By: Chad Dunavant
There is plenty of excitement in the telecommunications industry about the new business opportunities that exist based on evolving technology innovation. However, operators recognize that all the bells and whistles won't matter if there aren't customers to take advantage of them! As a result, many are reevaluating their priorities and taking a closer look at how to unlock more value from their customer interactions.
Maximizing customer interactions is not a new trend within the industry, yet many operators are still struggling to get the most out of every communication. They are keenly aware that each individual interaction presents an opportunity to improve the customer experience and further develop the relationship…and the bottom line. As telcos place more emphasis on the basics of customer satisfaction, there are five points to consider when addressing customer interaction improvements:
Customer preferences: The old adage holds true, "The customer is king." Despite that mantra, many operators still don't have a good understanding of how customers want to be communicated with based on the communication type. Do they prefer online interactions? Text messages? Print mail? It's as simple as asking the question. If operators want to improve the overall value of their customer interactions, they need to better understand how, when and with what content customers prefer in order to get the most value out of the interaction.
It's also critical that operators ensure communication preferences are multi-dimensional and take into account family hierarchies, or escalations. For instance, operators typically have relationships with heads of households as the account holder, but the reality is that within a household, many customers exist. As communications channels and interactions become necessary, understanding all preferences within the home become critical. One child may prefer to be notified via SMS for specific events such as new shows on Nickelodeon for example, while the parent is more concerned with understanding the in-home usage by their children. The ability to better understand customer pain points and demands gives operators the chance to develop better solutions and services which in turn creates happy, loyal customers. This kind of proactive approach to customer engagement not only increases customer satisfaction, but also cuts expenses.
Channel diversification: Customer preferences may dictate that operators communicate about billing via one channel, such as text messaging and new services via another such as mailed statements. Unfortunately, operators often get stuck in the trap of perfecting one channel at the cost of another. For example, while the email strategy may be very strong, perhaps only a fraction of their customers participate or have a primary email address on file. That leaves a number of customers whose communication needs aren't being met and makes them prime candidates for churn.
When evaluating customer interaction strategies, operators need to consider integrating all the key elements of the customer relationship. By presenting a full picture of customer interactions and preferences, organizations are better equipped to handle up sell opportunities, mitigate issues and strengthen loyalty. Perfecting a multi-channel communication strategy is vital to an operators' long term success.
