConfidenceMeaningful customer experiences are hugely dependent on the agents ability to effectively communicate and efficiently interact with customers.Whether it be through a respectful conversation or a seamless handoff to another agent or department,customers want to be greeted by agents w
180、ho care.This can only be achieved when agents have the tools,training,and support to take on todays ever-increasing call volumes and more complex call workflows.Steve Nattress states,“Supporting agents dealing with complex situations require an infrastructure that enables all agents to respond as ef
181、fectively as your most skilled and experienced ones.AI-powered agent assist tools can be deployed to provide that support automatically,by monitoring conversations across all channels to accurately identify customer needs and then help those agents in real-time-either by reminding the agent of an ap
182、propriate call script or by providing suggestions from a knowledge base.”This will reduce agent stress while helping them keep their focus on the conversation at hand,thereby increasing the probability of resolving those customer issues,the first time.The key is to LISTEN to what your agents are tel
183、ling you and equipping them for success.They will deliver the experiences your customers expect,and more.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|INCREASING CX PERSONALIZATION AMID DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONMore than 70%of companies feel they personalize most
184、 of their customer experience communications,but only 15%of consumers agree.Companies routinely identify digital engagement as a top priority,but trust and satisfaction levels for options like messaging,social media,and web self-service greatly trail those for traditional phone conversations.Given t
185、hese gaps,it should come as no surprise that only 10%of consumers feel brand experiences have improved over the past year.With stakes of the customer experience continuing to rise,there is no debate that companies must work to improve the landscape.They must commit to delivering contextually relevan
186、t experiences,at all times,where customers choose to connect.“Companies that embrace the importance of personalization,data ownership,and trust will continue to reap the rewards of this new digital age and consumers will enjoy better,more trustworthy experiences.”-David Worley,Principal Product Mark
187、eting Manager,TwilioThe good news is that personalization and digital transformation are not separate endeavors.In fact,harnessing the power of digital communication is the surest way to deliver richly personalized experiences in 2022 and beyond.“Twilio believes digital channels and personalized jou
188、rneys go hand in hand.Companies need the ability to utilize their digital channels in the contact center to“feed”their first-party data back into marketing programs.”-David Worley2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities26CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|This briefing will reveal four st
189、eps for increasing customer experience personalization in the digital age.BE AVAILABLE|LET CUSTOMERS DICTATE CHANNEL OPTIONSA brand cannot begin to call itself customer-centric,let alone trumpet a commitment to personalization,if it refuses to accommodate basic customer communication preferences.Ind
190、eed,it is utterly imperative to let customers dictate when and where they choose to engage.For todays customers,the preferred channel is often a digital one.“Today,customers want to use communications channels they use every day with family and friends to contact the companies they do business with.
191、Sounds easy enough and with the explosion of digital transformation,this really shouldnt be an issue.But it takes more than simply adding in a digital channel to improve digital experiences.”-David Worley,TwilioTruly improving digital experiences involves making it easy for the customer to access th
192、eir preferred communication option;the link to chat with a live agent should not be hidden.It involves demonstrating a consistent commitment to quality backed by sufficient resources across all digital touchpoints.It involves providing the data for personalized,relevant support no matter where the c
193、onversation takes place.It involves making it easy for customers to switch between channels should their needs or preferences ever change.Not simply a way to symbolically demonstrate customer centricity,supporting channel preference enables customers to behave naturally throughout the journey.This i
194、mproves the credibility of customer intelligence,as brands will gain access into true customer behaviors and intentions.Customers will feel comfortable engaging where and how they want to engage,as opposed to feeling like they have to adapt to the brands preferences.BE OPPORTUNISTIC|CAPTURE DATA IN
195、DIGITAL CHANNELSMake no mistake,the proliferation of digital communication creates a challenge for brands.It requires them to reallocate resources,redesign journeys,and connect key contact center and enterprise systems.Savvy brands choose not to fear these challenges;they instead focus on the opport
196、unities.They see the increase in customer touchpoints as a way to gain more insight into customer preferences,behaviors,and intentions,which they can leverage to create more personalized interactions and more valuable customer journeys.Because they enable brands to audit natural behavior,digital cha
197、nnels actually provide a uniquely clear window into the needs and sentiments of todays customers.The way customers access websites,the terms they use to ask questions or search for products,the calls-to-action to which they respond,the pain points that cause them to abandon carts,and the communicati
198、on lists from which they unsubscribe provide levels of insight that traditional phone conversations simply do not offer.Tracking the experience of moving between new channels,moreover,empowers brands to reorchestrate customer journeys.Upon learning what makes customers span different channels,and an
199、alyzing what happens when they try to switch,brands can design experiences that are easier and more valuable to navigate.Capitalizing on these opportunities is not,however,as simple as adding some channels and waiting for the insights to emerge.Brands must be deliberate in their quest to capture,ana
200、lyze,and action the insights they are collecting.This reality is becoming increasingly true amid the ongoing demise of third-party cookies.“Making the change to first-party data is imperative.First-party data is data about customers that is owned by the organization directly doing business with them
201、 data that companies have collected directly from their customers,whether from their interactions on the company website,questionnaires they have filled out,or purchases that they have made.Twilios State of the Customer Experience Report 2022 shows that 95%of businesses agree that fully owning and u
202、tilizing customer data will be their biggest growth lever over the next three years.”-David Worley,TwilioDeliberate data management strategies also include properly defining the insights that companies want to glean from customers,deploying real-time analytics solutions in all channels,unifying the
203、data to provide a 360-degree customer view,and harnessing AI to surface relevant intelligence to self-serving customers,support agents and other stakeholders at key moments of truth.Not simply about wanting to better analyze and leverage customer data,a deliberate strategy takes into account how the
204、 company will achieve its goal.The answer,invariably,involves adopting a customer data platform(CDP).By democratizing a single view of customers,including their 2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities27CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|complete profiles and interaction histories across
205、all channels and systems,CDPs empower bots,agents,and leaders to turn the goal of personalization into a reality.BE OMNICHANNEL|EMPOWER SEAMLESS AGENT EXPERIENCESIt is not enough to let customers pick their channel.It is not enough to capture data from every phase of the customer journey.To truly fo
206、ster personalized experiences in the digital world,it is essential to provide an omnichannel agent experience.Given their role in conversing with customers and demonstrating personalization,agents irrefutably require access to relevant customer insights rooted in a 360-degree view of the experience.
207、If they do not have context for who the customer is,what the customer is trying to solve,what the customer has endured,and how the customer defines success,they have no chance of making a personalized connection with the customer.They have no chance of empathizing with the customers immediate and lo
208、ng-term challenges and needs.In addition to providing agents with actionable customer intelligence,successful companies ensure agents can provide cross-channel support from a single interface.Allowing agents to seamlessly support customers as they move throughout the journey helps them deliver the c
209、onvenience,continuity,and personal connections that customers are demanding in the digital age.Although this degree of seamlessness is not yet common in the customer experience landscape,it is quite attainable thanks to modern contact center platforms.“Agents need a single user interface with the ab
210、ility to transition seamlessly from an SMS,to a voice call,and back to a video chat all without losing connection and customer data.And agents need to see the entire timeline and customer journey,no matter what agents have assisted and what digital channels were used.This simply isnt possible withou
211、t a modern,programmable contact center.”-David Worley,TwilioBy unifying data,integrating systems,and providing agents with a single source of omnichannel truth,modern platforms do not simply support better customer conversations.They also create more satisfying agent experiences by freeing agents fr
212、om the frustration of the traditional contact center and allowing them to focus on more fulfilling,human-centric work.This reduces churn in a competitive labor market,keeping the most talented employees on the roster.It is much easier to deliver personalization with these expert brand ambassadors on
213、 the team.The opportunity to do their jobs in the digital realm adds value to the work experience,keeping veteran agents more intrigued while attracting promising new talent that would have never considered a traditional“call center”job.“Treat digital channels as a way to advance agents careers.For
214、instance,new agents start out only supporting web chat,but as they gain experience,open up additional channels like SMS.”-David Worley,TwilioBE PERSONAL|EMPHASIZE RELATIONSHIPS AS A CX PRIORITYThe aforementioned steps create the necessary framework for customer centricity.They do not,however,automat
215、ically guarantee personalized experiences throughout the digital customer journey.To achieve that objective,successful brands must make customer relationships the centerpiece of their strategy.AI investments play a pivotal role in this strategy.Beyond helping companies robustly analyze customer data
216、,AI solutions can directly create personalized moments and interactions.They can automatically deliver contextually relevant content as customers navigate websites,use mobile applications,or engage with self-service tools.They can also arm employees with customer-specific guidance and“next-best acti
217、on recommendations,”leading to more engaging conversations in all channels.By automating rote tasks,AI solutions also help agents spend more time on the“conversational”components of their jobs.This added focus,alone,fosters more personalized and engaging conversations.“CX teams can also be more enga
218、ged by offsetting routine customer interactions to an intelligent IVR.Using AI and knowledge repositories are also great ways to keep agents informed and enabled with the most recent support documentation.The next best action can be integrated directly into the agents screen to help keep the interac
219、tion moving ahead,all while showing a live transcription of a voice call.”-David Worley,TwilioNot simply about specific solutions,the transition to a relationship-based customer experience involves embracing new metrics.Although savvy companies still consider transaction-centric metrics like average
220、 handle time,first contact resolution and satisfaction score all of these KPIs benefit from personalized digital interactions,after all they also embrace relationship-oriented measures like loyalty,advocacy,and lifetime value as top priorities.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunitie
221、s28CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|These metrics reflect how well companies are using their channel mix and robust customer data,to anticipate needs,proactively deliver value,and ultimately forge long-term relationships.Relationship-minded brands additionally consider how all facets of their customer e
222、xperience not just inbound support conversations reflect a commitment to personalization.This includes designing digital journeys that respect customers time and honor their unique habits.“If you really want to increase personalization,mine the first-party data to figure out the preferred digital ch
223、annel to use.Find the correct time slot that a customer wants to be contacted.Match previous buying habits and interactions with appropriate ad,discount,rebate,adjacent purchase,etc.Dont send too many communications.And lastly but most importantly,make it easy and provide opt-outs that actually work
224、 the first time.”-David Worley,TwilioTHE POWER OF PERSONALIZATIONHonoring channel preference and personalizing conversations are not simply“feel good”exercises.They are pathways to measurable business results.Brands that take an outside-in approach to the customer journey reduce the inefficiencies a
225、ssociated with impersonal,frustrating experiences.More importantly,they generate higher satisfaction and more loyalty from a consumer population that is increasingly buying based on the quality,convenience,and relevance of the customer experience.Example success stories follow:Company:Cover Challeng
226、e:Cover sought to deliver great customer service anytime,anywhere,allowing a customer to manage their insurance on their own terms,while also building a leaner,more customer-centric organization than the competition.Solution&Result:Twilio Flex 8%more message throughput and 57%reduction in response t
227、imeCompany:Vacasa Challenge:Vacasa needed to better understand how to reach its customers with the right message through their preferred channels.Solution&Result:Twilio Flex,Programmable Messaging,Email(Twilio SendGrid),SendGrid Marketing Campaigns 3X more bookings with personalized campaignsCompany
228、:TravelPerkChallenge:To better care for existing customers and attract new users,TravelPerk needed to unify its disparate customer care channels all into one place and build out customer data infrastructure.Solution&Result:Twilio Flex,Twilio Segment Connections,Twilio Segment Protocols,Twilio SendGr
229、id Email API 95%NPS and a less than 20 second customer response time2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|DOES CUSTOMER INTENT GUIDE YOUR CX?A substantial 70%of companies believe they are personalizing customer experiences,but only 15%of consumers rout
230、inely sense that personalization during brand interactions.What explains this dramatic gap?In many cases,the answer is that companies are tailoring experiences based on the wrong factors.They may“personalize”interactions by referencing superficialities like customers names and locations,but they are
231、 not designing journeys that align with what customers are ultimately hoping to achieve.They are not building experiences based on customer intent.Only 10%of customers feel experiences have gotten much better over the past year.Until brands start designing journeys based on why customers are interac
232、ting,there is no reason to expect this number to improve.Fortunately for companies,a pathway to improvement does exist.After revealing why current journeys are falling short,this briefing provides a five-step plan for tailoring experiences to customer intent in an efficient and scalable manner.WHY C
233、X FALLS SHORTNotions like“designing from the outside-in”and“building experiences for customers,not imposing experiences on them”are immensely popular within customer experience circles.The customer-centric rhetoric,unfortunately,fails to dictate reality in many organizations.Some challenges that pre
234、vent companies from capturing intent,let alone tailoring journeys accordingly,follow.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities30CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Transactional approach to CX strategyA customers intent does not emerge in a vacuum;it is rooted in a broader journey.It is the
235、 product of a customers past,present,and potential interactions with a given brand.Too often,companies ignore the idea of a customer journey.They treat each interaction as a singular,one-off experience,neglecting to consider the context that might inform why a customer is truly engaging or how that
236、customer may feel if the interaction plays out in a particular manner.Insufficient dataNot all companies are guilty of this mindset era;some do appropriately view the customer experience as a potentially never-ending journey.Unfortunately,they lack a platform for meaningfully evaluating that journey
237、,and uncovering context about customers and their intentions.To put it simply,they do not have access to the right data.The sources of this challenge are numerous.Some do not have the appropriate analytics platform in place.Others have problematic fragmentation between their teams,enterprise systems
238、,and contact channels,thwarting even the best analytics tools ability to capture and democratize actionable intelligence.“Lack of data integration across the business causes a lot of effort and frustration for both customers and employees.This includes having to provide the same information multiple
239、 times,lack of employee visibility into the customer journey,and uncertainty about if information is getting to the right place to be used in the right way.”-Shelly Swanback,CEO,TTEC EngageYet another issue involves strategically zeroing-in on customer verbatims and satisfaction scores rather than o
240、n the root causes of interactions and feedback.Incorrect approach to channelsOnly 16%of companies feel very well prepared to deliver an omnichannel experience,which speaks to the rampant fragmentation in todays customer contact landscape.Many companies and customers openly acknowledge that todays di
241、gital experiences are inferior to phone conversations.When certain channels are disconnected and ineffective,numerous problems emerge.First,companies are unable to capture accurate data about customer preference,behavior,and the experience moving throughout the journey.Additionally,they are unable t
242、o assuredly deliver the best possible experience for a given customer intent.Consider the notion of resetting a mobile application password.It obviously makes sense to let the customer reset their credentials via a mobile self-service tool,but if the tool is difficult to locate or use,the customer w
243、ill have to escalate.The customers satisfaction,meanwhile,will automatically fall.The situation will become worse if the agent to whom the customer escalates does not have a 360-degree of that customers activity.They will have to re-ask the customer why they are chatting or calling,and if the custom
244、er explains their intention in an unexpected way(“I am locked out of my account”instead of“I cant find the password reset option”),the agent may further struggle to provide fast and effective support.DESIGNING AROUND INTENTThe value of tailoring experiences to customer intent is abundantly clear.The
245、 pathway to designing such customer-centric experiences is decidedly less obvious.Central to the challenge are notions of recognition and scalability.How can companies build experiences that account for the unique needs of hundreds,thousands,or even millions of customers?How can they even zero-in on
246、 what these different customers are intending to achieve at different moments of the journey?By following certain steps,companies can turn these seemingly daunting tasks into manageable ones.They can improve their ability to surface specific customer needs,while building experiences that are more ag
247、ile and accommodating of individual customer preferences and intentions.Focus on building customer relationshipsAdopting a new mindset is an essential step on the journey to a more intent-driven,customer-centric experience.Rather than focusing solely on transactions,successful companies commit to vi
248、ewing the customer journey and each of its individual phases as an opportunity to build relationships.When a company commits to connecting with its customers,it pays careful attention to who they are,why they are choosing to engage,what type of experience will deliver the most value,and how their ne
249、eds and preferences may change over time.With this valuable context,the brand can transition from thinking about what the customer is saying and start focusing on why they are connecting.The brand can start to identify customer intent,and then leverage that intelligence to engage in more meaningful
250、conversations,and demonstrate more value,throughout the entire customer journey.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities31CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Elevate customer data managementA brands interest in understanding its customers is meaningless without a mechanism for capturing th
251、e necessary intelligence.Indeed,the road to a more intent-driven experience hinges on elevating ones approach to customer data.By leveraging natural language understanding technology throughout the journey,companies ensure that customers can honestly communicate their situations.AI-driven analytics
252、solutions then help companies capture,unify,and analyze vital insights from these interactions to develop robust,360-degree views of their customers.When managed in a customer data platform,this intelligence empowers companies to personalize experiences for all customers,in all touch points.“Integra
253、te data points to know who customers are and everything about them.Create a profile of them as people,not transactions.This requires integrating data systems and sources including digital or live experiences.”-Shelly Swanback,TTEC EngageMore broadly,actionable customer intelligence helps companies q
254、uickly identify the full gamut of customer intentions and then evaluate their process for responding to those needs.During the evaluation process,successful brands will remedy the most troubling pain points,streamline customer journeys,empower bots and agents with optimal responses to certain inquir
255、ies,and identify opportunities for proactively addressing certain customer issues.Collectively,these efforts enable companies to deliver customer centricity at scale.Optimize CX based on empathy,not checklistsIn their effort to improve customer experiences,far too many brands focus on static scoreca
256、rds and checklists.They measure performance against traditional indicators like average handle time.They also reduce concepts like“personalization”to repeatable processes,such as mentioning a customers name or saying thank you a certain number of times during each conversation.The best brands instea
257、d let value drive their scorecards.Based on a given customers intention,they determine the ideal resolution.They subsequently flag any factors that could delay or jeopardize their ability to efficiently and consistently provide that resolution.From there,they can balance the forces to deliver the be
258、st possible outcome in the given situation.“So many brands send personalized birthday messages to customers that its not a differentiator anymore.Find unique areas of the customer journey to provide personalization that will impact share of wallet and customer loyalty for real business benefit.Emplo
259、yees can play a big role here too.Train them to look for opportunities to go off script and add some personality and authenticity to interactions,within appropriate guardrails.”-Shelly Swanback,TTEC EngageOptimizing experiences in this manner is impossible without empathy.By putting themselves in cu
260、stomers shoes,companies and agents gain context for what matters most to a customer at a given time.With this intelligence,they know which parts of the experience to prioritize.Someone dealing with a serious medical scare,for example,will likely appreciate a warm,emotionally supportive conversation
261、when the hospitals billing department calls to collect payment.Expecting the agent to rush through the call to meet an average handle time standard would be a thoroughly anti-customer approach.Someone scrambling after learning their flight to an important family event was canceled,on the other hand,
262、does not want to engage in a deep conversation with an agent.They simply want a new travel option as quickly as possible.Speed,not conversational depth,would be the ultimate goal.“Building loyalty requires establishing emotional connections,not just helping customers complete a transaction.When some
263、one engages their emotions,they respond on a deeper level to create positive memories and build trust with a brand.True loyalty results from authentic,empathetic interactions that leave the customer feeling valued.”-Shelly Swanback,TTEC EngageLet customers guide right-channelingCertain channels are
264、inherently better than others for certain issues,and there is value in routing customers accordingly.The problem stems from how companies direct customers.Instead of defining the“right channel”based on customer intent,they fixate on short-term cost considerations.Customers feel ignored,and the quali
265、ty of the experience suffers.To avoid this pitfall,successful companies co-design their channel strategies with customers.First,they ensure that all channels are properly resourced and capable of delivering a high-quality experience.When customers know they can trust all channels,their behavior will
266、 not be biased or misleading.They will gravitate toward the channels they truly prefer,giving companies accurate insight into customer behavior and preference.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities32CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Next,they leverage 360-degree views to not only asses
267、s success or failure rate in the customers preferred channel but what happens when the customer switches channels and where the company ultimately ends up addressing their intent.From there,the company can bolster underperforming channels as necessary,while also educating customers on channels that
268、might be better-suited for a particular issue.This empowers the customer to choose the right channel moving forward,communicating respect for,rather than indifference to,customer sentiment and intent.“Brands that will win are the ones that offer customers choice and help guide them into the right ch
269、annel based on what theyre trying to accomplish.It all comes back to understanding customer intents and connecting the customer experiences across channels in ways that work for them.If youre providing a sub-par digital experience that doesnt meet expectations,then customers will move to a different
270、 channel,like voice.Give them a reason to choose digital channels in the first place and voice volume will decrease while improving CX.”-Shelly Swanback,TTEC EngageCommit to continuous improvementThe most successful companies view every facet of their customer experience as part of a continuous impr
271、ovement journey.By routinely flagging inefficiencies within the journey,and by continuously monitoring changes in customer needs and behaviors,brands are able to constantly add value to their experiences.More importantly,they are constantly able to recognize and address specific,ever-evolving custom
272、er intentions.They gain an aura of certainty that they are letting the will of the customer not generic industry best practices drive their customer contact strategies.“Brands can set up continuous improvement processes by building their organization and structures to be adaptable and ready for chan
273、ge.CX initiatives can then be determined by understanding various customer intents and which channels serve them best.”-Shelly Swanback,TTEC EngageTHE EFFICIENCY OF CUSTOMER CENTRICITYDue to a common misconception,some leaders view customer centricity and efficiency as oppositional concepts.They mis
274、takenly assume that“personalization”entails engaging in 3-hour,intimate conversations with every customer,driving average handle times and interaction costs through the roof.In reality,the opposite is true.Customer centricity generally drives efficiency.When companies understand a customers intentio
275、n,and proactively design journeys and conversations based on what the customer is hoping to achieve,they reduce costs at the same time they boost satisfaction and loyalty.An example success story follows.Company:Outsourced customer support slashes wait times by 97%during health insurance open enroll
276、ment Challenge:A small,fast-growing health insurance benefits administrator struggled to scale its customer support quickly as healthcare open enrollment volume surged and wait times lasted hours.Solution&Result:TTEC provided fast,boutique-level outsourced expertise and support to improve experience
277、s for customers and associates alike within weeks.Key results:97%decrease in wait times 60%drop in average handle time Nearly 3x increase in calls handled per associate per hour2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|THE CUSTOMER-CENTRIC APPROACH TO KNOW
278、LEDGE MANAGEMENTSelf-service may command considerable hype,but todays consumers still rely heavily on live agent assistance.The Market Study reveals that 77%of consumers expect access to live agents for most issues;trust levels for agent-led channels like phone and live chat,moreover,dramatically ex
279、ceed those for chatbots and other self-service options.Knowledge plays a critical role in this dynamic.Customers do not believe self-service provides them with convenient and sufficient access to the information needed to answer their questions or solve their problems.Consequently,they have no choic
280、e but to escalate to employees for guided assistance.Granted,it is not as if customers have immense faith in live agents.A staggering 65%do not feel the typical customer service employee knows much about them or the companies and products they are supporting.This visible dearth of knowledge prevents
281、 agents from making human connections with customers,rendering it unsurprising that only 36%of consumers feel agents care about them,their feelings,and their issues.These statistics offer a sobering commentary on knowledge management.Neither consumers nor agents have seamless access to contextually
282、relevant content,leading to unproductive and ineffective experiences.Satisfaction continues to fall,and costs continue to rise.Making matters worse,the stakes of poor knowledge management are becoming greater.To the extent that consumers will use self-service for some transactions,they will increasi
283、ngly rely on agents for more complex interactions.If agents do not have empowering knowledge access,they will be of little assistance to these customers.The rise of remote work,meanwhile,physically separates agents from their peers and supervisors.They cannot quickly ask a nearby peer or subject mat
284、ter expert for 2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities34CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|assistance with a challenging interaction;if the answer is not readily accessible from within the knowledge platform,the conversation will suffer.“Remote and hybrid work have exacerbated the challe
285、nge of knowledge silos as team members are less likely to communicate and collaborate in person.In fact,a 2021 study Bloomfire conducted with 451 Research found that 66%of CX leaders believe remote work has made it more challenging to collaborate with colleagues across the channels and stakeholder g
286、roups that shape customer engagement.”It is time to adopt a more customer-centric,and agent-centric,approach to knowledge management.This briefing reveals key steps on the road to success.APPROACH KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AS A STRATEGY,NOT A TECHNOLOGYContrary to common misconception,knowledge managemen
287、t is not a synonym for“knowledge base”or“knowledge platform.”Knowledge management is a collection of strategies,processes,and cultures;success or failure happens long before the company deploys any technology.“While knowledge management is a top investment focus for contact centers,many organization
288、s make the mistake of relying on technology without also investing in the right processes and culture to support knowledge sharing.It doesnt matter how powerful your technology is:if people arent using it,you arent going to have a successful knowledge management program.”-Sam Schneider,BloomfireA co
289、mpany that takes a strategic approach to knowledge constantly considers the types of questions it will need to answer,the different stakeholders who will be addressing those inquiries,the types of content that will help them provide answers,and the processes for improving content quality moving forw
290、ard.From there,it fosters collaboration between key stakeholders as well as metrics for assessing the quality of knowledge,and the impact knowledge has on customer experiences and business operations.At the center of the strategy is an emphasis on empathy and outside-in thinking.Instead of designing
291、 content based on long-standing“best practices”or corporate speak,savvy organizations consider the questions customers will ask,how they will ask them,and how employees will attempt to address them.By incorporating user feedback and ideally co-designing it with them companies ensure knowledge is of
292、value to those who need it.TREAT KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AS A COMPANY-WIDE,OMNICHANNEL ENDEAVORAnother common pitfall involves viewing knowledge management as the exclusive concern of the contact center.Although the contact center will routinely leverage knowledge during customer interactions,it is far
293、 from the only department that will require access.More importantly,it is far from the only department that should play a role in cultivating great knowledge.“One of the biggest CX operational challenges is a lack of knowledge sharing across teams and departments.Different teams and departments ofte
294、n rely on different repositories or systems for storing information and dont know what knowledge exists in other parts of the organization.In some cases,valuable information lives on the hard drives or in the minds of individual employees,and if those employees leave the company,their knowledge leav
295、es with them.”-Sam Schneider,BloomfireOver the course of their workflow,all members of all teams gain valuable insight into a company,its customers,its products,and its processes.Collaborating in the development and distribution of this insight not only ensures consistency of communication but helps
296、 to democratize valuable lessons and expertise throughout the business.Every department,whether customer-facing or not,will understand what the brand is trying to achieve and know how to take the most supportive action possible.Upon achieving strategic alignment,the company can focus on opening line
297、s of communication,unifying enterprise systems,and guaranteeing seamless knowledge access from all touch points.The result will be a powerful,actionable wealth of relevant knowledge available not only regardless of channel but regardless of whether an employee works on-site or remotely.ADOPT A POWER
298、FUL KNOWLEDGE PLATFORMKnowledge management may not exclusively be about technology,but technology still matters greatly.It takes a robust knowledge platform to ensure teams can create,refine,and access relevant knowledge at all moments of truth.Worthwhile knowledge platforms are omnichannel,ensuring
299、 stakeholders can access unified insights from all touch points at all times.They also seamlessly integrate with key enterprise systems and data sources,yielding the most consistent and relevant intelligence possible.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities35CUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIG
300、ITAL|“One way a knowledge management platform can help is by integrating with CRM and ticketing platforms that customer service reps use every day.This allows reps to surface knowledge and content recommendations based on fields in the CRM or the contents of a support ticket,helping them work more e
301、fficiently and provide more personalized assistance to customers.”-Sam Schneider,BloomfireOther essential components include robust search capabilities,AI-driven recommendations(including next-best action guidance),intuitive content creation options,multimedia support,and rich analytics.With intelli
302、gent,AI-driven search features,agents can spend less time fumbling for answers to difficult questions and more time using the knowledge to provide valuable,personalized support for customers.Easy creation capabilities ensures all team members especially those with the unique perspective that comes f
303、rom being on the front lines can contribute to the knowledge ecosystem.Multimedia content can be more enjoyable to create and more easy to consume.By helping companies understand how consumers and employees are accessing the knowledge platform,built-in analytics capabilities enable companies to diag
304、nose problems,pinpoint training needs,and continuously improve content and classification.FOCUS ON REDUCING EMPLOYEE EFFORTSavvy thought leaders increasingly recognize the correlation between agent effort and agent satisfaction.The ease with which employees can complete their day-to-day work typical
305、ly has a far greater impact on engagement(not to mention productivity)than superficial cultural activities like pizza parties or office foosball tables.Reducing agent effort is particularly important for knowledge management.By making it easy for agents to search knowledge bases,receive AI-driven re
306、commendations during key moments of truth,and score the quality of knowledge they are receiving,companies considerably boost agent satisfaction.Convenient knowledge access is particularly important for remote and gig agents,who are uniquely reliant on systems to deliver consistent,accurate communica
307、tion to customers.To further reduce employee effort,leading knowledge strategies and knowledge platforms emphasize bite-sized,digestible content and training material.In addition to helping agents better interpret knowledge entries during interactions,this approach helps them internalize the knowled
308、ge and become true experts.Indeed,a truly stellar knowledge management strategy does not simply make it easy to use the knowledge base;it empowers agents to routinely wow customers without having to look up the answers.“A good knowledge management strategy will also focus on making information easil
309、y digestible so employees can act on it in the flow of work.For example,a complex topic might be broken up into a learning series so that employees can build their knowledge on their own timeor easily find the most relevant entry in the series to help a customer.”-Sam Schneider,BloomfireContent crea
310、tion marks another opportunity to reduce employee effort.When employees can add multimedia content in an intuitive platform,they are far more likely to share expertise that can help their peers and optimize customer contact processes.“Companies need to make it as easy as possible for employees to bo
311、th share and use knowledge.One way to do this is to give employees different ways to share knowledge:for example,subject matter experts might share tacit or experiential knowledge by answering questions other employees have posted in the companys knowledge management platform.Training managers might
312、 record short videos to walk employees through a process rather than generating a text-heavy document.Department leaders might create reusable templates for common content types to reduce the effort for content creators.”-Sam Schneider,BloomfireMEASURE AND REWARD KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENTThe goal of know
313、ledge management is not to fill databases with every conceivable piece of information about every product or process.Instead,it is to empower employees to access and share the most relevant insights that can lead to the most rewarding conversations.It is imperative,therefore,to hold ones knowledge m
314、anagement strategy accountable in two dimensions:1.The process of accessing and sharing knowledge actually does have to be intuitive,efficient,and productive for all employees.2.The improved knowledge content actually does have to yield better customer experiences.By leveraging the analytics capabil
315、ities of modern knowledge platforms,companies can assess activity within their knowledge bases.Which content are agents most routinely accessing?Which searches require more effort?Which entries are misleading or out-of-date?From 2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&Opportunities36CUSTOMER CON
316、TACT WEEKDIGITAL|there,they can make(and often automate)the necessary improvements.Gamification can play a pivotal role;companies can,for instance,recognize or even reward employees who create the most useful content.“For instance,an executive might publish a weekly or monthly update in their organi
317、zations knowledge management platform.Leaders can also recognize and reward team members who engage with content or share their knowledge in the platform.”-Sam Schneider,BloomfireIt is subsequently essential for companies to correlate changes in knowledge with impact on key employee and customer out
318、come metrics,including agent retention rate,average handle time,escalation and transfer rates,first contact resolution,customer satisfaction score,and customer loyalty levels.TRAIN FOR SUCCESS IN A KNOWLEDGE CULTUREWhat good is improving knowledge if employees are unable to use it?The question may s
319、eem rhetorical,but it speaks to a strategic flaw that is all-too-common in the customer contact landscape.Companies have gotten so used to cumbersome processes,fragmented systems,inefficient workflows,and insufficient data that they neglect to prepare for a scenario in which these bottlenecks are el
320、iminated.More specifically,they neglect to train and empower agents to harness the power of better data to make meaningful connections with customers.Successful companies avoid this pitfall by training agents on how to use knowledge rather than simply how to search for it.This includes an emphasis o
321、n qualities like empathy,de-escalation,tone detection,personality mirroring,and upselling.With contextually relevant knowledge at their fingertips and these“human”skills in their arsenal,agents can engage in the kinds of conversations that drive purchases,increase happiness,and build lasting loyalty
322、.IMPROVING KNOWLEDGE INCREASES CUSTOMER CENTRICITYThe connection between robust knowledge management and effective customer communication is not merely theoretical:companies from numerous industries are enjoying incredible results from their knowledge transformations.Bloomfire has proven to be a par
323、ticularly helpful partner in knowledge management transformation;two real-world success stories follow.Company:AGIA Affinity(see case study)Orvis(see case study)Challenge:Keeping customer service knowledge up-to-date in SharePoint was challenging,and customer-facing associates risked pulling up outd
324、ated information when assisting customers on the phoneor would have to place customers on lengthy holds while trying to track down the most current information.Orvis was using a combination of SharePoint and physical binders to store their customer service knowledge,making it difficult to keep infor
325、mation consistent and presenting a risk of knowledge loss when tenured employees left the company.Solution&Result:AGIA implemented Bloomfire to make their documentation easy to update without coding and easy to navigate through a simple keyword search.Notable improvements included a 15%decrease in a
326、verage new hire onboarding time,a 15%improvement in talk time on customer service calls,and a 50%reduction in calls placed on hold.Orvis now uses Bloomfire for customer service documentation,standard operating procedures,and product training materials.Customer service employees search the platform w
327、hile assisting customers and publish new questions that dont have official answers yet so that the knowledge base grows over time.Within a year of launching the platform,they reported that 100%of questions in the platform had been answered,92%of users had engaged with content,and the customer servic
328、e department had doubled their first call resolution rate.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|BEYOND SURVEYS:BUILDING A MODERN VOC PROGRAMWhen measuring CX,surveys alone fall short.Its time to use unsolicited customer feedback from throughout the cus
329、tomer journey to establish a more comprehensive VoC program to drive real improvement in customer satisfaction,brand loyalty and retention.For decades,surveys have been the primary mechanism used to gauge customer satisfaction.And while metrics derived from surveys,such as customer satisfaction(CSAT
330、)scores and net promoter scores(NPS)are useful,they can be imperfect indicators of how your customers actually feel about your company,its service and support,and more.Why?Because surveys put the onus on customers to answer questions,which doesnt always happen as quickly,frequently or accurately as
331、wed like.Whats more,there are often discrepancies in the actual customer experience(CX)compared to the remembered experience.Today,organizations are embracing modern VoC programs that combine solicited feedback(such as surveys)and unsolicited feedback(such as voice and text-based customer interactio
332、ns,social media comments,reviews and more),driving the insights needed to improve internal processes and better meet customers needs based on their feedback.FIVE TIPS FOR LEVERAGING CUSTOMER INSIGHTS TO BUILD A MODERN VOCBy capturing and analyzing every conversation with your customers,regardless of
333、 channel(phone,email,chat,social media,or surveys),you can derive contextual meaning on top of what is said,including acoustic measures that derive both emotion and sentiment,that paints a clearer picture of customer behaviors.2022 CCW MARKET STUDY|CX Trends,Challenges,&OpportunitiesCUSTOMER CONTACT WEEKDIGITAL|Here are five tips for building VoC program that incorporates both unsolicited and soli