There is no doubt that as new technologies emerge they will continue to usher in new ways of doing things and delivering beyond expectations where the customer is concerned is no exception. It, therefore, follows that the modern customer experience needs to be achieved by going beyond traditional customer service techniques.
Yet, achieving this is by no means simple. Recent research reveals that at least 67% of customers state that their standards are higher than ever when measuring the customer service experience. Yet, in the modern era, technology lies at the heart of every customer experience.
Today’s emerging technologies are therefore driving tomorrow’s customer experiences. From cloud technology, to augmented reality, to voice assistants and much more, the new ways to connect with customers will continue to grow. These new technologies can also help to engage with difficult customers over various different platforms.
But, finding the right technologies for your business will allow you to engage with and convert your customers in new ways and will also give your business an edge over competitors who have yet to align technology with the customer experience. By leading customers to new technologies and tools, and incentivising them to use them, you will find better ways to capture both new customers and retain existing ones. Here are some of the latest technologies that can be used in conjunction with existing platforms such as Call Centres and Contact Centres.
Technologies that improve the customer experience
As new technologies continue to emerge, today’s businesses must find the right digital tools to create a positive customer experience, entrench brand loyalty and drive sales. Here are some of today’s key technologies that can improve the customer experience. Chances are you are already using some of them.
The Cloud
With new technologies emerging at a rapid rate, the number of available sales channels increases. Think about the different ways in which consumers can make purchases today. Such as regular brick-and-mortar shops, phone orders, mobile apps like Uber Eats – there are endless options to choose from. Most businesses currently use at least eight different channels to engage the customer. No matter what channels customers prefer to use, brands are able to gather, centralise and manage the data. More and more organisations are relying on cloud technologies to manage customer interactions, integrating every touchpoint into a central repository.
Chatbots
With smartphones and mobile search capabilities, most consumers today have become accustomed to gaining immediate answers to their queries and instant access to web solutions. Nevertheless, research indicates that as far as online queries go customers are willing to wait up to four hours to gain a response, yet 90% of these queries are not dealt with on time. This failure to respond has a negative impact on sales conversions, revenue generation and brand reputation and sustainability. Yet, chatbots, which are an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered technology designed to engage customers, have rapidly overtaken certain customer service functions since they are able to address customer queries and fulfil the demand for instant customer support.
Voice Capabilities add value to the customer experience
Voice capabilities have begun to gain traction in adding value to the customer experience using technologies such as Google Home and Amazon Echo. In recent years, research shows that at least 31 million people in the United States alone used a smart speaker to shop. The consumer buying process that is equipped with voice capabilities is a very useful customer tool since it harnesses data and audio feedback to ensure that the customer’s task is simpler and more seamless. Hence, using voice commands can make for a speedy shopping experience.
Smartphones
The most important technology we have these days that can be leveraged in so many ways for a better customer experience is the smartphone. From any smartphone a customer can access the cloud, call and send texts via SMS that are answered by chatbots, use VR/AR tools, and shop, educate, inform and interact with customers using voice capabilities. However, what is also hugely important is that customers want to be assured that their data is secure. Hence, the smartphone is still the best gateway tool that can be used to shop, research and review products.
