How Top Performers Synchronize for Success in Cross-Channel Customer Service

January 2012
.
Gleansight Deep Dive
How Top Performers Synchronize for
Success in Cross-Channel Customer Service
About the Pie Chart For most companies, the proliferation of customer service channels can be both The data presented in the pie chart is a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing in that they now have more ways derived from the survey conducted for the Q1 2012 Gleansight benchmark than ever to address customer needs and resolve customer issues, potentially report on Customer Service Manage- leading to increased customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and customer ment. The data serves as the basis for this Gleansight Deep Dive, which retention. It can also open the door to increased customer profitability through provides analyst commentary related improved cross-sell and up-sell effectiveness. At the same time, the prolifera-to a particular aspect of the topic. The objective is to provide additional tion of customer service channels can be a curse. The reason, in large part, perspective and illuminate certain is that customer expectations have reached the point that companies that fail key considerations regarding the implementation of the related technol- to deliver on the promise of seamless multi-channel customer interactions ogy-enabled business initiative. are likely to experience negative business outcomes, including a decline in customer loyalty and an erosion of overall brand reputation. This Deep Dive To learn more about Gleanster's analyst report explores how the notion of synchronization not only allows research methodology, please click companies to achieve their desired business objectives in multi-channel here or email research@gleanster.com. customer service, but also gives customers a reason to celebrate.
96%
Percentage of Top Performers that cite the need to "make customer knowledge / case management info available across channels" as the best way to improve customer service
Today most large and even not-so-large of not only multi-channel customer service companies offer customer care and but also cross-channel customer service. The customer service support across a range distinction is critical. It means more than just of channels. There's only one problem; inviting customers to contact them in any way Rate & Review they're often not doing it in a unified and they please - fax us, email us, call us, visit Related Research seamless fashion. Instead, each channel us in person, chat with us online, send us an tends to work in isolation, with the memory old fashioned letter via the mail. It means also Tell a Friend of each customer interaction confined to the allowing customers to switch from one contact channel in which the interaction originated. method to another at any point in time without Note: This document is intended for individual use. Electronic distribution via email or by post- At the same time, companies are under more interrupting the flow of conversation. In other ing on a personal website is in violation of the terms of use. pressure than ever to deliver on the promise words, companies need to be able to hang
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placards in their windows that, in essence, longer be a customer's initial response when read "We speak every language". They then it comes to addressing a problem, there are need to play the role of simultaneous translator. times when it may not be possible to resolve a Bringing this vision to fruition is generally no problem using the online tools, necessitating easy task. Yet, for most companies, it's fast a call to the customer support desk. In those becoming a strategic imperative. In an era cases, whatever information was already when competitive battles tend to be waged provided via a web form, chat session or an less over price email exchange and such product should be attributes as "Companies can't appear automatically features, function- transferred as ality and reliability to suffer amnesia when the interaction and more around gets escalated a customer tries to cross the quality and to a live agent. accessibility of channels, resuming by Of course, customer service customer and support, phone, for example, a interactions are companies ofte... [download for more]