Customer Obsession - The Path to Gaining a Competitive Edge

UC Unplugged

Customer Obsession - The Path to Gaining a Competitive Edge

By TMCnet Special Guest
Chris Koziol
  |  June 03, 2014

Today’s tech-savvy consumer is very skilled at juggling multiple communication modes. Whether it’s the Internet, the phone, text or talking, people today are immersed in data and have grown to expect immediate, always-on access to these channels for gathering, sharing, and verifying information. For brands, this means communications consistency and experience alignment in all operations is crucial to building and sustaining exception customer relationships.

Consumers expect their questions and concerns to be addressed in the same speed that they themselves consume information: through seamless and contiguous interaction on multiple channels and platforms. They want an omni-channel service experience where they are able to move from chat to phone without the hassle of repeating their personal details and experiences, or getting different answers from different people.

One of the industry leaders in omni-channel customer service today is Trupanion, a provider of medical insurance for pets. Trupanion recognized that having omni-channel customer service capabilities would give it a competitive edge. It had several disparate systems in place: e-mail, chat, and phone, with a lack of support and significant switching costs. The company recognized customers’ frustrations and the impact it had on the company’s bottom line.

As a result, Aspect (News - Alert) worked with Trupanion to overhaul its entire customer contact and workforce optimization infrastructure. The overhaul has allowed Trupanion customers to manage the interactions they have with the company’s agents on their terms. By putting customers in control of how they want to engage with the company, Trupanion is living up to its motto, “customer preferences first.” Regardless of whether customers use chat or phone to initiate contact, they can move seamlessly from channel to channel and connect to the same agent. Not only has this resulted in increased efficiency in resolving issues, more importantly, Trupanion customers can now get questions answered and issues resolved on their terms while developing deeper relationships with the agents with whom they interact.

The success of Trupanion’s omni-channel capabilities is a clear sign of where the contact center industry is headed. Companies creating customer obsession cultures and placing the consumers’ experience above everything else will give them a competitive advantage. Delivering truly remarkable experiences will keep their customers loyal and help them win the hearts and the wallets of today’s consumer.

Chris Koziol is president and general manager of the interaction management division at Aspect (www.aspect).




Edited by Maurice Nagle