Customer service is a vital part of the larger customer experience, and is often the touch point that is most responsible for retaining customers that would have otherwise left. Respected cloud solution provider Interactive Intelligence group recently shared five trends that are set to disrupt customer service as an engagement tool in 2016. For companies looking to boost customer loyalty, these trends may prove to be a valuable resource.
Customer-Centricity Breaks Down Silos Between the Contact Center, Enterprise, and External Stakeholders: As data technologies advance, the need for better knowledge sharing is becoming more apparent. In becoming more customer-centric, companies must bridge the gap between data silos and ensure that all employees, from every department, are able to access necessary tools for providing positive customer experience.
IoT Expands the Omnichannel Experience: The Internet of Things is quickly becoming a reality, and connected devices may very well be the future of customer experience. Much like the explosion of mobile apps, the challenge will be for companies to find ways that IoT can assist them. Finding these best practices will be a huge focus for customer service as they move further into 2016.
Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Hits Prime Time: Artificial intelligence, particularly speech analytics, is already playing an enormous role in customer service interactions. The ability for companies to search through recorded calls using keywords has proven to be a helpful tool in gathering actionable insight.
Digital Natives Finally Get Sophisticated DIY Customer Service: DIY customer service is still in its infancy, but companies are looking to make significant advancements in the technology over the next year. Younger generations are looking for ways to solve technical issues without the need for direct company engagement, and the DIY charge so far is being led by smaller, more agile organizations that are able to quickly adopt these new customer service technologies.
Mobile Everything: It may seem odd to cite mobile as an “incoming” trend, considering how powerful the platform is already. The phenomenon is shifting, however, and mobile engagement is no longer an advantage, it’s a necessity. Customers continue to show increased desire in engaging with brands via mobile apps, and brands without an effective mobile presence are likely to be left in the dust.
As connectivity continues to drive brand messaging, marketers must adapt to new trends in the loyalty marketing space. As brands look toward the year ahead, these trends are certain to demand the attention of marketers looking to get ahead.