When it comes to customer service, businesses need to prepare for the multi-channel demands of next generation consumers or get left behind. That’s the verdict following a survey that discovered just seven per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds will call a business – even in relation to a high value sales query. The research reveals that one in five prefer to buy from businesses that offer multiple channels of communication.
It’s not just young people who are turning their backs on the telephone with only 12% of people aged 16-55 preferring to call a business.
The research findings highlight the need for a brand new approach to customer service. Magnetic North’s guide, the new rules of the inbound contact centre, now available to download, says the industry needs to rip up the old rules of customer service, or risk losing customers.
Traditional customer service v multiple channels
In a traditional call centre, ‘inbound’ meant incoming calls, but now, inbound should mean both instant communication such as telephone calls or chat, and email or social media posts that don’t necessarily require an instant reaction – although speed of response is still vital. The guide also reveals how to handle multiple channels including calls, emails, chat, social media.
Commenting on the research, Enda Kenneally, VP sales & business development UK&I, Magnetic North, said: “As we see the rise of a more customer-centric type of business, the contact centre is increasingly expected to contribute to revenue generation. In order to build customer loyalty and stand out against the competition, businesses need to deliver exceptional personalised customer experiences.
“Responding to customer demands is a huge challenge for businesses and the old rules of ‘answer it quickly and dispatch it quickly’ are simply no longer sufficient. In order to achieve contact centre success, we need new technology, new skills and new strategies. So we’re ripping up the old rulebook and writing a new one.”