We live in a fast-paced, ever-changing world, and it is no surprise customer experience has drastically changed over the past ten years. Merely a decade ago, all the purchase decisions were based on adverts, news, and pamphlets that dropped through our letterbox. The customers were loyal to brands because they did not want to go through the hassle of switching. It was time-consuming.
All credit goes to the internet and those huge technological changes in the last ten years. Consumerism is completely revolutionized and it has changed how customers think, research and make decisions.
The customers can now make informed decisions and are now in the driving seat. The broadband industry in the United States has to work on their customer service. If customers are not satisfied, they can switch providers in less than 5 minutes. Therefore, all the providers such as Mediacom and Spectrum have designated departments to handle queries and concerns. In case you are not satisfied with the performance, you can get everything sorted out by calling Spectrum customer service phone number.
Here is how customer experience has changed in the past ten years.
Companies now offer Multichannel Customer Service
Back in the days, if a customer had to report an issue, they had to call the company directly. In most of the cases, the customers had to wait for unbearable times to speak with the company’s representatives. Their issues took ages to get resolved.
Now, everything has changed. The customers can report an issue using a variety of channels such as social media, live chat, phone, and in-store. While having this many channels is great if you are a customer but not for the company. With more and more avenues for reaching the company, the expectations get incredibly high and a minor error could create problems for the company. Therefore, they have to maintain consistent standards of customer service.
Moreover, social media is a great opportunity for companies to target niche groups and to promote their services and products. Customers can share their experiences through social media and their message, both good and bad, can reach everywhere.
Customers can now get customized service to suit their needs
The days of “one size fit all” are long gone. Every customer needs a personalized plan or service so that all his or her expectations and requirements are met. Moreover, the majority of customers want an experience that is personal to them and they need to be feel valued. If your company is successful in doing so, then it will increase their loyalty to you.
Speaking of being more personal, now customers do not expect robotic responses, they want actual human responses.
Good customer experience is not enough
Companies are now in the race for online space and the competition is getting difficult day by day. For many companies, it can be quite hard to achieve the cut-through required. The only thing that differentiates two companies offering the same product is a great customer service experience. Customers weigh brands by placing their experiences over brand reputation. Therefore, in this changing dynamics of customer service, good customer service is not just enough. They need excellent customer service, which is only possible if they can create an emotional connection with the customers.
Customer Service should be open 24/7
We live in a global company and companies now try to serve customers irrespective of their time zones. Why not? The problems consumers face do not occur eight hours a day, it can happen at any time of the day. Moreover, customers now expect a fast response on weekends and at night.
Therefore, customers require companies for a prompt response and in case they don’t, they are at risk of losing business.
Final Verdict
To put everything in simple words, the past ten years have raised expectations and customers do not settle for less. The customer experience should be made better and customer service must constantly evolve to cater to the challenges of the future. Or else, you will end up losing business.