The Tool That Will Shape Customer Experience in 2016

The Tool That Will Shape Customer Experience in 2016

Sven-Olof Husmark |January 6 2016 6 min

In 2016, one technology in particular will help businesses create a great CX as the customer journey spans online and physical environments.

The Tool That Will Shape Customer Experience in 2016

Not long ago, Taco Bell announced they had raised their receipt value by 20% by taking orders through a new digital app.[1] Similarly, Chili’s increased dessert orders 20% after installing self-service tablets at the tables.[2] When we hear stories like these, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that everything in the future will happen online and every transaction will be automated – leading to very little (or no) human interaction in customer service. But it’s impossible to imagine a service world without physical locations and human interaction. We think it’s much more realistic to see how technology will enable successful businesses to make the customer experience (CX) great.

The Tool That Will Shape Customer Experience in 2016

The Drawbacks of Automation

If we pit technology against human in a CX scenario, the human often wins on the ability to be flexible.[3] Consider a clinic environment – if the patient is having trouble understanding something in the registration process, for example, a human service agent can adjust and clarify. A self-serve kiosk can walk the patient through a series of steps, but because the technology is built on a set of rules, it is standardized and incapable of humanizing the interaction.

Other recent research shows that in banking situations, customer satisfaction falls as their total interactions shift away from face-to-face channels and toward automated solutions. Interestingly, over time, there is evidence that customers who have switched to online channels ultimately come into the branch and use the call center more often – actually lowering the cost efficiency of the automated solutions. [4]

As is the case with Taco Bell, Chili’s and in many other service-driven customers environments, technology can simplify the CX to profitable ends. As was seen in banks and clinics, it can also create frustration and cost.

Give Your Employees Smart Mobile Apps

Employee expectations are starting to look a lot like consumer expectations as mobile transforms lifestyles and workplaces. Customers aren’t the only ones demanding better CX. As employees need to serve customers virtually and in physical locations, almost half (45%) are relying on their personal mobile devices, rather than tools and apps provided by their company. While more businesses are picking up on this need and empowering their workforce with technology, the numbers are still small enough to make mobile a competitive advantage.

The Tool That Will Shape Customer Experience in 2016

Giving employees immediate mobile access to relevant, personalized, intelligent information through mobile and wearables can transform customer engagement:

  • Provides customer data useful for personalizing the interaction
  • Connects with customers on their terms, delighting the customer
  • Creates a seamless bridge between online and physical environments
  • Increases staff utilization and situational awareness

Delight Customers Along Their Journey

More businesses are moving toward omnichannel service models creating new opportunities to serve and delight customers. That connection between online and onsite environments means that it’s more important than ever to give employees the tools and information they need to engage customers in the best way possible.

British retailer Marks & Spencer is the perfect example. They made it simpler for employees to provide immediate customer assistance by putting iPads in some of their stores.[5] In the stores equipped with the mobile devices, they saw enormous improvements in the overall customer journey. Employees could help customers find exactly what they want quickly, and closing more sales successfully.

Equipping your team with workforce mobility tools is like giving them the map and the car. They have everything they need to drive success for the organization and to do it in a way that delights everyone they encounter along the journey. And isn’t that what we are all striving for?

Map, define and evaluate your customer journey process based on journey data and insights to attract and keep customers.

[1] How Taco Bell's Ordering App Turns Extra Onions Into Real Money, Bloomberg Money, 2/15, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-04/how-taco-bell-s-ordering-app-turns-extra-onions-into-real-money

[2] Chili's Has Installed More Than 45,000 Tablets in Its Restaurants, The Atlantic, 6/14, http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/chilis-is-installing-tablet-ordering-at-all-its-restaurants/372836/

[3] How Self Service Kiosks are Changing Customer Behavior, HBR, 3/15, https://hbr.org/2015/03/how-self-service-kiosks-are-changing-customer-behavior

[5] M&S Staff join iPad Generation to Help Sell More Clothing and Vino, The Grocer UK, 8/12, https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/home/topics/technology-and-supply-chain/ipads-to-help-ms-staff-sell-more-clothing-and-vino/231563.article

Sven-Olof Husmark

Sven-Olof Husmark

Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, 2013-2017.

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