In the post-COVID world, providing a great customer experience has never been more important. We are not just talking about the old-school experience of paper carriers delivering the newspapers right to the front door; we are talking about every touch point from subscribers signing up, to making changes to their accounts, to getting questions answered and issues resolved.
This looks different for every company, but many news organizations are now bringing their customer service and contact center operations in-house for several reasons. Anytime you bring a service in-house, you will cut some overhead costs. Moverover, some organizations have also found, in many instances, that this is giving them more control over the customer experience and allowing them to be more agile to adjust to changing demands. Additionally, we are seeing an increase in these organizations implementing omnichannel communications to satisfy customers with varying preferred methods of contact. Gone are the days of simply interacting via a phone call; chatbots, live agent chat, email, text messaging, social media and various other communication options are becoming the norm.
This all boils down to making customers happy, which is essential to the longevity of a brand. In fact, research by Salesforce shows that 88% of consumers say the experience a company provides is as important as its product or services. To investigate this further, my company, TCN, recently conducted an annual survey called, "Consumer Insights about Customer Service," which revealed some valuable insights into consumers’ preferences and trends that could — and should — impact the way customer service centers operate.
For media organizations looking to improve their contact centers, either in-house or through a third party, there are a few key points to keep in mind.
You only get one chance to get it right
Consumers are very likely to ditch a brand after one bad experience. According to the survey, 66% of consumers are likely to abandon a brand after a poor customer service experience. Although this is not entirely new, it is a significant jump from 2021, which showed only 42% likely to do so. This finding highlights the importance of providing the best possible experience at every touch point. No one person or brand is perfect, but doing everything possible to ensure positive interactions will go a long way.
Ten out of 10 would recommend
In addition to ensuring customers stick with your brand by avoiding negative experiences, the ability to grow your customer base is within arm’s reach by simply providing positive experiences. Interestingly, 71% of consumers are likely to endorse a brand when they have a positive encounter. On the contrary, only 7% of respondents said they are unlikely to recommend a brand after such an experience, so the chances of being advocated for are in favor of the brand. Not only will these experiences affect word-of-mouth referrals, but customers leaving positive reviews can also go a long way for brand sentiment. According to a 2022 report by ReviewTrackers, review interactions are up 50% from pre-pandemic levels, so not only are people posting reviews but they are clearly being seen and making an impact.
Your current hold time is
Part of the positive interaction between a brand and its customers starts before they even interact. No one likes waiting on hold, but most people understand that is the nature of contacting customer service departments by phone. The question is: how long is acceptable for your customers? According to the 2022 survey, 14.6 minutes was the average hold time consumers reported experiencing across all industries. This was down 16% from the 2021 average of 17.4 minutes. Although these numbers seem high, we are seeing improvement year over year. The longest wait time of 31 minutes or longer was reported by 23% of respondents in 2021, but only 11% reported this extended wait in the 2022 survey.
Solve the issue on the first call
Once a customer does get through to a live agent to help resolve an issue, the agent's ability to do this on the first call should be a big priority. When asked the top three qualities of a customer service agent for a consumer, the agent’s ability to solve their issue was chosen by 52% of customers. Additionally, ensuring the technology you are using is getting these customers to the right person who can solve these issues is a significant factor in this satisfaction. Some 48% of Americans cited "easy to get through to a live agent" as the most important factor when contacting a company's customer service department.
Having the right customer service team in place is only part of ensuring positive experiences. Equipping this team with the right contact center technology can also make the difference in a customer abandoning your brand after one call or screaming your praise from the rooftops.
To get a hold of Tony Ort (director of media partnerships and marketing director) at TCN, call or email 888-279-8643 or tony.ort@tcn.com.
