#17 | DCX - Perspectives and insights in digital customer experience
3 Ways Digital and Call Center Teams Can Work Together to Deliver Better CX; 5 Podcasts to Improve Your CX Skills; Links to Industry news, ideas, insights, and the DCX Thought Leader Profile
Have 5 minutes to complete a survey? Your thoughts are appreciated.
3 Ways Digital and Call Center Teams Can Work Together to Deliver Better CX
Introduction
Call centers are being called upon to deliver a better customer experience than ever before. They have to do this while handling more complex, multi-channel interactions and playing a larger role in customer loyalty initiatives, such as retention and upselling. But call centers don't always have all the information they need at the right time; to get there, they need the support of digital teams who can help them deliver seamless customer experiences across channels and touchpoints.
Here are some ways that digital teams can partner with call center agents to improve CX.
With better digital experiences and processes, call centers can deliver a more seamless customer experience.
Digital is a key piece of the puzzle in providing an exceptional experience and digital teams need to work closely with their call center counterparts to make sure they are delivering on their promise. One of the best ways to deliver a seamless customer experience is through Digital integration at the technology and process level.
1. A shared platform allows all teams to see the same data.
The ability to see the same data across channels is essential in delivering a seamless customer experience.
With a shared platform, your digital and call center teams can collaborate on a single set of customer information and insights, enabling them to be more efficient and connected than ever before. Data from both teams is visible in one place, allowing them to share information easily without having to waste time or resources on manual data transfers between systems.
This enables the right people to have access at the right time—and in the right format—to make decisions quickly and confidently. This can be particularly helpful when it comes to identifying issues or trends that affect customers’ experiences across channels and touchpoints.
Demonstrating the power of this approach, Nordstrom, one of the most digitally advanced retailers in the world, uses a shared customer data platform to help its digital and call center teams work together more effectively. They have found that this approach enables them to solve problems faster and cut costs by up to 75%.
2. AI can help keep agents informed and up to speed.
AI platforms are also helping agents to keep up with changing customer needs. AI can help agents respond to customers faster so that they can provide better service.
AI platforms are enhancing call center operations in many ways:
-They are helping call center agents to better understand customers by providing them with real-time information about their needs, preferences, and buying patterns.
-They are improving the accuracy of agent responses by using machine learning algorithms to analyze historical data and suggest likely solutions for any given scenario.
-They are reducing human error through automated processes that take into account all relevant factors when responding to customer inquiries.
This enables Agents to reduce the time spent looking for information about customers or their accounts; all the information they need is right there at their fingertips leading to happier customers and less churn!
3. Collaborating on journey mapping helps support the entire customer experience.
Digital teams should work with call center agents to map out the customer experience, identify touchpoints, and determine how they interact with each other. Together, the call center and digital teams can map the entire customer journey to identify gaps in the customer experience.
The call center can help identify areas where the digital experience can be improved. For example, if the customer has an issue that requires some back and forth between departments, it's up to your agents to ensure that each agent has access to all relevant information about their customers' accounts so they can handle inquiries thoroughly and effectively. This way, you'll be able to deliver a seamless customer experience from the beginning (when they first contact your company) through the end.
Similarly, journey mapping allows your digital team members to think about how their content may also impact customer satisfaction during calls—and how their content needs support from other teams for it all to come together seamlessly.
Bringing it all together
Both the call center and digital teams hold valuable insights that can help each other deliver a better customer experience (CX). For example, digital teams can learn more about what customers are saying on social media while call center agents may gain new insights into issues that customers are facing when interacting with a brand online. In turn, these shared insights can help both departments work together to improve communication across channels for a better customer experience overall.
The key takeaway here is the interdependence between digital and call center teams. Each department has its unique strengths, but they also have something to learn from one another in terms of providing a better customer experience across channels. The trick is finding ways for your teams to share information back and forth so they can work together toward this common goal!
365 Days of Accountability - Daily thoughts for inspiration and motivation on your journey to success
![365 Days of Accountability: Daily thoughts for inspiration and motivation on your journey to success by [Mark Levy]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F393c8d62-5b08-401a-bc7b-0cd7d07ea434_500x500.jpeg "365 Days of Accountability: Daily thoughts for inspiration and motivation on your journey to success by [Mark Levy]")
Now in Paperback - Available exclusively from Amazon
5 Podcasts to Improve Your Customer Experience Skills
I'm always on the lookout for ways to better myself, and recently I discovered these podcasts that have been extremely useful in developing my customer experience skills.
Built for Change
Welcome to what Accenture calls the Business of Experience. In this episode, you’ll meet CEOs who have re-oriented their entire organizations to focus on what their customers want, instead of trying to get their customers to want their products.
The Unofficial Shopify Podcast
Nick Disabato, a conversion rate optimization consultant shares how his customer-focused mindset has helped improve conversion rates and shift company cultures at the same time.
The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan
Learn how Kendra Scott built her billion-dollar jewelry business driven by an unforgettable customer experience.
The Customer Experience Podcast
If your customers can’t trust you, how long will you stay in business?
Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail
Explore how companies can improve the employee experience to better the customer experience and ways to collect feedback.
My Favorite Social Content Production Tools
I highly recommend these four tools for social content creation, publishing, and analysis:
𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 - Your Linkedin Analytics Tool
𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐞 - helps you manage your social media accounts—create, schedule, publish, and analyze your posts.
𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐯𝐚 - Online graphic design tool
𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐒 - A course to help you grow and monetize Linkedin
Etc.
Links to Industry news, ideas, insights, and the DCX Thought Leader Linkedin Profile of the week
Truist is the new bank formed in 2019 by the BB&T-SunTrust merger. Truist Assist is the bank's first-ever AI-enhanced virtual assistant. It uses natural language processing to answer 100+ potential customer questions. The assistant also passes off queries to one of Truist’s six contact centers. The bank's previous chatbots were used for basic transactions like scheduling bank appointments, without any machine learning involved.
This AI-powered stroller can drive itself (axios.com)
An artificially intelligent stroller with hands-free cruising is the latest gadget meant to make parents' hectic lives just a little easier. The smart stroller, called Ella, is packed with parent- and caregiver-assisting tech. There's also a "rock-my-baby" mode, meant to soothe a restless baby or help one stay asleep even after the walk is over. Ella can drive itself — only when there's no baby inside! — if a child wants to be held rather than strolled.
Strategic leadership for the digital economy | MIT Sloan
A global survey of more than 4,000 business executives revealed most aren’t confident that their leaders are ready to weather the next disruption. Only 9% of survey respondents felt their leaders had sufficient skills to be able to lead in the digital economy. Leaders must set a tone of agility as well as experimentation if they want their organization and employees to succeed, according to MIT Sloan senior lecturer Doug Ready. Leaders who cultivated these signature mindsets were more likely to turn their companies into talent magnets.
How Chewy stands out in a hyper-competitive e-commerce market by obsessing over customer experience — plus 5 key takeaways for founders and marketers.
DCX Thought Leader Linkedin Profile of the week
Each week, I share the profile of someone I am connected to on Linkedin that I think will bring value to your life and career.
This week’s featured profile is Jesse Poe, Executive Director of CX & Digital Transformation at global agency Havas Creative.
I met Jesse a few years ago when he was at Code & Theory and I was working on launching Xfinity Mobile. Jesse is a leader in CX and Digital transformation, advising some of the largest companies in the world in designing and developing digital platforms, experiences, and products with proven success at streamlining digital workflows for internal and external users.
Reach out and connect with Jesse!
DCX Accountability Coaching
A 1:1 Coaching Experience for Customer-Obsessed Leaders
Executive accountability coaching sessions will ensure you show up as the leader you want to be. Make massive progress on your goals, deliver exceptional experiences for your customers, and prevent overwhelm and burnout that's holding you back from achieving greatness.
When you hold yourself accountable to others, you're more likely to achieve your goals. Learn more and schedule a free 30-minute discovery call