Connected Customers: They have easy access to staggering amounts of information and channels through which to consume and share it. They are hyper-informed, shockingly self-sufficient, and expect more from you in every interaction. Seventy percent of customers now say they typically know more about the problem they’re facing than the agent helping them does – and that’s not good enough. But it’s not the agent’s fault is it?
By the time a customer engages with you, they’ve already exhausted other resources and they expect real help – and real answers. But we’ve stacked the deck against agents, the very people who are supposed to have those answers. It’s not fair to customers and it’s not fair to agents. We must invest in and prepare agents well before their first customer interaction. Connected Customers simply do not accept excuses for poor customer service—they move on to the next brand, making their opinions universally known, and taking their hard-earned dollars with them.
Are your contact center agents simply equipped to keep up with all of the information customers can access? They need more sophisticated solutions or they’ll always be a step (or several steps) behind our customers. Because customers aren’t calling to check on a simple order status anymore—they already have that information by email and text. They’re calling because the order hasn’t arrived as the tracking information promised. They have very specific and detailed questions that aren’t answered by the FAQ that they’ve already thoroughly scoured and re-reviewed more than once. Only a live person with access to a variety of even more resources can help.
The stakes have been raised. They need Super Agents.
Super Agents have not only the soft-skills, training and technical acumen required to engage those Connected Customers in a timely and appropriate manner, but also access to the modern arsenal of technology and resources required to deliver a customer experience befitting your brand.
Super Agents value the customer’s time and energy. They are equipped and informed to resolve issues quickly and efficiently. They are familiar with and able to quickly navigate systems to provide an exceptional and frictionless customer experience. Super Agents understand and demonstrate your values – and they treat every single customer just as you would.
All customers are now connected. But agents can’t handle Connected Customers – only Super Agents can. And that requires consistent, dedicated provisioning of knowledge, resources, and training. Your agents want to help your customers. And when you invest in them, they will work harder to guarantee customer satisfaction. Check out my article for ICMI to learn more.
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