Good to Great: Crafting Killer Digital Experiences for Exceptional Results
September 30, 2024
Digital interaction channels such as text/SMS, webchat, social messaging, and email have overtaken voice as the channel of choice for many consumers – and for good reason. In fact, according to the Five9 Customer Survey Index, 45% of customer interactions have shifted to digital channels globally, with a majority of customer interactions taking place through non-voice or digital channels.
However, digital experiences don’t always live up to customer expectations. The key to truly capitalizing on your digital investments lies in adopting proven best practices that transform your digital customer service from good to great, or even from mediocre to magnificent.
Meeting Both Business and Customer Needs: A Win-Win
Digital engagement offers a win-win for customers and businesses. Customers expect to interact with brands through their preferred channels and want the flexibility to switch channels without having to repeat their issue. They seek out self-service or assisted-service – depending on the situation – for timely, accurate information and issue resolution. A seamless, connected experience across channels is essential for meeting the expectations of modern customers.
At the same time, businesses want to gain and retain customers while increasing agent productivity and reducing costs. Effective use of digital channels helps businesses serve customers more effectively, providing the digitally-driven customer experience (CX) today’s consumers expect.
When done right, digital engagement can transform customer interactions and spark growth through customer loyalty. By supporting the rising demand for self-service, digital channels allow customers to access information, complete transactions, and receive 24/7 support. Digital engagement can also reduce call volumes, resulting in cost savings, improved agent efficiency, and stronger customer relationships.
“We care about the customer experience and want our customers to tell friends and family about their experience. Leveraging digital technology to make it simple for the customer makes a big difference,” Edgar Avalos, Director of Omnichannel Solutions for Oportun explains. “We’ve seen a 30% reduction in phone calls, which is huge, as we receive on average over 100,000 calls a day, and 30,000 calls were handled on digital channels.”
Avoiding Breakdowns
While offering digital channels is essential, simply having them isn’t enough. There’s nothing more frustrating for customers than an unsuccessful self-service interaction with no option to reach a live agent for help. All too often, customers find themselves desperately pressing zero or repeatedly yelling “representative” into the phone in hopes of reaching a real person.
Unfortunately, CX often breaks down when going from one channel to another, or from self-service to agent-assisted service. Customers must re-enter information, repeat themselves, and start all over when reaching a new agent – creating undue frustration and friction. Businesses need to provide seamless, fluid experiences that retain context and content. This requires breaking down silos between interaction channels and departments, resulting in a unified approach to CX.
Advances in AI are making it easier than ever before for customers to use smart self-service capabilities leveraging digital channels. But, businesses still need to identify the right AI use cases to ensure satisfying customer experiences. Partnering with a vendor that specializes in CX-focused AI is crucial.
Best Practices for Killer Digital Engagement
To get the most out of your organization’s digital engagement efforts and optimize CX, focus on some tried-and-true best practices. Consider the following:
Should you deploy blended or dedicated agents for phone calls and webchat?
How many web chat sessions should an agent handle simultaneously?
Which channels should you implement based on customer preferences and demographics?
How can you boost customer adoption of your digital channels?
What are the most effective applications of AI in your digital strategy?
How can you eliminate channel siloes?
How can AI and analytics enhance proactive engagement by anticipating customer needs and offering solutions?
For insights into optimizing digital engagement, don’t miss the Five9 Fireside Chat on October 8 at 11:00 am PT / 2:00 pm ET. Join me, Five9’s Matt McGinnis and Angela Williams, and Oportun’s Edgar Avalos to see real-life CX scenarios and how they can be improved with digital best practices, and transform your customer service from good to great. We look forward to seeing you there!
