A stellar customer service experience can give your organization the competitive edge it needs to stand out. But how can you provide the best of the best customer experience?
Metrigy’s new eBook on Guided Customer Experience outlines how customers are engaging digitally, and what organizations can do to meet their needs.
The Growth of Digital Customer Transactions
We know that communicating with businesses via digital channels is quickly becoming the preferred way to interact, with 58% of people now using digital channels and 50% of all transactions starting digitally. Digital channels typically have some visual component, but usually it’s text—as in typing over SMS, webchat, or social media. Digital channels include:
- Webchat, Co-browse, Social Media, SMS/MMS, Email, Messaging Services, Video, In-app messaging, and AI-enable Virtual Assistants
When customers start in digital channels, 39% are escalated to a PSTN call and 61% are successfully closed. Journeys include physical, digital, and voice. Customers likely start with visits to physical locations, website visits, social media, and searches.
How Can Digital Channels Provide Better Visual Engagement?
When asked if they use visual engagement software in customer interactions, survey participants answered the following:
- 5.2% were unsure
- 35.7% answered no
- 59.1% answered yes
Visual engagement enhances customer interactions by moving beyond messaging, email, or voice communications. When companies interact with their customers using enhanced visuals, they are providing a Guided Customer Experience or Guided CX.
Digging Into Guided CX
Guided CX uses whatever virtual applications are necessary to see, show, or share, ultimately guiding the customer through a process to completion. Nearly 60% of companies use some form of visual engagement components, which include the following:
1. Screen Sharing – Customer service or sales reps often need to see what’s on the customer’s
screen, or show the customer what’s on their screens. Agents achieve this by:
- Sharing screenshots of images from their computer screen.
- Viewing the customers’ screens, with their permission, and using a pointer to show customers where to click or verbally advise them what to type to properly complete a transaction.
- Control customers’ screens to more quickly resolve a problem — typically a software
- application or computer issue.
2. Video – Customer service or sales reps may find they can more quickly guide the customer experience by launching a video conference. This may include:
- One-way video – Customers can show service agents appliance installation problems and the agents can troubleshoot just using voice.
- One-to-many video – Customers in a personalized transaction (legal advice, accounting consultation, telehealth visit) can see their lawyer, accountant, or clinician over video to establish a more trustworthy interaction.
When customers can visualize the problem they’re having, vs. verbally explaining, it takes a shorter amount of time to solve the problem, but with an added human element of either voice or video. Solving problems becomes easier and human connection grows stronger.
To meet customers where they’re engaging and with an experience that will make it easier for the agent and the customer, consider a Guided CX framework. Download the new Metrigy eBook to get started on leveling-up your customer experience.
