The retail industry has been through a turbulent period over the last 18 months. From staffing shortages and a skills drought, to supply chain issues and distribution challenges, the sector has experienced unprecedented change, putting an already stretched sector under strain.
With staff forced to work from home, stores shut and customer uncertainty high, the pandemic spun the entire sector on its head. However, the contact centre remained a constant throughout, retaining its place at the forefront of customer service.
As we move out of the eye of the storm into a ‘new’ business-as-usual, what comes next for the contact centre industry? I recently attended CX Retail Exchange 2021 which provided the ideal forum to hear directly from some of the leading UK retailers on the challenges faced and the retail industry best practices learnt in the Covid era.
What I heard provided great food for thought, and mirrored a lot of our thinking here at IPI. So, in today’s blog, I will share some reflections from the event and lay out what I consider to be retail industry best practices to aspire to in today’s retail customer contact centre:
1 – Learn from your mistakes
Mistakes happen. They are a part of every-day business. But it’s how they are addressed that will make the difference to a customer’s journey.
When mistakes occur, organisations should take responsibility for them, and be honest and empathetic with customers about the experience. This is not a time to be defensive or even neutral. Customers want to be heard, so ensure that your agents are trained appropriately in how to listen to customers.
As part of this, ensure that your agents feel empowered to do the right thing by customers. Part of this stems from good training, but this will come naturally if you have created a culture of trust within the contact centre that encourages agents to try new approaches to fixing issues rather than punishing mistakes.
Ensure that there are feedback methods for continuous improvement – whether that is jotting down notes on problems occurring throughout the day or using text and speech analytics tools to do the job automatically.
Remember that your agents are the eyes and ears of your business. They hear first-hand the challenges and the roadblocks that customers are encountering in their journeys, so will be best placed to identify patterns, as well as help find solutions.
Finally, don’t just fix individual problems that crop up but rectify issues at source. The trends seen in the contact centre can highlight potential problems across the business, such as increased customer demand for particular products which can help procurement and logistics teams, or flaws with products that can be remedied in production.
2 – Use technology wisely
Technology can ease the customer journey in numerous ways. However, it shouldn’t be viewed as a silver bullet in and of itself.
Customer self-serve and automation can be great ways to speed up responses, improve accuracy, and free up capacity within the contact centre. It’s important that these technologies aren’t implemented for the wrong reasons – take the time to optimise and streamline processes prior to automating and ensure that you choose processes that are suitable, rather than just trying to automate for the sake of it.
Effortless and great customer journeys come when agents are empowered to do their job well. This goes beyond equipping them with a laptop to work from home. It means simplifying processes and desktop tools, and providing agents with the knowledge they need to satisfy customers. Customers that have ever-more complex queries as easier queries move to self-serve.
3 – Don’t fear the unknown
The pandemic forced many contact centres into home working for the first time. The speed at which organisations transitioned their teams demonstrated two things. Firstly, that technological change can happen quicker than expected when required. And secondly, that working from home didn’t present the challenges that most feared it would.
Many in the contact centre industry had historically feared that home working would not be productive, management of staff would be challenging and customers wouldn’t be accepting of the change in environment. However, the opposite turned out to be the case. Agents still got their work done, teams remained operational – particularly when online collaboration tools were used, and many customers felt a greater sense of connection with agents who were also working from home.
The success of homeworking means that many contact centres have continued to embrace some element of the practice today – with many opting for a hybrid work environment. While on the face of it a homeworking contact centre seemed unthinkable, the reality is that it has been a great success. So don’t be afraid to explore unchartered territory.
4 – Variety of channels is key
A retailer’s customer base can be wide and varied. The pandemic forced many retail customers into the digital world reluctantly, and whilst many have embraced this change for the long-term, others still desire the human touch.
Telephony remains a key tool for most in the sector – with some customers needing the reassurance that comes from a human connection. However, ensure that whatever the channel selected, customers can resolve their enquiry using it, otherwise it will become a source of frustration for the customer. Ultimately, make sure that the contact centre reflects your customer base and, if needed, provides a spectrum of support for both the digitally savvy and the tech agnostic.
5 – Your agents should be at the heart of your strategy
Your agents are the life blood of the contact centre. So, hire the right people, give them the right skills and ensure that you are supporting their well-being.
Who you choose to be a part of your team has a direct bearing on the experience that your customers have with your brand. So, think about your recruitment process. Previous contact centre experience may be preferable, but is it everything? The pandemic has forced talent from other sectors into the job market and there are some great transferable skills to be found here that lend themselves perfectly to the customer service sector.
Ensure that you have an effective wellness strategy in place for your agents – as these are the people that keep your customer service function operational. Establish regular touch points with managers, put in place regular coaching and development sessions, and ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for communication with colleagues – this is particularly important if you are operating as a hybrid workforce. Think about how you can relieve the pressure on your agents and equip them with the skills to de-stress. From coaching on mindfulness practices, to yoga lessons – ensure that you have a sound wellness strategy that looks after your team.
Positioning the contact centre at the heart of operations
The retail sector has been through a period of tremendous uncertainty. However, it has demonstrated an ability to adapt (at speed) to meet changing requirements whilst, for the most part, weathering the storm. It’s clear that the contact centre, lying at the heart of customer service operations, has a pivotal role to play in the continued success of the retail industry. By recognising it as a vital listening post of operations, and striking the right balance between technology, agents and processes, retailers can use the contact centre to gather valuable insight that will help shape the future success of their business.
For more retail industry insights, read ‘The Changing Face of the Contact Centre – Retail‘, or contact us to discuss how we can optimise your retail contact centre.
Craig is Head of Solution Consulting at IPI. With over two decades of experience in the dynamic world of contact centres, he’s seen the industry evolve, and evolved with it. Craig’s journey began with hands-on operational roles, focusing on technology, resource planning, and leadership.
Throughout his career, Craig had the privilege of collaborating with global brands, empowering them to harness cutting-edge technology and streamline their operations. Today, Craig leads Solution Consulting at IP Integration, where we leverage our extensive industry experience to help clients deliver exceptional customer experiences.
