Which digital tools, new and old, do you think are the best to tell your story?
- Articles
- Podcasts
Is adopting a company-wide customer-centric approach a must for truly seamless customer service?
Yes, every department should align and adopt the customer-centric approach for this strategy to be a success.
With more consumers being conscious of their data being shared, how do you overcome this?
By being honest, upfront, and very aware of customer concerns. Data privacy and security is a very big concern and fear. Honouring that and giving it the full focus that it deserves in a company by intentionally ensuring that all data is secure, will build trust for customers and employees.
The key here is being proactive. We have our Cyber Essentials Plus certificate which covers all our customer data and is suitable for government level contracts. Sharing this certificate with customers allows them to relax and know they are in safe hands.
How do you pick the right channel to communicate effectively with your customers?
The customer picks the right channel. We respond on the channel that they have picked – or one that will be more helpful to them.
I.e., if they have tried to call us directly and have had to resort to a web form, then we call them and speak directly to them. Equally, if they don’t want to speak on the phone and have asked for email correspondence, then that is what we do.
What we should do, is to keep the communication consistent – no matter the channel. So, our contact centres are saying the same messages as our social media, newsletters and our website etc. We make it easy, avoid jargon, and be consistent.
How does employee experience directly affect customer experience?
Employee Experience and Customer Experience go hand in hand. If an employee is disengaged, down at the mouth and feeling under-valued, it is near impossible for them to deliver an outstanding customer experience.
Equally, if an employee knows they are delivering a sub-standard service or product to a customer, that will affect the employee experience. Frustrations in either customer or employee journey will affect the other. The two cannot be separated – they are directly linked.
From your experience, what are some of the best initiatives to improve employee experience, leadership, and partner experience?
The best way to improve employee experience is to ask them. Where I have seen this work well is an employee-driven employee change group. With leadership sponsorship, empowerment, and a small budget – the team can choose what the employee experience is lacking most and go after it. The employees drive and affect the change, so the change embeds.
The sponsorship piece is key – exec level sponsorship shows that employees are listened to, valued, and trusted to make changes to their own employee experience.
How to ensure you hear your customer loud and clear?
Direct contact is the answer to this one. Roll up your sleeves, get in amongst your customer facing employees and meet your customers where they meet your brand. Observe their experience. Speak to them. Listen.
Do the same with the customer facing employees. Only by watching your ‘shop being shopped’ and speaking to customers live in context will you really understand loud and clear what they need and want, and how your brand is measuring up to their expectations.
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