Talkdesk, Inc., the global customer experience leader for customer-obsessed companies, launched Talkdesk Flexible Shopping – an end-to-end customer experience solution designed to help retailers and brands ready their contact centers to support post-pandemic shopper expectations.
Talkdesk Flexible Shopping equips retailers with integrated, cloud-based contact center tools to help streamline curbside pickup, buy online-pickup in store (BOPIS) and appointment shopping communications. Retailers can manage services through multiple communication channels, including voice, messaging, email, chat and social channels from one solution. Talkdesk Flexible Shopping uses automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to help retailers and brands improve cross-channel and omnichannel customer experiences, which enhances overall brand experiences and increases customer-lifetime value.
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“How to deliver exceptional omnichannel customer service in retail’s post-pandemic world”
“Creating great customer experiences has always been critical for brands and retailers, but the events of the past year have considerably upped the stakes. Consumers have adopted new ways of interacting with brands they love, and they now expect retailers to meet them where they are in order to provide a frictionless experience,” said Charanya Kannan, chief product officer, Talkdesk. “Talkdesk Flexible Shopping offers a better way for retailers to deliver on these expectations, so they can drive loyalty and long-term customer value.”
As global retail emerges from the pandemic, consumer preference for cross-channel and omnichannel services such as curbside pickup, BOPIS/click-and-collect and appointment shopping are expected to continue. While these offerings predate the pandemic, shoppers have since become more attached to using them, raising expectations for brands and retailers. The recent Talkdesk ResearchTM report CX Revolution in Retail findings reflect this and other new patterns in retail spending behavior.
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Many companies have struggled to deliver seamlessly on these new consumer demands, often saddled with outdated, disparate, on-premises technology not suited for frictionless cross-channel experiences. In fact, Talkdesk Research further shows 62% of CX professionals report that legacy contact center technology limits them from improving customer experience. Exacerbating the situation, 58% of customers say their expectations of customer service are higher than a year ago.
With Talkdesk Flexible Shopping customers can engage with their favorite retailers through the channels of their choice, and brands and retailers can scale necessary services that shoppers will continue to demand.
Shannon Colquhoun joins Talkdesk
Talkdesk has also appointed Shannon Colquhoun as vice president, global industry strategy – retail, e-commerce & consumer goods. Shannon comes with over 20 years’ experience working with fast-growing startups, such as The RealReal and Everlane, and enterprise retailers, including: Sephora, Gap Inc., Macy’s and Lands’ End. Her roles have spanned strategy, operations, people, technology, marketing, sales and consulting. In her new role at Talkdesk, Shannon will lead cross-functional teams to reimagine the role of the contact center along the customer journey, asking how brands can solve friction points, enhance experiences and build long-lasting relationships.
Talkdesk Flexible Shopping is the fifth industry solution introduced by Talkdesk this year, alongside: Talkdesk Small Business Lending Solution, Talkdesk Vaccine Administration Solution, Talkdesk Vacation Now and Talkdesk Digital Lending Solution. The company is also at the forefront of advances in artificial intelligence for contact centers and recently introduced Talkdesk AI TrainerTM, rapidly progressing toward its vision of 80% of customer interactions automated with Talkdesk AI by 2023.
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