Companies will invest 10% more in improving customer experience in 2015, according to an Opus Research survey.
According to the survey, 45% of executives expect budgets to increase by more than 10% in 2015. The same survey shows nearly 60% of organizations implementing customer experience initiatives on a cross-departmental basis, making it a massive priority.
Another new report from Orange Silicon Valley titled, “Who Cares? Transforming the Connection with Customers,” shows that companies need to change the way they view customer and employee engagement, retention, and promotion.
Here are some key takeaways:
A generation of Digital Natives finds rewarding experiences from on-demand, real-time, consumerized IT companies like Airbnb and Uber. Empowered users’ expectations are now set by social media platforms, pushing expected response time to minutes and hours. Digital Transformation and HR teams across the country are recalibrating to meet this shift in employee engagement.
The No. 1 frustration from customers is having to move between channels. A Forrester study shows 89% of customers identify that repeating their information is problematic. Online self-service is making room for Live Chat, which is fast-becoming the preferred tool for replacing voice calls.
Customers and agents need to adapt to the behaviors of millennials. The digital expertise of a new generation to handle routine issues means that when the phone rings, it's usually a complex problem. Hiring for this environment is a strategic priority – 60% of call center operators are expanding their operations this year.
“The idea behind the Who Cares? report is to show that employee engagement directly relates to the care and service customers receive, which in turn, relates to a company’s bottom line,” said Bruno Mettling, Deputy CEO in charge of Human Resources at Orange. “Increased executive attention has led to a wave of customer service initiatives, put in place by companies, like Orange, to meet the digital demands of a new generation of consumers and the employees who care for them.”
Organizations are responding to changing service trends by leveraging new technologies such as the use of Big Data and multichannel touch points like artificial intelligence and natural language processing, to best address the needs of their customers.
“The challenge many call center managers face is how to save the customers’ time, after years of trying to save the agents’ time,” said Mark Plakias, Orange Silicon Valley’s lead researcher for the report. “Data scientists, talent managers, and contact center executives are now collaborating on how to deliver the best experiences through new technology and they need employees with new skill sets to make it happen.”