End the year with an excellent customer experience that will be memorable for your customers and staff.
The end of 2022 brings not only the expected holiday season but also a challenging context for retailers and the world.
The global economic crisis, the war between Russia and Ukraine, and inflation in every continent are inviting customers to question how they are going to face this season, having to prepare special encounters and buy gifts. The global crisis also makes people re-evaluate their spending habits and approach purchasing decisions with more scrutiny.
So, it is expected that the holiday season will be busy and crowded for retailers and other industries. And those brands that can offer a service and product of great value along with an easy, convenient and meaningful experience stand a better chance of maintaining customer loyalty.
Now, the question is how businesses can improve their customer experience (CX) during this time of the year, despite the challenges, and show their customers that their experience is valued.
Make the difference
Most of the time, the customer journey is multi-faceted, constantly transitioning from purchasing online to checking out a product in the store to returning home to buy it through the website. Direct purchases are not as constant as they used to be, and the customer is constantly changing their journey and looking forward to enjoying the experience both outlets (digital and in-store) have to offer.
So, how can your business make a difference during the holiday season and in the years to come?
The most effective way to ensure that the service provided is outstanding is by being able to implement a unified omnichannel experience augmented with CX automation. Your business can quickly assist its human support teams while providing a quality CX by integrating automation software into its omnichannel strategy.
59% of customers quantify that the pandemic has increased their service expectations, expecting human and automated support to provide them with an excellent and memorable experience.
Create a GREAT CX
Acquiring new customers is more expensive than maintaining existing ones. Even in times of economic uncertainty, if a customer is already loyal to the brand and believes that it delivers a good service or product, they will continue to purchase the brand's products or services.
Businesses that recognize the importance of keeping existing customers happy while still engaging with new leads will see continual growth in customer loyalty, even in competitive scenarios and challenging economic periods.
At ACF Technologies, our goal is to boost retailers' proposals and how they approach their customers. That’s why we’ve developed smart software like Q-Anywhere. This platform combines Appointment Scheduling and Queue Management so that customers can have a great CX by virtually booking appointments through WhatsApp, queuing anywhere, and receiving real-time information from anywhere and in their language of preference. An omnichannel experience that aims to break boundaries.
Make technology your ally
According to research done by Hubspot:
- The average e-commerce site sees between 100% and 200% traffic spikes during the holiday shopping season.
- 75% of mobile users admit to abandoning a slow website in favor ofa brand competitor.
- It only takes 3 seconds for half of the e-commerce customers to abandon a website.
When anticipating higher demand, brands can take two roads: leave the e-commerce and in-shop experience the same or ramp up the number of new staff members working in their centre.
To help permanent staff and seasonal staff reach their goals and, at the same time, avoid overcrowding in stores and digital spaces, it helps to complement the service they are providing with automated channels.
By doing so, you boost your agent's productivity and response times by allowing them to focus on tasks that require human interaction and attention. With improved attention to their needs, the customer is more likely to stay through the whole customer journey instead of abandoning the process.
Give your customers the power of self-service
Long queues, having to wait long periods of time, and also waiting for a response from customer service may frustrate customers and prompt them to abandon the customer journey. Prevent this by providing an excellent CX. Automate the vital steps within the customer journey and allow customers to resolve their issue via self-service tools such as AI-powered services, chatbots, and video calls where customers can contact sales representatives and ask their questions.
Further, by incorporating Q-Anywhere, your business will be able to give customers the freedom they need to manage their wait times, know where they stand in the queue and receive notifications on their phones through different channels such as WhatsApp and SMS.
Provide Smart Solutions during the busiest times of the year
According to Adobe’s Digital Insight Report, online shopping is expected to top $200 billion for the first time in history. While e-commerce is gaining significant ground, still, Accenture’s report shows that customers are looking forward to in-store, in-person experiences again.
The research also shows that 70% of digital natives want the in-store experience, while 46% of customers will be buying online. Moreover, 43% are expecting fast and free shipping, while 70% expect curbside service or home delivery options facilitated through self-service.
The acceleration of CX and the expectations are higher than ever. So, this season embraces the opportunity to provide an excellent CX and welcome 2023 like an expert.
