Which companies are winning in driving customer experience through Digital Transformation?
As for so many of us, I cannot imagine life without my personal banking mobile app given the ease of use and its ability to work seamlessly almost every day. Unfortunately for my bank though, I expect nothing short of the same reliable service across all of its other touch-points.
Recently, having moved homes I made the change known to my bank over the phone but somehow the account statements failed to reflect the new address. So I called up again and following two separate 20-minute conversations waited for a week for the updated statements to arrive in post. And lo behold, I opened the mail and saw my old address still there, rendering these statements useless as address proof for an urgent submission. No points for guessing how I rated my experience and the negative influence it had on my brand perception and loyalty.
This example of inconsistent service levels across multiple interactions demonstrates the highs and lows that so many customers face daily. Often despite technology advancements, data anomalies and gaps in processes make the employees incapable of doing what they say to the customer. Although some people may appreciate organisational complexities, they still see a brand as one single entity.
No doubt then that while implementing a Digital Transformation program, irrespective of the headline objective, organisations should view its impact and benefits through the customer lens. Will it deliver improved satisfaction for my customers? Will it tie together the story across all channels / platforms? Will my employees be able to provide a better service? The point of ‘know your customer’ cannot be emphasised enough.
And what is critical is to overlay this understanding of the customer on to the organisation’s products, channels, processes, employees and partners to be able to provide a seamless and ‘right first time’ service. Understand the gaps in each of the touch-points and prioritise. UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) states key differentiators between the top quartile and the remaining organisations as:
Complaint handling
Over the phone
% of problems and right first time experiences
Reputation and trust
According to CSI January 2018 report, online giant Amazon continued to top the charts and digital music disruptor Spotify made its debut. Moreover, Superdrug and Renault were among the top 20 most improved companies (over a year), both of which have also been reaping benefits from dedicated Digital Hubs set-up for driving transformation.
As demonstrated by such top performing companies, looking at the direct customer interaction points can be most impactful. And through the use of AI and automation technologies companies can achieve results within weeks.
So, where do I start? Focus on small incremental customer experience improvements whilst building a solid dedicated digital team of specialists, which can respond rapidly to constantly changing consumer needs and competitive pressures.
We have observed that the companies which have been able to implement a lean decision-making structure, which is informed from insights across the organisation, are winning over the consumers.
