We aren't in Kansas Anymore;Scaling a Global Customer Service Business

Global challenges in reaching customers in emerging markets / emerging channels.

The world of customer service used to be a bit like Dorothy in Kansas in the Wizard of OZ.   It was a grey, boring, straightforward world of answering phones and questions.  The customer service world of today is like the colored world of OZ full wonder and innovation. If the 1-800 number of yesteryear is still your customer service approach you will not be in business much longer.

According to Wikipedia customer services is “the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.”  Traditionally this was done face to face at retail or via correspondence or the phone for non-retail purchases.   

Now and into the future it is all about interacting with customers via the media and channel of their choice.  The evolving world of technology requires customer service groups to be flexible not only on the type of information offered but also on how it is delivered.  There is still room for human interaction face to face or over the phone if requested but customers today demand choice.  That could mean FAQ’s on a website, predictable email answers message boards, social media pages or mobile apps to assist.  Businesses today need to address them all.  Achieving consistency across channels can be a big challenge according to a report by Zendesk in 2013 (http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/new-report-examines-global-trends-in-customer-service-022999.php)

Another trend picking up speed is customers looking to help themselves.  This “customer self service” is a reflection of customers looking to answer the question or fix the problem themselves before calling a hotline.  Whether this is due to poor hotline service or a self service desire is hard to say.  But the impact on companies is clear.  Channels to offer this type of service need to be offered.  Use of mobile devices is also on the rise as more customers use their mobile to assess information and conduct transactions.  So being online today is not good enough, you also need be on mobile.

Scale is another new challenge as now businesses are global.  Ecommerce and global expansion makes it critical to be able to speak different languages and to reach customers in far flung places.  Culture can impact the media as well.  If you are big in the Philippines you better be on mobile.  If you are selling in Kenya you better be able to take mobile payments.  There are vast differences in what customers expect in different parts of the world and customer services groups today need to address these differences seamlessly.

A quality interaction will continue to be the gold standard for customer service no matter the channel in which it is delivered.  In designing the overall customer service structure companies need to be mindful of consistency across channels.  Just as customers expect sellers to “pick up the phone” they will also expect an email to be answered in a reasonable period of time.  Of course the information must be accurate, useful and helpful no matter the channel.  

Finally, here were the top 10 Customer Service Trends in 2014 according to Comm100 (http://www.comm100.com/blog/customer-service/10-customer-service-trends-watch-2014-infographic.html), expect these to continue in 2015:

1.  From Cost Center to Differentiator
2.  Moving into the Cloud
3.  Going Mobile
4.  Going Social
5.  Going Proactive
6.  Big Data
7.  Self-Service
8.  Crowdsourcing
9.  Omni-Channel Experience
10.  24/7/365