“It’s not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.”
– Charles Darwin
As we continue moving through the phases of this pandemic, we must learn to accept the velocity of our “new normal.”
Infused by world events and the digital evolution, the only constant element to this uncharted territory is the pace of change. Business-as-usual vanished back in March. In response to the onset of this pandemic, companies reacted by making changes to their VOC programs and CX strategies in acknowledgement of COVID-19 impacts to their customers.
Gone are the days when customer experience survey programs ran on autopilot. Advancement in technology has opened up the opportunity to be nimble, and now is the time to increase agility on your feedback management programs.
Continuously evaluate your tone.
Strict stay-at-home restrictions have been lifted. Some businesses have reopened, with employees slowly heading back into the office. The new school year – in all of its various forms – is about to begin. With pent-up enthusiasm, the eager population transitions back to pre-pandemic activities because things are looking up – right? Wrong.
Unfortunately, for most it’s going to take more than optimism to get through the second half of the year. The reality is that about third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety and depression. According to our research, at least 50% of respondents think that it will take the remainder of 2020 – if not longer – to recover financially.
The goal is consistent messaging and timing across the enterprise.
If your survey questions aren’t changing – you’re missing the boat.
Overall empathy attributes began to dip in June, after plateauing through April and May. Although empathy is still relevant, empathy fatigue is real. To conserve authenticity, soften tones of empathy in your customer feedback surveys to be more subtle, and transition to themes encouraging hope and continued support.
With the state of change in our world constantly in flux, prepare to re-evaluate the tone of your invites and introductions every 4 to 6 weeks to ensure relevance. Adjust content to align the message and timing with other customer communications at the enterprise level.
Respond to the changing needs of your customers.
As activities resume, customer behaviors are changing across industries. Our research reported 52% say they will attend small events and 34% expected to eat out in restaurants within 2 months. On the other hand, nearly 30% of respondents say it will be more than a year before they begin attending large events and using public transportation.
To capture relevant feedback as customer behaviors continue to change, frequently update survey questions.
We recommend a rotating hot topic module in your survey to capture customers’ evolving needs and changing perspectives. The hot topic questions you were using in March are different than what should be used today.
Use surveys to drive adoption of digital capabilities.
Companies have made great strides to provide digital options to continue doing business. With inboxes around the globe saturated with customer communications, get creative using your survey feedback program to drive customers to your digital offerings.
Imagine you’re a loyal customer trying to pay a service-related invoice from your utility company. Typically, you prefer to call and pay by phone. But lately, wait times have been outrageous, and calls have become irritating and painful.
You remember receiving an email from the company with instructions for making payments online. With no time to waste, you locate the email, follow the steps to register your account and complete the task successfully.
Shortly after this transaction, you complete a survey regarding your online experience. The survey asks, “what other online tools would be helpful?” You select “Service Change Request,” and as you finish the survey, you’re directed to the “Request to Change Service” form on the company‘s customer service webpage.
The takeaway? Leverage customer feedback surveys to understand what your customers need now, and use those insights as an effective way to provide relevant and valuable content to your customers in real-time. Asking for a “like” on social media post-survey is a thing of the past. Landing customers on the homepage of your website is falling a step short.
Instead, drive your customers to useful tools or lead them to information in response to their feedback. In return, we’ve seen reduced call volumes, improved customer satisfaction and increased adoption of digital solutions.
Different industries, different redirects.
CX is the roadmap to digital evolution.
In general, people are now favoring a low-contact lifestyle, and their interest in continuing the use of technology, online tools and apps is increasing across industries.
At the onset of Coronavirus, organizations were forced to quickly maximize their online efforts to digitize solutions overnight. Now, digital transformation efforts are changing customer experiences with gaining momentum, creating a timely opportunity for CX leaders.
Take inventory. What changes has your company made recently to the website, mobile apps, or online tools that are creating gaps in your overall customer experience management? Align your feedback strategy with new offerings and solutions to capture a holistic view of the customer experience.
Re-think your approach. When it comes to methodology, consider new modes to data collection. Innovation has enhanced digital survey capabilities, making them less disruptive to the customer. The ability to capture feedback without your customer realizing it enables a seamless experience.
Keep pace with digital innovation. Customer feedback management continuously evolves to capture new feedback. Remain in lockstep with digital offerings and modernize survey techniques by intersecting customers at targeted moments within their digital experience.
How have you redesigned your feedback strategies to account for the new digital experiences in your customer’s journey?
Guest post written by: Concentrix
For more insights from Concentrix on VoC, watch the CustomerCONNECT session, The Future of VoC is Coming Fast. Ready?, presented by Jackie Potts, Director of VoC Strategy at Concentrix.
For more CX tips and advice from our experts, visit www.concentrix.com/solutions/voc.
