Customer Experience – How technology has helped companies reinvent themselves

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Since 2020, when businesses found themselves having to close their doors, they realized how urgent it was to invest in customer experience. Something that had already been said by communication and marketing futurists suddenly became the way to face the crisis that was coming.

More than facing the passage of time, to stay in the market, it was also necessary to adapt and understand how this reinvention would become a constant.

According to a study commissioned by Microsoft, 82% of small, medium and micro companies see investment in new technologies as the way to resume business in the current scenario.

This number is even higher in the view of leaders of large whatsapp mobile number database free download companies, where 91% say that the pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and the adoption of new technologies. All of this is linked to the strategy of improving the customer experience.

New technologies are here to stay. Since last year, things have accelerated a bit and many companies have had to reinvent themselves. It is no wonder that 98% of medium to large companies have implemented new tools or processes to adapt to the new scenario.

Hybrid models, such as home office or remote work, have generated so many savings that many companies intend to maintain them, regardless of the pandemic.

New “no touch” equipment and devices have emerged, in addition to equipment activated by voice recognition, online service systems, new applications, etc.

In this context, new process dynamics and software also come into play. Technology has arrived without asking permission and is boosting performance. Technology focused on customer experience has shown that with it, there is no crisis!

How to improve customer experience?
First of all, it is important to emphasize that this content is about customer experience, which is different from the internet user experience. However, the context also moves at some point through UX design and UI Design . However, we will not go into the details of UX and UI here.

It is inevitable to mention the pandemic scenario, as it was what made companies accelerate the processes of digital transformation and adoption of new technologies to:

Reach new customers
Engage and connect with active customers
Recover inactive customers
Integrate teams
Work remotely
Etc
Next, we will discuss how technology has helped companies reinvent themselves, both from the point of view of internal and external customers.

5 Steps to Improve Customer Experience – The Time to Act is Now!
Investing in customers is the best strategy for building customer loyalty and retaining talent. Customer loyalty is rare these days. Retaining talent is also not easy.

Although the job market is complicated, the values ​​of the many generations competing for jobs differ. But the good news is that it is possible to reconcile all of this by investing in new technologies focused on customer experience. However, in an increasingly competitive and volatile market, it is necessary to know how to prioritize for the investment to be worthwhile.

First of all, it is important to emphasize that, depending on the situation and size of the company, it may be necessary to give up something in order to have resources to invest. Whether in new technologies, new processes, training, or other factors. In some cases, for example, it is not a question of giving up material resources, but rather conservative work models.

So, to begin with, it is essential to make a plan. Having spreadsheets and everything that allows you to visualize an overview of priorities will help. Otherwise, there is a great risk of losing the investment and still being an outdated company.

This observation is made in light of the history of sudden changes in priorities and needs, both of consumers (external customers) and of companies.

In a year and a half, the market has quickly learned about adapting infrastructure for employees, planning and forecasting. And everything can change in an instant again. But one thing will not change: the value and priority on customer experience.

That said, let’s look at the 5 steps to start improving the customer experience.
1 – Make your customers’ lives easier
The pandemic has not made people less demanding. Quite the opposite. In some aspects, they have become more discerning and attentive. In addition, people have come to value sensitivity and humanity in customer service more. Even if a company uses a bot, it must be programmed in the most human way possible.

That's why the first tip is: make your customer's life easier. Provide solutions and accessibility. If your support channel is a PABX, have the option to 'speak to an attendant'.

Ensure fast and humanized support, with at least one channel where the external customer can speak directly to an internal customer. And, above all, invest in the security of these channels, for both.

WhatsApp, for example, has become even more popular. And this is a channel that has truly brought people closer to companies. But be careful! Your employee must use a corporate device. For several reasons. And compliance with the LGPD – General Data Protection Law is one of them.

The dynamism of applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram also makes customer service more flexible. However, it is important to note that customer service must have set hours to avoid overloading the internal customer.

2 – Invest in supporting your internal customer
Your team is the one that will provide the best external customer experience. If the team is well trained and well cared for, this humanization will reverberate.

Therefore, expanding online channels is essential. As far as possible, adopting and maintaining remote work will certainly promote savings, flexibility and new possibilities. However, there needs to be an adaptation phase, as with any change. New work models, applications and programs may be necessary to closely monitor, even remotely, the new employee experience (EX).

The well-known phrase “kindness begets kindness” also applies here. A positive experience reflects on the company from the inside out. A survey shows that 69% of agents in large companies feel overwhelmed. This figure rises to 71% in medium-sized companies. To improve this internal customer experience, conducting surveys and working with internal marketing is an efficient way.

3 – Learn how to create smart data storage, have space in the Cloud and automate processes
Centralize your internal and external customer information in a cloud-based database. This is basic. Many companies that already had this database were able to overcome or adapt more quickly by having this customer profile mapped.

The more information you have about your customer, the better. Purchase period. Average ticket. Preferences, needs and desires. In short, use tools, preferably automated ones, to solve your customers’ problems. Be the accessible solution and show that you understand their pain. More than that, you know their pain and have the “remedy”.

In this context, the “remedy” depends on your business. You may need a software system so that your customer does not have to repeat information to each number or attendant they speak to. Or, your business solves your customer’s life through an app channel.

The only thing that is independent of the business here is the need for automation and data storage. In addition, of course, to mechanisms for obtaining and mapping this data.

4 – Invest in training and agile methodology
When a company invests in its internal customers, the likelihood of retaining talent increases. This, in turn, will reflect their satisfaction and will lead to innovation proposals.

The internal customer is the one who has direct contact with the external customer. In other words, they are the richest source the company has to innovate and meet the expectations of its audience, improving the customer experience and standing out from the competition.

High-performance, recognized and empowered teams are 35% more likely to suggest internal adjustments and external solutions after more careful service. With agile knowledge, problem-solving gains performance and innovative paths. This directly reflects on the satisfaction of all customers.

5 – Synchronization and Personalization
With the adoption of digital tools, keeping the company in sync may not be simple, but once implemented and adapted, it is something that will facilitate personalized service and will certainly improve the customer experience.

In other words, the synchronization we are referring to here is the grouping of data that, when stored in the cloud, promotes better performance when providing service. But for this to happen, of course, the right tools and software must be used.

To personalize the customer experience, you need to have a unified profile. More than 70% of customers who contact your company expect personalized experiences. After all, it is a common practice in the market.

Relationships are another investment that does not require as much technology, but has to do with the data mapping and automation that we have already mentioned in this content.

However, for specific cases that require even more in-depth customization, it is necessary to invest in the front-end to be able to interpret data in the back-end, and thus have even more privileged information.

Of everything we've talked about so far, cybersecurity is certainly the most important point to guarantee this customer experience in the face of so many technologies.