Why is customer service emphasized after COVID-19?

Globally, COVID-19 has invaded lives and livelihoods in a short period of time. Additionally, it has forced a rethink about what customer service means for vulnerable individuals and their service providers. An acute urgency to fulfill customer needs has suddenly supplanted the inquiry into customer journeys and satisfaction metrics. Customers’ interactions with companies often have an immediate and lasting effect on their sense of trust and loyalty, especially in times of crisis. Furloughed workers withdraw into isolation, and the primary barometer of their customer experience will be how businesses treat them with empathy, care, and concern in reaching out to their new needs. It is also now the right time for leaders of customer experience (CX) to position themselves at the forefront of longer-term changes in consumer behavior caused by this crisis. It will be crucial to continuously monitor customer preferences and quickly redesign journeys and get customer service emphasized  that matter in a new context.

With this perspective in mind, four CX practices can assist short-term responses, build resilience, and prepare customer-focused companies for success after the Coronavirus outbreak. These include: caring for people, responding to customer needs, reimagining customer experience for the post-COVID-19 era, and building capabilities for swift change and to get customer service emphasized.

5 Ways Customer Service Is Affected Because of COVID-19- customer service emphasized after covid

If you are running a business affected by COVID-19, now is the time to be more patient, sensitive, and compassionate with your customers. Many companies have actually made this sure by not only staying updated about their customer issues but also offering feasible solutions in a timely manner. 

For instance, you are a customer of Cox, as the internet was undoubtedly the most used product in times of the pandemic and everything shutting down. You suddenly realize there is an unusual fee added to your bill. You should be able to get your issue solved by simply getting the Cox phone number or sending an email to their customer service. If they respond, you will certainly think highly of the brand; if not, it is the other way around. Customers tend to crave extra support and reassurance in times of crisis. That is how you know you are being cared for as a customer.

Anyway, if you are also looking for ways to enhance the customer service of your business, this article is for you. 

Below are seven ways Coronavirus has affected customer service and how you can adapt to the changes:

• Missed Chances to Bond

An NBC and Telemundo survey found that 75% of respondents reported that customer service had gotten worse since the pandemic.

The same number of consumers, 78%, has had to contact companies more than once to resolve a single issue. On average, consumers had to contact a company 2-9 times. It is reported that one person received recordings that looped in circles without ever reaching a live person. Over half of the people did not have their concerns resolved.

The reasons for these disconnects are easy to understand. Why is that so? It could be because service representatives are working from home instead of in-service centers, so their equipment is radically different, and they lack the usual network of on-demand assistance.

Still, you can’t afford to be unreachable, especially if responsiveness sets you apart from your competitors. A simple solution for many brands is to implement callback technologies that allow customers to choose when they want to speak to an agent.

• Increased redirects and escalations 

Researchers found that the number of escalations in call centers jumped by 68 percent in April of 2020. Analysts attribute this to the fact that call centers were operating with twice as many “difficult” calls, along with figuring out how to coordinate service with all the workers at home.

‌These kinds of calls are more stressful for both the representative and the customer. Customers are more likely to give up if they have to talk to multiple people before they can get their issues resolved. It can be difficult to set up the best agent through IVR, but allowing customers to choose their intent when scheduling a callback online can link them up with the right person on their very first call.

• Prolonged Hold Times- Need to get customer service emphasized

Customer service calls increased dramatically after COVID-19 changed product and service availability. Customers had long hold times for canceling trips, deferring credit card or loan payments, tracking packages, and more. It was the word of the year for 2020: unexpected.

It is said that Amazon requires customers to wait at least three days before contacting them about an expected package. The hold time for clients of different companies can go up to 36 hours before their call is switched to the actual representative. That is a record-breaking hold time. However, one minute of hold time is too long for, say, 60% of customers.

Companies tried a variety of tactics to reduce hold times, from improving their self-service infrastructure to telling customers to call during off-peak hours. Yet customers kept calling, and companies that could not handle the call volume inevitably suffered.

A growing number of companies have implemented callback schedules, of which 63% of customers prefer to wait on hold. As a result, customers can go about their daily lives as normal-work, go on errands, keep the house running-and representatives do not have to deal with a displeased customer who has been on hold for half a day.

• The shift in Customer Protocols

Customer protocols before COVID quickly proved to be insufficient for brands and customers. The impact was felt by a large number of people, but many policies did not cater to their needs.

‌Over time, COVID’s customer service teams became more accommodating and those that did not become more noticeable. In the research on escalation, low-performing representatives were 27% more likely to assert their inability to help customers by using customer protocols as an excuse.

Many representatives excelled because they found solutions to their problems. Several prerequisites had to be met for that to happen:

• Alternative solutions and asking for flexibility were needed by the representative.
• Supervisors had to give their sales reps enough flexibility to request exceptions or circumvent them. 
• It was either time to allow exceptions to the policy or change it completely

• Demand and Need for Personal Connection

It has been a difficult experience for many people around the world to live in isolation as a result of the pandemic. Due to this isolation, people developed a greater appreciation for connection, in whatever form it may take.

‌What are the results? An increased need for human interaction and personal service.

Consequently, automation has shifted to supporting individual conversations instead of replacing them. Automated messaging is still a valuable tool, but it can no longer be used as a means to an end.

Many organizations are investing in technologies such as callbacks and customer-in-control solutions that automate simple requests and streamline more complex responses.

Conclusion

COVID trends in customer experience are interrelated. Companies are offering callbacks instead of leaving customers on hold due to a focus on customer needs. Traditional protocols have been replaced by company values to facilitate closer customer connections. The key is to meet customers where they are, anticipate their needs, and provide solutions.

The way to achieve this is by investing in technologies that improve the customer experience on a global scale. We hope that this write-up gave you an idea of how to build a brand through enhanced and seamless customer service.