Millennials expect an immediate response and “later”– whether it’s a few hours or even just a day –might be too late. Current research shows that Millennials expect to receive a response to their complaints or questions within 60 minutes and failure to do so can result in very unhappy customers. So it is not surprising that many companies are changing the focus of their customer service to be more in tune with this need.
In this week’s CX Buzz, some of our chosen authors tackle this very issue with very informative pieces that explain how Millennials are changing the face of the customer experience landscape and what to expect if you cannot meet the changes.
Also in today’s CX Buzz, Flavio Martin busts “the customer is always right” cliché.
Did you know that Millennials have on average 3 connected devices, making them the most digitally connected generation? Armed with these devices, as well as social media and engagement tools like instant messaging and live chat, they don’t want to sit on hold with a call centre.
As a result of these digital trends, companies are shifting to a multichannel customer response strategy. This great infographic explains this new consumer demographic and how its digital habits affect multichannel customer service training.
Related to the piece above is a great infographic from inc.com on how Millennials now expect a response within 60 minutes – and what the true cost of not meeting these expectations can mean for your customer satisfaction. The infographic asserts that getting social customer care right can result in a 6.7% year-over-year increase in revenues. That should be reason enough for any business to review their social customer care program.
Can delighting your customers really affect their loyalty? Imagine if you integrated your CRM system with your call software, training your customer service reps to make notations for special dates such as birthdays or anniversaries and encouraging them to recognize those dates when interacting with customers. A simple "Happy Birthday" can go a long way!
Erica Strother discusses the interesting concept of customer delight in this piece, but she warns not to overdo it.
Apple is still the number 1 brand in the UK when it comes to customer loyalty. Not surprising either to see Google, John Lewis, Boots, British Airways and Coca Cola in the top ten. But what is surprising is how few home-grown British brands made the list. In this report, Ikano also offer an alternative list of top 10 brands for loyalty based on whether the brand is (or was originally) British.
Other than Ovo Energy and Jaguar the other 8 brands are all food or beverage related, with even Marmite making the list. Marmite is renowned for being a “love it” or “hate it” brand, usually with nothing in between so they must be doing something right to keep their loyal customers happy.
It is a common slogan that “the customer is always right”. That’s just not true, says Flavio Martin. The customer is wrong, a lot. Don’t kid yourself and say otherwise. Customers don’t read instructions, they don’t read web site service or product descriptions, they follow instructions incorrectly, they break things. They’re often confused. In essence, the customer it NOT always right.
But! The customer is ALWAYS the customer. It’s important to remember that customers who are “wrong” buy things and spend money. As business owners and leaders, we want our companies to succeed. Business success depends on selling goods and services to all customers, both the right ones and the wrong ones.
The takeaway from this piece is that it’s not about who’s right or wrong, it’s that you win the customer.