Our habits have changed, including those of your customers.
You surely know about the importance of considering your consumers’ needs into account. Human beings are changeable and we demand that companies listen carefully to what we expect from them.
The pandemic shook up the commerce industry for a decade, so both consumers and brands no longer perceive customer service as before. What changed in them? What are they looking for now.
To be in the place and time they want
In the past, people would go to an office or commercial premises and, if the door was closed with a sign showing that the opening hours had passed, they would turn around resignedly and return the following day. Today consumers expect you to respond to their chat message of your business regardless the schedule. They may understand that at 2 a.m. no one will attend to their request, but they will value more a company that does.
Digitized options to offer
Millennials, born between 1981 and 1995, are the most significant portion of the world population. They have frustration as a characteristic feature. They also were the first to experience digitization, therefore, they expect quick attention in different channels beyond the traditional ones. Millennials use the phone a lot but not to make calls. In fact, according to a Sales Force study, 70% of millennials prefer not to have direct help from a customer service representative and would even prefer to read a selection of FAQs before making a call. New generations are going in a similar direction, which is why it is very important to offer other communication channels without neglecting those preferred by people of other ages and needs.
Current technologies make possible to provide a series of options for all audiences that ensure immediate and satisfactory responses without underestimating the value that person-to-person attention will always have. Among them: the use of online chat, attention via social networks, ticketing service and self-service. This standard is not only the most requested ISO, it has also become one of the main quality standards in companies. Today, more than a million have this certification and many more keep trying to.
Do not treat them as numbers
At a time when most of the inhabitants have had both financial and personal losses, empathy took center stage in all relationships. If in the past, in all the trainings, the customer service team was taught to put themselves in the place of the other, now it is even more a priority.
Assuming that many consumers are enduring an uncomfortable new normal, any brand that can provide them with a pleasant experience will be much more valued than before. In fact, 86% of them are willing to spend more for products and services where their experience is really positive.
In order to achieve this, consider the management of a chief experience officer (CXO) who will be the link between customers and brand, seeking to create the best experience from the moment of searching for your services or products on the internet, through the purchase process.
Do not stay behind
Remember that new generations can choose from a much larger number of companies than before, especially since now the digital world has erased any geographical barrier, opening the way to global competition; they also have more tools on hand to compare different options, so they no longer feel tied to traditional brands. Great glories cannot rest on their laurels trusting that prestige will continue to be their main source of new consumers, it will be necessary to offer them a competitive, renewed customer service according to the times to come.