two years. The frequency of use and comfort level that customers have established with their digital communication technology has zoomed (literally and figuratively) to heights that most industry experts had estimated would not be seen for some years to come. But they are here, now. They will remain and only continue to grow. Herein lies great opportunity for CSPs.

Making a conscious decision to enhance your CX delivery is one over which you can exercise a significant modicum of control. But this potential is still not being tapped. A 2019 report by EY Global indicated that telcos’ Net Promoter Score continued to lag, and in an even more pronounced fashion when lined up directly against both retail and manufacturing. In fact, 54 percent of telecom consumer respondents said they would seek out new providers if their online journey proved too difficult. Approximately 75 percent of respondents said they prefer more human interaction on digital sales platforms, while 75 percent also answered that they would be more likely to make a telecom purchase if live chat or video chat were available.

A devoted approach to customer-centricity

A genuine customer-centric culture infuses every branch of an organization. There are numerous tools, metrics, and approaches to utilize in the effort, but they should be directed toward areas that make up the bedrock of a solid CX plan. These include easy access to information; reduced waiting times; quick response time; personalized interactions; expanded services and products; rapid delivery of any ordered services; avoidance of redundancies for customers; and 24/7 customer support through chatbots and other AI. CX-centric organizations provide an omnichannel experience because customers have various preferences on how they interact with companies. 

The truly CX-centric cultures are prepared by offering multiple touchpoints with comparable high-quality customer experiences across each. Offering an option just to say it is offered without injecting the same level of customer care for each choice, however, may do more damage than not providing the option at all. It is also vital that if a customer changes to a second channel, they should not be penalized by having to start from the beginning of the process or by having to navigate other redundancies. Finally, and perhaps obviously, the genuine customer-centric companies invest significant resources in employee training for both new and experienced employees. This builds strong institutional intelligence. Ultimately, a devoted approach to customer-centricity will yield more revenue than the endless attempts to promote sales without the organizational undercarriage that supports every aspect of your business.

A unified platform is vital to your architecture. It enhances your service and product delivery process, your accounting system, your feedback loop, and more. If you have not developed a continuous innovation strategy that circulates through all your divisions, and if every division is not aware of it— devoting real effort to maintaining it and contributing to it—you are, ultimately, neglecting your customers.

The benefits of elevating your CX align precisely with what nearly all organizations seek: more sales, increased customer satisfaction, stronger customer loyalty, less churn, and the building of brand ambassadors within your customer base that will translate to positive reviews and recommendations.

Your CX toolbox and strategy are only as good as the execution. Strategy must be succinct and agile for quick wins in building trust, and continuous to generate loyalty and earn advocacy. The focus encompasses the entire customer relationship lifecycle, the journey mapped from the first rung on up, and includes the full team, as well unflinching details on the positive and negative aspects of existing experience. It is through this rigorous process that the path to your definition of success comes clearly into view.