10 Barriers to Customer Delight — and How Digital Customer Service Can Overcome These

We talk a lot about delighting customers and how great digital-first omnichannel customer service software can help agents provide service that customers love — and do so more efficiently.

But we’re practical too, and we know that delighting customers isn’t an end in itself because all businesses have to think of the bottom line. In fact, customers who are emotionally engaged with a brand are more likely to be loyal and are willing to spend more. So, investing into customer delight makes sense, no matter what your point of view.

But there are very specific barriers to customer delight — by which I mean there are very specific things that customers hate about the service status quo.

Here’s a top 10 roundup of what annoys customers most, and how digital customer service and the right training can solve these problems, leading to more delighted customers and a quantifiable ROI.

1) Slow response time. 32% of users who contact a brand on social media expect a response within 30 minutes, and 42% expect a response within 60 minutes. (Source: Forrester)

Solution: digital customer service that works in real time. With the right digital-first omnichannel customer service software, agents have the tools they need to respond at the speed of now. Another advantage is proactive listening technology, which allows agents to offer active care and assistance and to reach out to potential customers.

2) Lack of empathy. Customers complain when agents don’t make an effort to empathize with their situation. (Source: TransCosmos)

Solution: training for empathy. With the right soft-skills training, digital-first omnichannel customer service agents get the techniques and freedom they need to communicate with empathy. They’ll be better prepared to actively listen to customers and respond in kind rather than reading from a script. In addition, CRM gives agents more information about each customer, so they can empathize more easily.

3) Canned responses. Scripted phrases such as “your call is very important to us” drive customers crazy. (Source: American Express)

Solution: personalized language. Again, this is in part a training issue that must be encouraged by management. Social media is inherently social and interpersonal, and contact center agents should be encouraged to use personal language, beginning with first names.

4) No consistency. 37% of respondents mention “being passed around” as a primary complaint. Customers want to deal with a single agent from the beginning of their interaction until the end. (Source: UK Mirror)

Solution: intelligent routing. The right digital-first omnichannel customer service solution includes intelligent omnichannel routing, which means that repeat customers are routed to the same customer service agents on multiple occasions. This allows relationships to build over time, improving the quality of the service and delighting customers more often.

5) Channel hopping. Customers resent having to move through different social media channels attempting to get a response. They prefer companies that offer digital-first omnichannel customer service. (Source: eGain)

Solution: omnichannel services. Brands using digital customer service should first understand which channels their customers prefer, then deliver exemplary digital customer service across all these channels. This is possible because of the way that digital customer service enabes agents to act efficiently.

6) Wrong tone. 65% of online customers prefer a casual tone, but it’s more important for the agent to use a tone that’s appropriate to the situation. (Source: Software Advice)

Solution: tone training. Agents should be encouraged to use the right tone with customers, depending on the situation and the customer. Doing so is easier when agents know more about each customer. It also helps when your agents are hand-picked and properly trained.

7) No apology. When things go wrong, customers expect an apology. Receiving one tends to double their level of satisfaction. (Source: Carey School of Business)

Solution: apologies when necessary. Customer service agents shouldn’t be afraid of saying sorry. Of course, empathetic customer service is about more than this of course. There are certainly situations where the customer expects an apology, and agents should be ready, willing, and able to deliver.

8) Repetition. Customers hate having to explain their problems or enter their personal details with multiple agents or on multiple channels. (Source: TransCosmos)

Solution: CRM integrations of customer info. CRM is one of the most valuable tools for a digital customer service agent. This database of customer information tells agents more about repeat customers, which allows them to serve customers more effectively and in a more personalized manner.

9) No compensation. When things go wrong, most customers expect compensation, whether this is a discount or something else. (Source: Carey School of Business)

Solution: empower agents.Digital-first omnichannel customer service technology gives customer service agents the tools they need to do their job better. And in turn, digital customer service necessitates a different approach to customer service KPIs, which gives agents more power and independence than in classic call centers.

Digital-first omnichannel customer service technology gives customer service agents the tools they need to do their job better. And in turn, digital customer service necessitates a different approach to customer service KPIs, which gives agents more power and independence than in classic call centers.

10) Lack of personalization. Customers demand personalized service, and this means everything from knowing the customer’s name to knowing about his or her past interactions with the company. (Source: TransCosmos)

Solution: human-centric service. When agents know more about each customer due to CRM, and when management encourages them to take more time with each customer due to adjustments in KPIs, agents are in a better position to offer the truly personalized service that customers demand. The results are more efficiency in the contact center and more delighted customers.

Interested in learning other ways the digital age is changing customer expectations? Check out our webinar, Digital – First Customer Service: The Future is Here Today.