In the Post-Pandemic World, Customer-Centric Service Is Critical

Jul 15, 2021 • Features • Digital Transformation • Aquant • Covid-19 • customer experience

In the first article of a series of excerpts from a recent white paper published by Aquant, we look at the importance of providing exceptional customer experience in the post-pandemic world.

This feature is just one short excerpt from a white paper published by Aquant

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The acceleration of digital technologies in every sector from grocery delivery to banking created customer expectations that are higher than ever. And there’s every indication that it will remain this way.

Customers want effortless service interactions. To win hearts and wallets, you have to provide interactions that go beyond “good.” Every interaction should feel personalized while also aiming to wow. For service organizations, the expectation is that you’ve joined all the dots before a service ticket is placed.

For many organizations who are already in the midst of transformation projects, the question is how to pivot technology adoption and service delivery to achieve those goals. For some, Net Promoter Score (NPS) has been the best way to do that. They monitor loyalty and metrics and give companies intel on how users feel about services — but in the current landscape, where time is money, there are a few drawbacks. Often, the feedback is too ambiguous, arrives too late, and lacks full context, rendering companies powerless to change outcomes.

NPS can’t tell you why a customer left a particular rating, doesn’t explain why clients are loyal, and doesn’t provide guidance on how to improve your services. When measured alone, NPS leaves a lot of room for interpretation and little for prevention.

Additionally, NPS won’t help service leaders innovate, nor can it help teams achieve opposing business goals. There is a need to improve customer experiences, but it’s likely you’ve also been tasked with hitting other goals including cost savings and service efficiencies.

A better way to deliver exceptional experiences, manage relationships, and work towards larger company goals is to use preexisting service data as a guide. Innovative organizations are looking at artificial intelligence’s (AI) capabilities to surface critical data and bring insights and knowledge to the forefront. Organizations are realizing that it can take twice as much effort to repair a broken customer relationship than maintain a healthy one. To start predicting customer issues before client relationships sour, use data to contextualize your current offerings and relationships.

Strenghten Relationship by Defining Them

Modern technology is convenient: clients can research and decide to go with another manufacturer or provider at any given point. Therefore, you need to do everything in your power to earn and keep your customers’ loyalty. A good way to start is by making sure that you are differentiating your products and services.

Yet isolated answers can’t provide the big picture, even with the help of KPI data. It can still be a challenge to see the underlying health of your organization or customer relationships.

Seemingly-healthy dashboards may be one issue away from bubbling over, making it more crucial than ever to adopt the right tools to unearth and manage your metrics.

Consider the Following:

If you were the customer, why would you choose your company’s product or service?
Do your goals align with your clients’?
How are you ensuring that you’re meeting customer expectations?
Are you measuring your clients’ loyalty beyond NPS?
Are you at risk of losing any customers?
If your largest client decided to choose another product or service, how would this impact your business?