Last week, a customer called us to personally thank the customer care executive who had serviced him so well when he was in the hospital. When we thanked the customer for his feedback we informed him that the “executive” he was referring to was in fact our AI-driven bot. The customer was stunned, to say the least!
Saying the pandemic has been the point of inflection for the acceleration of digital CX has all the makings of a cliché. Nevertheless, with the reset of corporate history into BC (before the onset of Covid-19) and AC (after the onset of Covid-19), customers and firms have shifted lock, stock and barrel from the offline world to the online world. In this context, I have distilled a five-step approach, from my own experience, for delivering the seamless and convenient digital experiences that customers demand.
Before, we get into guide, let us understand the meaning of digital customer experiences:
What is digital customer experience excellence?
When digital technology comes into play in all business areas resulting in several changes as to how a business operates and thus provides an elevated products experience to the customer, or employees with the help of technology.
- Exceptional customer service will always be embedded in providing services to the customers in the way they need and want. Here, the digital channels enable the companies to be there 24x7 with the customers.
- The online and offline responsiveness in terms of CX is evolved entirely with the help of digital transformation.
- Customer reliability amongst the customer has naturally gained trust because of constant usage of online mediums to explore and buy the product.
Read also: What is customer service?
5 steps guide to building customer-centric digital experiences
- Understanding: The first step, which is often overlooked, is to develop a thorough understanding of what customers are actually saying. While it may be tempting to only mine the plethora of feedback customers send in via available contact channels, this may provide an inaccurate reading on customer perspectives. Since research has shown that customers with negative experiences are more motivated to reach out to provide feedback, there is a solid case for reaching out to customers via Net Promoter System (NPS) surveys and focus group discussions in order to obtain balanced feedback.
- Categorization: The next step, albeit a subtle one, is to classify customer needs into two groups: stated and unstated. While stated needs are obvious and well-articulated, the latent ones are signposts we need to look out for.
This came into play for us at the start of the pandemic. While customers primarily reached out to us for insurance related services, we noted an unstated customer need behind the surge of enquiries; a need for medical assistance and advice. Especially since lockdowns in response to the global health emergency prevented hospital visits and deprioritized the day-to-day ailments of customers. So, we launched a simple but highly effective digital solution called 'doctor on chat', which allows customers to access free medical advice using a digital consultation with our set of empaneled doctors using text, video or audio through our mobile app. - Process analysis: The third step is to create an inventory of the current processes and systems. Typically, one finds a gap between the walk and the talk. While many firms shout about customer services from every rooftop, there are very few companies that truly have customer-facing processes and systems rather than siloed, department-led systems and processes.
- Lean: The succeeding step is to re-engineer this landscape using the principles of Lean Six Sigma. Get the basics right, have a solid foundation in place and make the entire firm customer-facing.
- Select your tech: The last step, which is normally the first step for many, is to then launch the right digital solution. It is extremely important to fit the solution to the need and not the other way round. The temptation to latch on to the latest tech buzzword in town and then force-fit that system to a need should be completely overcome.
To access more insights from K V Dipu tune into our upcoming webinar: Building the bridge between marketing and analytics.
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