How to Avoid the Headaches of Digital Customer Service Integration

We’ve come a long way since the invention of social media, and today the advantages of digital customer service integration are crystal clear. What was once a trend among tech-savvy brands is now a necessity for everyone who wants to grow their business.

Even when you’re already convinced of the advantages of digital customer service, there's a series of steps to take before actually integrating a new system into your call center software. As complex as it might seem, the process doesn’t have to be painful. It helps to know what you want, what options are out there, and what challenges await.

Here’s our list of the biggest headaches of digital customer service integration and how to avoid them.

1) Problem: Convincing the C-suite

Hard numbers are important to the C-suite, and for good reason. They’ve got a business to run, right? Consider this: Digital customer service can save money, increase sales, and delight customers — leading to long-term loyalty and more spending. NICE CXone customers have reported:

• 61% sale conversion rate
• 70% reduced resolution time
• 90% higher CSAT
• 300% scaled operations with no additional headcount

Enriching the lives of customers and making the work of customer service agents easier may be ends in themselves, but the monetary benefits of digital customer service are significant.

Solution: Research the monetary benefits of great digital customer service.

2) Problem: Scaling the right solution

Time is money, right? No one wants to spend too long integrating digital customer service into your call center software. This means set-up times must be quick, scaling has to be easy, and training has to be short. The right digital customer service software gets you started quickly and gives you room to grow.

Customer service workflows tend to fluctuate over the course of the day, week, month, and year. This is why you need digital customer service software that can move with you. Digital customer service streamlines the process so your contact center agents can work more efficiently, and this way, no customer ever gets left out in the cold.

SaaS technology is key for agility. It requires no installation and little maintenance, and it is easily scalable both in the short term and long term.

Solution: First determine your digital customer service needs and goals, then choose an agile, easily scalable solution.

3) Problem: Adjusting KPIs

Not all customer service KPIs are created equal. In fact, many were created for technology that’s now outdated. Digital communication, social media, and chatbots have changed the way we communicate, and they’ve changed customer expectations.

Different modes of communicating with customers require different kinds of customer service, and this is why it’s important to have the right KPIs in place to keep agents on track. Speed is key but there’s more to it than this.

First Response Time (FRT) and Average Handling Time (AHT) are the dominant KPIs in many contact centers, with agents judged on how quickly they respond to customer queries. Focusing on the speed of response is okay, but the problem with AHT is that it emphasizes speed over quality of communication. FRT means that the query was answered, but not that a solution was reached.

Here are some KPIs that can help us do better:

• Personal Service Level PSL (AHT): Measure the agent's commitment to each customer
• Personal Emotional Connection (PEC): Measure how the agent attempts to connect with the customer
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measure how customers feel about the brand

The world leaders in customer service excellence from Apple to Zappos are using these KPIs.

Solution: Set KPIs that emphasize personalized service.

4) Problem: Finding and training staff

Finding and training the best customer service staff can be a challenge. First, it’s important to know what you’re looking for. Empathetic individuals with good communication skills are ideal.

After you’ve hired the best candidates, it’s important to train them. Any good digital customer service software should be simple and easy to use, so the training will be more about communication styles and knowledge of customer demographics.

Today’s digital customers, and especially millennials, expect certain styles of behavior and communication, so your agents need to know this.

Solution: Choose a digital customer service vendor that offers continual training and updates about customer experience and expectations.

Cloud solutions can help you avoid the headaches of digital customer service integration with your call center software. Combining human-centric communication with powerful CRM and artificial intelligence (AI).

Interested in learning other ways the digital age is changing customer expectations? Check out our webinar, Digital – First Customer Service: The Future is Here Today.