One of the main concerns of many sales executives at the moment is providing clients with creative ways to solve for disconnected customer experiences. In our industry, the most successful companies have realized that traditional approaches to serving customers are inadequate—and sometimes even defective. Integrating data analytics and developing strategic methods to enhance customer interactions are a necessity in our current consumer landscape.
To satisfy customers and optimize your business, you must use data to anticipate customer needs, address their pains, and understand their purchasing behavior.
The Benefits of Investing in Data
In an increasingly customer-centric world, the ability to capture and use customer insights to shape products solutions and the buying experience as a whole is critically important. In fact, a recent McKinsey survey found that investing in data analytics enables organizations to gain a competitive advantage, help sales teams target customers more successfully, and optimize operations to generate an operating-profit increase of around 6%.
Six percent can make or break a bottom line. So when working with a brand partner, I focus on the data. In order to get the best value, and create the best experience for customers, you must develop methods that create intelligent customer experiences by integrating marketing, sales, and data science.
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Unleashing the True Power of Data
One of the most important parts of a data-focused approach is to continuously collect data from your customers. Then, your teams of experts—no matter their particular expertise—can use every single piece of information to derive a holistic understanding of your customers. When you use data to connect each stage of the customer journey, you make their lives easier and your bottom line bigger.
Here are three ways you should start using call center data to create better customer experiences.
- Anticipate Their Needs
Every piece of data tells a story. Demographics, chat/call preferences, online behavior, and client history are data forms that provide insights into customers’ needs and preferences. We can then use that data to provide the best possible customer experience.
If we know, for example, how a customer chose to interact with us previously—whether via chat or phone call or self-service solutions—we can anticipate those preferences and tailor their next experience with our brand more effectively. This predictive approach to customer service helps create a seamless experience and results in an effortless customer experience.
- Address Their Pain Points
We tend to remember and retain bad experiences longer than good ones. This is true in our relationships with other people and with brands. A customer is more likely to remember their worst customer experiences with us than their best ones. Data can help us understand and address customer pain points and concerns to avoid negative experiences. .
With data, we can recognize the signs of customer discontent and equip our agents with additional context to help address pain points before they become a real issue. For example, if we know a customer previously canceled a service for a particular reason, we can mitigate those issues with future services. Data used in this way can be especially effective at maximizing customer lifetime value.
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- Understand Their Purchasing Behavior
Customer targeting gets more effective as data improves the accuracy of lead generation. Integrating internal data sources such as customer history with market research and external data provides us with a 360-degree view of potential customers. We are better able to accurately predict what truly matters to our customers and what their intent is.
For example, data allows us to determine what page a potential customer was searching before they called us. If we can tell that they were reviewing low-price services, we know where their buyer intent is leaning and can adjust our sales strategy accordingly. We can provide tailor-made scripts or send that customer to an agent who is equipped to build rapport and better sell to their needs. This makes us more efficient and provides a better overall experience for the customer as well.
Data is everywhere in your call center—you just need to learn how to gather and use it. Start by learning your customers’ needs, pain points, and purchasing patterns, and you’ll be able to provide a more intelligent customer journey.
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