A Clear, Comprehensive Approach to Customer Journeys Delivers Your CX Program to Glory
Summertime is upon us again, and for many people worldwide, this summer is particularly special because it brings the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The Olympics are a celebration of athleticism and the ideal of peace between the world’s nations, and perhaps no other event draws the attention of a global audience quite as well.
The Olympic torch symbolizes this event, being lit in Greece (home of the ancient Olympics, as well as the first of the modern Games in 1896) and relayed, torchbearer by torchbearer, to the location of the current Games, arriving just in time for the Opening Ceremony. This year, more than 12,000 individuals in Greece and Brazil have the honor (and responsibility) of carrying the torch for a portion of its journey; the flame was lit on April 21, and it will arrive in Rio on August 5.
Given today’s ever-expanding customer journey, wherein the average customer experience involves nearly six distinct channels of engagement and the customer seeks resolution of his or her concerns, regardless of the channels involved, with as little effort as possible, providing the perfect customer experience strikes me as being much like the relay of the Olympic torch. Countless small elements of the journey need to be handled just right, managed with a unified sense of purpose, to ensure the torch is delivered successfully to its moment of glory—in a business’s case, providing the experience its customers desire, to be rewarded with their loyalty and advocacy. It takes commitment and dedication, and people are watching.
According to Zendesk, 72% of customers blame their bad customer service experience on having to explain their problem to multiple people. This echoes in part the findings of the NICE BCG 2016 Customer Survey, which identified “having to speak with multiple representatives and repeat the information” as a primary reason (cited by 32% of respondents) customers stopped doing business with someone. These companies simply aren’t bridging valuable pieces of the customer journey into a clear, manageable scheme; without compiling all relevant information into a single source, they demand more effort from their customers, and lose many as a result. The torch isn’t getting from start to finish.
The 2015 Global State of Multichannel Customer Service Report found that 62% of global customers have stopped doing business with a brand or organization due to a poor customer service experience. As per the NICE BCG 2016 Customer Survey, successfully passing the torch comes most commonly as a result of producing these five moments for customers:
- Their issue is resolved immediately.
- The agent already knows what the customer needs, and provides an immediate solution.
- The agent already knows what the customer has done via self-service channels.
- The customer’s information and actions are forwarded from department to department.
- The organization answers the customer’s routine needs proactively.
Learn about the many ways your organization can deliver those winning moments for customers, and relay that torch from the moment it’s lit to the moment it achieves glory for your brand. And don’t forget to watch the Olympic Games. (Go U.S.A.!)