Personalized Service is the New Bar
The New Year is upon us, and 2016 brings new expectations for businesses. Forrester Research, a leader in business research and consulting, has released predictions for the coming year. According to the company, 2016 will be an extremely important year for businesses across the globe, and one of extreme leadership change.
Using technology to better understand and personalize service is a common theme. Below we’ve highlighted a few of their predictions and what they mean for your business.
Customers expect personalized services.
Today’s customer expects a business to understand them as an individual, and to anticipate and respond to their unique needs. This personalized service goes above and beyond simply delivering good service; businesses that can predict the individual needs and desires of their customers will be the ones who rise above their competition in 2016. Customer intelligence systems give businesses the ability to predict needs and respond quickly.
Culture is a critical path to business success.
Once considered a luxury, culture is now a must for companies pursuing customers. Culture describes how members of an organization interact and make decisions. Culture building and adjustments typically take time, but those businesses who are able to make swift cultural shifts will be the ones who are most successful. Businesses and leadership with the ability to align into new norms will be adept in meeting the demands of an evolving customer environment. Nordstrom has created a customer focused culture. One of our members sent feedback about a personalized experience from a Nordstrom employee. The employee exceeded expectations by not only finding the perfect dress, but also all the accessories to make the outfit complete. This personalized service paired with the employee’s expertise and professionalism created a positive experience that will bring this shopper back!
Knowledge is power; analytics are key to overcoming competition.
In today’s business climate, all efforts and interactions are able to be tracked, providing a wealth of data that presents businesses with seemingly endless possibilities for improvement. Successful businesses need to effectively interpret this data in order to make it useful, and know how to translate this information into positive action. Data should be used to anticipate customer needs in order to deliver superior experiences and personalized service.
Our prediction.
We would add another thought to these predictions. While the way businesses interact with customers is always evolving and technology will continue to play an important role, the importance of the touchpoint interaction should never be forgotten. This one-on-one communication between customers and touchpoint employees is the foundation to building lasting relationships. Touchpoint employees should be empowered to deliver personalized service. These key players can provide your business with valuable feedback based on their interactions, which will improve the overall customer experience.
Categorized in: Blog, Consumer Experience, Customer Service, loyal customers
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