Customer service: how to adapt to consumers' (changing) expectations

Accelerate your digital transformation

Companies are finding it difficult to recruit for optimal customer service and are experiencing increased production costs due to high inflation. One of the quick decisions they have made to counter these increases is to give less service to customers for the same price charged. This is known as the phenomenon of skimpflation. Wages and inflation are rising, so in order to remain profitable at the same rates, some companies are offering fewer services.

To keep the same level of services but with fewer resources, one avenue of solution would be to initiate a digital transformation and innovate to reduce the supply chain. By automating and improving processes, digital transformation can be part of the answer.

Are there ways for organizations to deliver the same promised service offering to customers, but with fewer resources?

One solution is to increase the productivity of their existing employees through specific training. A small but well-trained workforce can achieve similar levels of productivity. There are various government programs and supports with multiple training options that fit the constraints of the companies.

Adopt new communication codes

Younger generations (millennials and zoomers) are more comfortable with instant communication tools, such as chatbots or instant messaging, than with an online advisor.
Developing a "chatbot" powered by artificial intelligence is the assurance to attract these young generations and to keep them loyal.
The advantages are numerous. In addition to being available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the bots sort out the information and then send back the information they are not able to process. They are also more efficient, faster and sometimes respond more accurately. Employees can therefore focus on higher value-added tasks. All this improves the customer experience.

Taking care of your employee experience

What if we could summarize customer satisfaction as happy employees = happy customers?

Having a customer-focused strategy is commendable. However, focusing on the customer, while neglecting the internal strengths, can be a very short term and unwise strategy. On the contrary, customer and employee satisfaction should be considered as two sides of the same coin. Pursuing a strategy to improve the engagement and well-being of its workers can have a positive impact on customer satisfaction and retention.

Indeed, a clear link has been established[1] between employee well-being and customer satisfaction. Happy employees are more likely to provide better service and therefore better customer satisfaction.

If an employee is happy in his or her position and in the company, he or she will increase efforts to solve a problem experienced by a customer. In return, the latter will be more inclined to renew their experience with the company: a customer who is taken care of is more easily loyal, even if he or she does not always win. This is especially true in sectors where customer service is paramount, such as retail, tourism or restaurants.

It is therefore essential for companies to do everything possible to maximize the well-being of their employees in order to hope to retain their customers.

Perception of customer services shaken by effect of pandemic

According to a Zendesk survey, the shortages and delays experienced during the various restrictions related to the pandemic have changed the perception of millennials and zoomers who are becoming more tolerant of supply chain issues, but are now more demanding of the quality of customer service given by companies.

Conclusion
Businesses are facing particularly strong headwinds. Unfavorable economic conditions combined with supply chain issues and a new relationship with employees have a direct impact on customer service.
Companies must therefore redouble their efforts (and creativity) to ensure that their customer service maintains the same quality standards. It's all about doing as much with less!

Improving productivity through training, accelerating digital transformation, adapting to the new communication modes of the younger generations and ensuring that employees are happy at work are all avenues to consider in order to face all of today's challenges and meet the expectations of future generations of consumers.

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