The proliferation of business technologies is creating greater scope than ever for automating customer service processes, but how do retailers ensure these capabilities deliver an effective, personalized experience?
It’s no secret that consumers are moving away from traditional paths of promotion to purchase, towards an unpredictable pattern of browsing and buying wherever, however and whenever they want — often referred to as a ‘Commerce Anywhere’ approach. While this presents great opportunities for retailers, the increase and variety in customer touch points creates new challenges, in terms of offering a seamless and satisfactory level of customer service.
Thankfully the latest advancements in retail technology are enabling businesses to meet these challenges, and many companies are looking towards automation to help move them forward. According to Call Center IQ, 68% of firms planned to increase their customer management spend in 2014. However, the wide variety of IT solutions available on the market can create a situation in which focus is placed on its functionalities, rather than the potential of technology to build stronger customer relationships.
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Although we live in a digital age, it should not be forgotten that shopping is an emotive experience; recent research by McKinsey revealed that 70% of buying experience are based on how customers feel they are being treated. With this in mind, investment in customer service technology should facilitate greater personalized experience at the same time as data driven efficiencies.
There are already some great success stories in the retail world such as Williams-Sonoma, John Lewis and, of course, Amazon, who are effectively combining technology within a customer-focused structure. The secret to their success lies not only in selecting a well-integrated system, optimized for their business needs, but also in complimenting new technical capabilities with outstanding service from their personnel.
As automation becomes the norm in customer service, an increasing number of retailers are following in the footsteps of these market leaders. Those desiring new IT solutions must take their lead, ensuring manual processes and personal service are not demoted while attention is placed on digital capabilities. This is particularly vital during deployment. At the implementation stage, a huge pressure is placed on new technology, while it is adapting and expanding to accommodate consumer requirements. The human element of customer service plays a crucial role in ensuring a seamless shopping experience — or that any glitches which may occur are comprehensively and sympathetically dealt with.
Even once new technology has been rolled out, a high standard of personal service is essential to providing a satisfactory customer experience. For example, business process that have been put in place, and are being followed, will have as much to do with customer satisfaction as the system itself. The execution of these processes by retail personnel will affect both the ability to exploit the improving technology, and to fill the gaps where the system has yet to deliver. And shortcomings at the business end have a ripple effect, moving downstream until they start affecting consumer interactions.
They say a workman is only as good as his tools, but in the case of retail technology, the opposite can also be true. Market leading solutions have the power to improve customer service, but it is the people and processes within each individual organization that guarantee a positive consumer experience.
As VP Solutions at OLR Retail, Tim Koshinsky manages the implementations of Oracle Retail systems for major retailers across the globe. OLR’s clients include American Eagle, Coles, Gordmans, Sears and Stein Mart.
