Telemarketing Software Featured Article

The voice of the customer – it’s something that companies need to listen to in order to truly meet needs. The challenge is that customers don’t always want to talk to the companies with which they do business. A closer look at consumer behavior and the desire among those who still have it is fading fast.

A recent Venture Beat report highlighted this trend. As companies continue to invest in telemarketing software to get to the right person at the right time, they also need to pay attention to whether or not that person wants to be reached. Gartner (News - Alert) suggests that by 2020, only 10 percent of interactions between companies and their customers will be voice-based.

This trend is mostly due to the driving shift in the preference for and use of self-service transactions. The 2016 Aspect (News - Alert) Consumer Experience Index showed that 71 percent of consumers want the ability to solve the majority of their customer service issues on their own. This is a seven-point increase from the 2015 index. When they have a good self-service experience, consumers feel good about the brand and themselves.

Chatbots are proving to be the preferred and growing interaction tool, along with automated interactions such as messaging and SMS. Telemarketing software solutions need to be able to accommodate these channels, allowing companies to connect with consumers through the methods they prefer. To ensure success, however, companies need to make sure that these experiences don’t exist in a vacuum.

A staggering 80 percent of consumers expect that previous transactions and interactions are immediately known and available through automated processes. Another 88 percent want an easy and seamless transaction from the chatbot to the live person if the transaction becomes too complex for the chatbot to handle. A robust telemarketing software solution can help in this process, but it’s important to make it a priority.

Gender of the consumer also matters. Women have a higher expectation of the chatbot when it comes to basic information tasks, confirming purchases or checking product availability at a local store. By contrast, men expect the better experience when it comes to completing more complex activities, such as changing a purchase, getting an expert opinion or booking travel. Understanding these differences can help in the process of implementing the chatbot experience.

The key to this success is to develop a strategy that works for the company and for the customers wanting to interact. Find a way to listen to the voice of the customer and execute on their desires to drive the best outcomes.