3 Smart Steps Every CX Leader Should Take Now
In a year marked by countless unknowns, challenges, and unexpected opportunities, brace yourself for a few more rides on the roller coaster.
Here come the holidays.
For many organizations, what happens between Halloween and New Year’s can define an entire year’s performance and prognosis. This year, you face the additional challenges of maintaining the safety of your customers and employees, accommodating the (perhaps temporary) end to many of the traditional ways you may have served your customers previously, and anticipating your customers’ ever fluctuating needs.
It’s a tall order. But through the course of many recent conversations, I’ve come up with this list of 3 steps that customer-centric companies can take now to ensure they can rise to their customers’ holiday expectations and deliver the level of customer experience needed to keep those relationships strong.
1. Rally and Re-Engage Your Team
As frazzled as your customers (and maybe, you) may be feeling this holiday season, every agent in your contact center knows that this year, will be one of high standards and potential surprises. They need to know they’ve been set up for success. For most customer contact agents now, that starts with being able to work from home instead of the close quarters of an on-site call center. a healthy, safe work environment but it also includes being empowered by reliable technology, and supported by a management team capable of motivating and coaching them. Finally, remember that it’s the holidays for your team members, too. It’s also a final spring in one marathon of a year. Make sure everyone hears you say they’re valued.
2. KISS: Keep It Swift and Simple. Your Customers Need Ease and Convenience
Frazzled customers make difficult callers. In a year that’s been tough on just about everybody, I suspect that holiday consumers will be bringing some heightened emotions into their calls – and place very heighted value on those brands who make their lives easier. And this year, with in-person shopping and service opportunities so greatly diminished, customer experience will be shaped by their phone interactions with your brand. It is imperative that your customer care operation be able to handle spiking call volumes, swiftly route calls according to need, and deliver kind, helpful, accurate information every time. In other words, call centers who have not yet embraced conversational artificial intelligence are more likely to struggle with meeting customer needs.
3. Bring in the Customer Care Experts
Even before the pandemic, so much had already changed in the world of call center technology and at-home call center management. Now, if you’re like most sales organizations, you’re working with unpredictable circumstances and tight margins. If you haven’t yet begun the conversations about outsourcing, now is the time. At Skybridge Americas, we were already fully investing in the IT, people, process, and infrastructure necessary to sail seamlessly through this year’s challenges. We partner with the brands we serve. We embrace our customers’ vision and deliver on it, with every customer on every call. If you would like to know how we can help you meet your CX goals, please reach out. We would love to talk!
-Bobby Matthews
Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Skybridge Americas
bmatthews@skybridgeamericas.com
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