Customer loyalty has always been important, but with recent consumer trends, establishing and holding onto that loyalty is more critical now than ever. Consumer behaviors during the pandemic have been changing, but one metric that should interest you is that 75% of consumers said they bought from a variety of brands and around 60% said they had developed a newfound loyalty to these brands. The customer experience has a lot to do with that loyalty.
One of the most powerful customer experiences involves direct interaction with your brand, and that’s often through customer service agents. It’s powerful because it’s personal, and if the ability of that agent to effectively communicate is hampered or impaired, there’s a good chance you’re going to lose the loyalty you had with the consumer. This is why outsourcing your contact center services could be a key strategy for your company.
Long-Term Loyalty
No longer will your target audience keep coming back to you solely because you’ve offered them a points/rewards program. Today’s consumer expects more. They can be enamored by your products and services, but if they don’t feel like you value their time and if you don’t let them know how much they mean to you, their sense of connection to your brand will wane.
If the goal is to create long-term customer loyalty, you need to evaluate what your customers mean to you and the ways through which you can let them know. For many companies, this involves reimagining what customer service really is. A promising approach is to invest more time and energy in customer-facing interactions.
Technological Advancements
The best contact centers know what communication technology exists, what is outdated, what is new and improved and how to integrate modern equipment with existing infrastructure. Be wary of too much automated technology, because installing too many artificial intelligence (AI) solutions takes a step back from a humanized and personalized experience. While some AI is perfect for some of the more tedious tasks, it’s a bad tool for a customer expecting a human interaction.
Educating the Workforce
While all reputable contact centers have high-functioning technology that limits dropped calls and hold times, the very best ones know their #1 asset is their agents. Training has to be a high priority if these agents are going to be empowered and informative.
The educational programming should arm the agents with the information they need to answer any query, solve any problem and do it with confidence.
At Protel BPO, we have highly-educated and dedicated individuals representing brands, bringing a sense of warmth and friendliness to every interaction. In fact, it’s not uncommon for our clients to report to us with feedback, such as, “our customers say they feel like they’ve just spoken to a friend.” We’re dedicated to providing premium services at a competitive cost, so contact us and let’s talk about how we can establish more loyalty with your customers.
