Tech Can Help Put Customer Experience First As Businesses Reopen

While it’s business as usual for knowledge workers who have taken advantage of transformational shifts and adjusted to remote environments, consumer-facing businesses like retail and travel still need to bridge the digital divide. Tim Beeson, President – North America, Natterbox explains how tapping the right tech tools can help organizations stay ahead of evolving customer expectations. 

If there’s one thing that current events have taught us about business, it’s that customer service Opens a new window will never be the same. In an era of social distancing, we have learned that connectivity – and most importantly telecommunications including cloud telephony – are absolutely essential. Without it, businesses will be limited by both time and geography and ultimately fail to meet consumers’ evolving needs.

The availability of customer response is going to be an indispensable part of the transition as states begin to reopen. States will want to ensure the safety of their residents while allowing for a degree of normal behavior. In trying to achieve that, businesses will need to continue relying on technology that is efficient, improves productivity, and reduces the risk of going back to the “old way” of doing things. 

As businesses search for ways to maximize operations and minimize the risk of disruption, they’ll need both technology and policies that ensure they are up and running at all times. And as consumers begin to leave their homes again, businesses must be ready for everything that comes next. 

Learn More: Contact Centers Have Become a Breeding Ground for Innovation in Lockdown Era: Calabrio

Prepare for a Wave of Customers

While staying in due to social distancing, consumers were focused on groceries, paper products and entertainment. In the coming months, they will be eager to return to retailers, buy new clothes and shoes, eat at restaurants and go on vacation. Each and every one of these industries – retail, restaurants, travel – needs to be ready to serve the wave of customers coming their way.

From backend technology (such as websites and payment processing) to consumer-facing employees including customer service, waitstaff, clerks, and travel agents, everything and everyone needs to be in place. Businesses have to be ready for that and start preparing now. That means bringing back furloughed staff and hiring new talent whenever necessary, all the while relying on technology to propel workers to do their very best, regardless of their location. With the fluctuations in stay-at-home policies across the country, businesses will need to embrace solutions that will eliminate the risk of disruption.

And the businesses that prepare now will be instantly distinguished from those that did not. Consumers vote with their wallets, and they have always voted for the companies that provide the best service. Consumers may have been tolerant of the initial challenges the pandemic presented like lengthy call queues, delays in product deliveries, and empty store shelves, recognizing that we were all enduring an equally difficult situation.

But these problems have persisted for many months, and not all of them have been resolved. Consumers are growing weary of waiting and will no longer accept the pandemic as an excuse for bad customer experience. The urgency to prepare – and go above and beyond customer expectations – has never been more pressing.

Learn More: AI & Automation: Two Tools to Rise to Customer Service Challenges

Re-consider the Office “Space”

The work-from-home climate taught businesses that they don’t necessarily need a traditional office to get things done. There are certainly benefits to having a place where everyone can work, collaborate and communicate, so it would be a mistake to lose that. But do we really need to dominate an office space for 24 hours if it’s only being used half the time?

As per an internal survey on safe return to office  —  39% requested a full-time shift to remote work and nearly half (48%) would like their time divided between the office and working from home, while 8% weren’t sure. The remaining 5% would prefer to work in the office.

With remote work on everyone’s mind, one idea is to treat the traditional office as a flexible environment that is either shared across teams working different shifts or between non-competing businesses. Instead of a 500-person office, a company could rely on a smaller space that is used by different team members throughout the day. Not just workspaces, but even technology – phones, computers, and whatever else employees might need. Cloud technology makes this possible, linking employee information to an account instead of one particular machine. 

A flexible office would be more economical and allow for larger companies to more easily move into crowded cities where space is limited. It would also open the door to a more flexible work schedule, perhaps encouraging those who can work from home to do so more often.

For example, customer service specialists could work remotely without losing the benefits of being in an office. The cloud infrastructure means you won’t need someone on-premises to manage your phone because it’s all remote.

Learn More: How to Win Contact Center Game by Scaling Virtual AgentsOpens a new window

Get Ready for What’s Next

If our internal survey results are any indication of how employee preferences will shift in the aftermath of COVID-19, the future of work could look very different from how it does today. The office is no longer limited to large buildings where entire teams or companies gather – it could be your bedroom, kitchen, or basement. Advances in telecommunications technologyOpens a new window now make it possible for every employee to easily connect and perform their job from any location. It is quickly redefining how, where, and when business is conducted.

If there is anything this year has taught us, it’s that change is inevitable and businesses should always be prepared. By taking the time to get ready for whatever comes next, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and provide outstanding customer service in any environment and during any circumstance. Organizations that do so will be positioned to thrive – and withstand any and all changes in the future.

Let us know if you liked this article on LinkedInOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , or FacebookOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you!