• IVR Service Provider
• Articles

Voice, Digital, Chat: Customers Want It All

By TMCnet Staff

Not so long ago, you’d phone a company’s call center, speak to a rep there, and usually get your question answered or (hopefully) be transferred to someone else who could help you.

But as technology has raced forward, so have the choices that customers now expect as a matter of course. And according to Cheryl Andrus, Director of Content Marketing and Corporate Communications at call center leader inContact, consumer demand is pushing even greater growth.

“In today’s hyper-modern world, consumers are looking beyond typical customer service. Expectations for infinite choice, instant response, and effortless and personalized experiences are higher than ever,” Andrus wrote in a recent blog post. “The contact center plays a vital role in meeting these extraordinary experiences. Self-service isn’t enough for demanding consumers. Contact center agents are the critical lynchpin in the customer journey.”

To emphasize her case, Andrus points to a recent online survey conducted by Harris Interactive (News - Alert), on inContact’s behalf, that found customers believe a long list of channels are important for service when purchasing online.

“Consumers want a personalized customer journey where they can choose how to communicate from a wide variety of options,” she observed. “These results are consistent with a 2013 Harris study finding that most U.S. adults would switch to brands that offer more channel options.”

Among the communication choices those surveyed wanted, they are, in order selected, Email; Online self-service for order tracking; 1-800 to live reps; Online chat; 1-800 to self-service; and Apps for mobile devices.

The survey shows that there is great desire and interest in even the most recent channel innovations, and as channel options increase, the findings imply that customer expectations for options are only escalating.

Need to know more? inContact will be presenting a deeper dive into its findings at next week’s Enterprise Connect (News - Alert) show at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Fla. inContact’s VP of Integrated Marketing, Madelyn Gengelbach, will be speaking on “Customer Expectations in the Multi-Channel World.” Her presentation takes place from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17. All are invited.