Remember when consumers’ buying behaviours had to match brands’ go to market strategies?
When those strategies changed, the consumer would have to change too.
Well, not anymore.
In an always-on world, brands and organisations must respond to consumer preferences or risk losing them forever.
Nowhere is that dynamic more at play than in the communications space; where consumers want to engage with those brands and organisations whenever and, most importantly, however they want.
That omnichannel, 24/7 environment is one in which the interests of enterprise and consumer can be positively transformed – but only if both entities leverage the smartest of technological tools.
For enterprises, of course, success in that endeavour is critical. Being unable to connect effectively with those you serve is effectively the beginning of the end.
Today, investment in clever, cloud-powered Communications as a Service (CPaaS) is the only smart way forward.
Picking the right provider partner is about as important as it gets.
“Years ago, it was easier for enterprises because it was the customer that was required to adapt to whatever purchase process was in place – now enterprises must be more flexible,” says Francesco Graziano, Senior Solution Go-To-Market Manager at leading provider BICS, whose powerful ‘all-in-one-place’ communications platform packs a big punch.
“It is much more likely for consumers to stick with an enterprise with which it has a high-quality communications experience. It is also more likely that those consumers will recommend an enterprise to friends and relatives. For example, in hairdressing, it is much more convenient for people to book an appointment via an app than it is to make a phone call, and the same applies for an appointment in healthcare.”
A slick CPaaS solution benefits the user organisation and its agents too. An agent with every communication channel in view and joined-up resolution functionality at his fingertips is likely to not only provide a better service but also be less stressed.
“An enterprise’s agent is often the only person with whom a customer interacts, so that experience needs to be of the highest quality,” says Graziano.
“The ability an agent has to manage a customer request is directly linked to the overall image of the company. Also, the omnichannel nature of modern communications significantly affects agent productivity. One recent study showed that, on average, an agent is able to manage seven synchronous WhatsApp conversations as efficiently as just a single voice call.”
