Since the start of the pandemic, it seems like every phone call we make has the same recorded warning. It goes something like, “We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes due to the COVID pandemic. Expect longer wait times…” While that makes sense for some businesses, it feels like an excuse for others. In an attempt to handle the higher volume of calls, some businesses have implemented new service options. After giving the dire warning of longer wait times, callers are offered other service options such as text or chat. These are omni-channel options and can potentially provide a...
The coronavirus pandemic has changed how businesses interact and communicate with customers. Limited or no contact mandates have pushed businesses to find other ways to personally communicate with customers. One strategy some businesses have turned to is a messaging channel. In fact, during the first few months of the pandemic, the use of a messaging channel to interact with customers increased by 26%. At the same time, businesses are still learning to manage a messaging channel. Our company provides a 2-way messaging channel for businesses to interact with their customers. Two-way messaging is different from SMS messaging. SMS messages are...
COVID-19 presented a new kind of crisis that few businesses could anticipate in their crisis communication plan. As businesses suddenly shut down, they scrambled to figure out what to communicate and how. Soon, customers were flooded with emails from all kinds of businesses about how they were handling the pandemic. These heartfelt emails were well-intended but quickly became annoying. As businesses begin to reopen, they are challenged with providing consistent, relevant communications. They need to address customers’ current concerns as well as plan for longer-term impacts that aren’t yet known. Many of the communications sent over the last few months...
When you want to ask a friend or family member a question, how do you contact them? Most people’s preferred channel of communication looks something like this: Answering concerns as efficiently as possible is the goal for most customer service departments. Making sure you’re communicating on a channel comfortable for customers is equally important. When should you call vs message your customers? Read on to find out. If you’re interested in learning about where email should fall in your communication strategy, read this article. Quick Comparison (Peoplocity vs Phone Calls): Unique Phone Features Phone calls are free. Sort of… Unlimited minutes...
Email will never die. Despite attempts to dethrone it; email has survived for decades. Email’s popularity has led businesses to use it for every message they send out. All messages land in the same inbox; spam requests from a Nigerian Prince along side order information and important event reminders. “People try to make email do everything when it’s not particularly good at anything.” Don Norman (author of The Design of Everyday Things) In a world that’s increasingly mobile, 2-way personalized messaging might be a better fit for you and your customers. On the other hand, email has done its job...
Communicating with college students and their parents can be challenging. There is a lot of information to convey and a variety of ways the information can be delivered. In an effort to save time, all the information a student or parent needs to know about an event, such as graduation or student orientation, is often packed into a single email or sent in a big information packet through the mail. The amount of information is overwhelming and is barely read. If it is, readers will typically get a few high-level points, missing many of the important details. As a result,...
Most companies are not keeping pace with their busy, mobile customers. Over 6 billion text messages are sent daily in the U.S., yet few companies provide a true two-way messaging channel for their customers to use to communicate with them. A messaging channel provides many benefits for both businesses and their customers. Mobile lifestyle We are on the move both professionally and personally. It is predicted that by 2020, 72% of U.S. workers will be mobile. We are less tied to a computer in our work lives as well as our personal lives. Messaging is an easier communication channel and works...
A common problem we hear is that college students don’t read their emails. In one survey, nearly 40% of students reported that they don’t open emails from academic advisors, more than half don’t read emails from their academic department, and 72% treat emails from student organizations like spam. Commencement and first-year experience offices express the same frustrations. Emails they send to students and parents with important information and resources they need, go unread. So, why don’t students read these emails?! We decided to do some research into why and here is what we discovered. Moving Between Devices 98% of people use multiple...
