8 pieces of post-Covid CX advice you can’t ignore

Given everything that’s happened in the last couple of years – Covid, the impact on the supply chain and all of that disruption – many customers are more likely than ever to need a customer care touchpoint. A lot of our clients are still in the mindset of seeing customer care in any form – whether it be calling, email or even tweeting – as a cost center to be managed and minimized. Some even have KPIs like how fast you can get people off the phone.

But many of our clients know that if you have a disgruntled customer and you’re able to resolve their issue, their net promoter score is higher than the average customer. If you’re able to resolve their issues, that’s a way to turn people who are detractors into advocates. So customer care is truly an opportunity center.

Helen Darlington, founder and director, Woven: the dawn of the value-driven era

I read something a while ago that’s stuck with me: you should even expect the ice cream truck that rolls through your neighborhood to reflect humane treatment of animals, clean air and community-giving.

There will be an increase in customers relating to brands whose values match their own. We’re at the dawn of a new value-driven era. Every brand should embed the expression of their values in every experience. That way, the brand will be known to stand for more.

Christopher Godfree, head of client services, Across the Pond: the limits of digitization

Coming out of the pandemic, some companies have pushed digital products on to consumers in a way that wasn’t necessarily in their best interest – switching customer service for bots, for example. Looking ahead, there will be an advancement in those technologies (AI and in bots and so forth). But we can’t let that increased digitization remove the human touch.

It’s harder to do, admittedly, with more and more digital tools available. That can make it easier for brands to get away with not having to invest so much, but the human touch will always be what ultimately brings people back. So don’t switch out the human touch. Don’t let digitization remove the humanity from your brand.

Stephen Schutzman, partner, Known: earning it every day

Your brand is everything at every single touchpoint, wherever a consumer or an employee or an investor will see it or feel it. And if it’s not consistent, if you don’t hold up the expectation of your brand – across the entire lifecycle, every touchpoint – your customers will see it. And it won’t be true.

You’ve got to make sure that all of the parts are connected internally, and that the brand is consistent from across every touchpoint. And that you are living in a state of constant learning and iteration. And that you never think that you’ve succeeded or that you’re there or that you’ve earned your customers’ loyalty; you’ve got to earn it every single day, and continue to be better and improve every step of the way.

Sharon Wright, associate director, Space & Time: focus on building synergies

The key is really taking the time to understand who your customers are, and what their full customer journey is. Data analysis is important – use it to identify patterns and refine a strategy, and be responsive and agile.

Build synergies. We’ve got to be collaborative between teams – sales, marketing and product teams – and use that to enhance CX everywhere.

Ross Tulloch, principal service designer, Foolproof: humanize everything

It’s all about humanization. Think of your product – whether it's an app, website or anything in between – as a real person. If it were brought to life right now, what would it look like? How would it talk? What tone and language will it use? There’s a reason Alexa is called Alexa. When you ask it to play a song, or find a recipe, it feels more natural, more empathetic, more human.

Chris Barnes, head of experience, Omobono: don’t approach CX as a monolith

CX today is so broad, it can be quite overwhelming. There’s a lot to do if you’re going to map the entire customer experience. Start small and experiment with small changes, as opposed to thinking that you need to fix absolutely everything at once in a massive program. The smallest changes can have the biggest impact.

Maria Bain, senior strategy & insight director, iCrossing: time to listen

Listen to your audiences. Understand what they need, where they’re coming from, how they’re behaving across digital platforms, and be there for those moments authentically. Don’t try to be something that you’re not or push an agenda that’s not true to the brand. I think we are getting more savvy about greenwashing, for example, which can actually be a detriment to the brand if you get caught out.

And don’t be afraid to diversify your CX touchpoints – be where they are, rather than being channel stagnant. Be agnostic, and follow your user rather than the channel silo.