Rather than obsessing about driving efficiencies, business leaders need to look at emerging technologies to find new revenue streams. IAN JACOBS of Forrester looks at five theologies set to change customer service.
As the age of digital business becomes pervasive, customer service professionals need to step up their planning. Technologies that seem futuristic now will become mainstream within five years. Moreover, completely new models of customer service, driven by new technologies, will require additional organisational models and ways of measuring their success – adding to the need for solid research and planning.
Forrester senior analyst serving application development and delivery professionals, Ian Jacobs, looks at five technologies set to transform customer care over the next five years.
Jacobs says that today’s digital reality has forever changed the way customers engage with companies. To illustrate, he points out how a customer of a large telecoms provider developed an automated bot which automatically tweeted the company as soon as his Internet connection dropped below agreed upon speeds.
Despite this new breed of customer, Forrester believes many companies are not prepared for a future where customers control the conversation.
“Emerging technologies proliferate through the consumer world well before they hit the enterprise, and yet only 16% of global business and technology decision-makers at firms that are prioritising improving customer experience are creating a dedicated user group for customer experience initiatives,” comments Jacobs in a new Forrester report: Plan Now for Customer Service in 2021.
According to Forrester, emerging technologies that can make a significant impact on the future of customer engagement and revenue generation include:
1. Two-way video allows customers and service staff to better engage
Despite the fact that the lower price of bandwidth and smartphone capabilities have brought video chat capabilities to an ever-greater portion of consumers, contact centres are not effectively making use of it. Those who are using video, also tend towards one-way video, which limits the benefits which they could be achieving through two-way video.
Two-way video allows the contact centre staff to see the troublesome router, fridge or radiator. Even the traditional service industries are making use of it, with a major global bank making use of two-way video along with co-browse facilities to help customers fill out complex applications.
2. Bridging the physical and digital worlds with augmented and virtual realities
The level of investment into technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is indicative that the technologies will have their day in the sun. As the cost of technology comes down, mainstream user adoption will increase.
“VR will allow customer service agents to project their presence into consumers’ worlds and be with them in their moments of need. There are already AR demos that show how consumers can take their mobile devices, hold them over an account statement, and have FAQs and account info show up right on their screens,” explains Jacobs in his report.
Although VR devices have a relatively low penetration rate at the moment, Jacobs says this will change.
“36% percent of US online adults are currently intrigued by the prospect of getting a wearable device; of that group, 25% would be interested in smart glasses. As adoption becomes more widespread, companies can create new experiences, such as an extension of the functionality of two-way video with step-by-step AR projections that walk consumers through technical repairs, whether for plumbing, printers, or pasta makers.”
3. Virtual assistants will continue the customer conversation
Improvements in speech recognition, natural language recognition and machine learning will lead to a new class of virtual assistants. Forrester says these developments will allow a conversational experience and, as the system watches agent-assisted interactions, it will learn what to expect and be in a position to supply answers on the fly.
Forrester does warn, however, that companies will need to carefully consider where and how they deploy virtual assistants, as well as how they escalate enquiries to agents without losing information already gained in the interaction.
4. Messaging apps will become the workhorse
Messaging apps have gone mainstream. Figures released from the messaging companies show that almost one in seven people on the planet make use of WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger is not far behind and there are 700 million WeChat users per month. The need for in-app support is abundantly clear.
Embedding other channels such as virtual assistants and ticketing agents in the app offers organisations additional opportunities.
That said, companies will need to factor in the fact that messaging is an always-on, multiple engagement channel which will require companies to forecast volumes and schedule agents appropriately. Hand over between agents across shifts and based on requirement will also require some forethought before being rolled out.
5. Connected devices mean more relationship-driven services
ABI Research shows that by 2020 there will be more than 30 billion connected devices. The Internet of Things will transform companies from being product-based to being services-based. Airline engine builders are already selling their turbines by the flying hour rather than as depreciating asset, making use of in-flight data to optimise maintenance and maximise revenue.
This example clearly shows how brands can shift to lucrative subscription models. It also allows for companies to make use of multiple channels to engage, including AR and two-way video. However, this demands a relationship-centric approach for service and support.
“Custom care decision-makers with a focus on driving ever-greater cost efficiencies have been highly risk-averse and slow moving. But the change of pace inherent in the age of the customer will no longer allow contact centers to simply take cost out of the business. Emerging technologies can drive the types of customer service experiences that better cement customer loyalty as well as advance new revenue-generating opportunities,” Jacobs says.
