Enhancing your Customer Experience (CX) strategy through technology

You probably have already heard about Customer experience ,and  probably have already implemented it ,started off with the  most logical stuff ; hired the right people ,perhaps even have a team dedicated to just that ( read CX dedicated team)  and  got them trained further  to ensure they offer nothing but excellent service to your clients .Perhaps you have even adopted a customer centric approach and regularly measure your customer satisfaction levels often.

So everything seems to be in place ,but you’re not getting the desired results .

Customer Experience  is not just that “one thing ” not just the stroke of a magic wand to get it right , but rather is a blend of many right things  done at the right time  to influence the client’s perception  of your brand .
Forrester puts  it more succinctly as “How customers perceive their interactions with your company.”

One of the many  right things that could enhance your  Customer Experience Strategy is technology.

There’s  an explosion of  emerging technologies that are at the forefront of  enhancing customer experience  across all industries . The financial services industry  for instance is undergoing a radical transformation thanks to this.

Every one wants to dive into CX , and  the best shot they got is with technology, but  which to choose

Omnichannel

This concept has been around for a while now .In the financial services industry  where its referred to as omnichannel banking enables one to perform  banking transactions from anywhere ,anytime via any device through whatever channel .This has been such a hit  that its been adopted by firms that are not traditionally considered to be in the banking industry .Insurance firms ,investment firms ,credit unions and even SACCO’s  (Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations) have gone the omnichannel way.

It’s become imperative for  financial services  industry to adopt omnichannel as this is how their customers want  to be served ,after all , customer is King , and this King can either let you live or die
(read  become obsolete due to failing to meet  ever changing needs  of customers)

The end game with omnichannel banking is to provide a  consistent seamless ,flawless  personalized service to a customer  when they engage with your company. Be it through a call that comes through call centre ,  an e-mail  , via  mobile App,  your website or even through your banking agent

All this sounds pretty cool ,but its easier said than done .Most of the work is in the doing than in  the saying .Read that again more s l o w l y , Most of the work is in the doing than in the saying .The doing part requires some serious technical skill and industry expertise .Most of the work happens in the background… those back end systems .Which brings me to my next point

Integration

This is the secret to a successful Omnichannel adoption  and the key to creating an  amazing  Customer Experience for your customers.

Today’s digital customer expects  seamless and flawless service through every channel they use to reach to your company ,it’s impossible to have this as a façade when everything’s up in the air behind the scenes .

Picture this scenario in financial services industry.

Seamless and consistent service for a client in this industry is performing a transaction over the phone  that reflects immediately  on the back end  and across all platforms ,it’s when the client places a call via call center and the call agent knows who they are and their preferences ,its when the client get a personalized message on his/her  birthday or wedding anniversary, its when the client gets a very personalized offer on a new product or service that’s  soo spot on that they take it, immediately.

This in itself creates a memorable customer experience the client is bound to share. Technology will drive this but the integration is what makes it  possible. Your back end systems need to be seamlessly integrated , performing flawlessly as one, creating a harmonious symphony like that of the Orchestra.