Here are a few CX strategies to consider.
- Integrate Your Remote Workforce
- Keep Your Team Updated
- Maintain a Growth Mindset
Integrate Your Remote Workforce
With a renewed focus on brick-and-mortar retail, it’s easy to panic and cut your remote workforce. Of course, many companies will need to rehire onsite workers in certain areas.
But think twice before paying your remote customer service agents. While a remote team does miss out on the in-person element, there are many other advantages. You can attract better talent, offer more flexibility, and lower costs.
Rather than abandoning remote customer service reps, look for ways to improve your current setup. Experience.com suggests focusing on engagement first. Engaged teams can increase profitability by 21%, according to Experience Management.
Communication, emotional support, and daily check-ins can help. These can keep your employees engaged. It also allows you to keep the same remote workers for a hybrid online/offline customer experience.
Keep Your Team Updated
As the customer experience evolves, it can impact the way your business operates.
Unaddressed, this can negatively impact your customer experience. Nothing is more disconcerting than contacting a company and being greeted by a confused employee. Or worse, a customer not knowing how to contact a company.
To avoid this, keep your staff informed of any changes that affect the customer experience. Always communicate new customer expectations and behaviors to your team.
In two forms. First, keep your employees informed of any new information. Transmit changes in procedures and policies quickly.
Also, give your employees the tools they need to provide excellent customer service. There are numerous tech tools available to keep your customers happy as they interact with your company. Simple tools like quality communication or complex tools like CRM or CCaaS platforms are examples. While the specifics will vary depending on the situation, keeping your staff well-equipped should be a priority.
Maintain a Growth Mindset
Tools and knowledge are vital in everyday business operations. They help manage the constant stream of small but significant changes to the customer experience. But keep in mind the big picture.
Don’t get attached to a single customer experience formula. With so much in flux, it’s likely that companies will be reacting to change for a while. With so much competition in today’s markets, providing cutting-edge customer service isn’t just a plus. A genuine competitive advantage.
That’s why you must maintain a positive, growth-oriented outlook. Per Carol Dweck, a growth mindset believes that people can continually develop new talents through effort and investment over time.
This is true for a business. As the customer experience evolves, collect and analyze relevant data to inform your customer journey. Treat success as a pit stop on your journey to perfecting the customer experience.
In Conclusion
The customer experience is rapidly evolving right now. The pandemic shifted ecommerce, creating a new customer journey. Things will change again as traditional retail models return.
They probably won’t go “back to normal.” Instead, the customer experience will evolve. It will combine online and offline elements.
Companies of all sizes should work to integrate existing staff, remote or not, into the solution. They should also keep their internal teams informed of any changes. They must also maintain a growth mindset as the customer experience evolves in the future.
If those three elements can be addressed, any organization can gain a competitive advantage in the months and years to come.