How COVID-19 Is Bringing A Big Change In Customer Service

Once upon a time when the world was still existing as it was, the working class would day-dream for a chance to work from home. We would be waiting for hours in long queues of traffic, tiresomely reaching the office. On the business front, relationships with clients sustained by encounters made across digital and physical touchpoints and affirmed through rehashed collaborations.

The unforeseen widespread of the coronavirus has altered our living experience. The defaults are changing drastically and the world is struggling to adapt. Businesses too have to accept this change and are rushing towards a tech-driven infrastructure - because the in-person experience is no more safe or even acceptable. 

People being confined to their homes does hinder the traditional way of doing business. However, technology emerges as a savior to resolve such hindrances. Remote working solutions have always existed in the infrastructure but they are revolutionizing the industry currently. Employers and employees are shifting to a digital workspace which not only reduces operational costs but also promotes a healthy atmosphere in the face of this pandemic. Agents can seamlessly conduct inbound and outbound calls using their smartphones. Thanks to cloud based contact center (CCaaS). The application is smart enough to allow supervisors to have an overview of the agents and their timelines. Agents can log in their shift timings and breaks - basically a virtual office, the rules are the same, only the structure has changed. Also, with a mobile based app, the agent can do almost everything remotely using internet and phone. And if internet is patchy, no need to worry – there is a deskless solution so that the agent can make or receive calls over a fixed phone or mobile phone even without an app.

The pandemic is a direct blow to numerous B2C organizations. To reduce contact, several businesses had to be shut down. Nevertheless, some brands thought outside the box and stayed by their customers especially in these trying times. Essential businesses kept running nonetheless at the risk of contracting the virus. This is where technology comes in once again. What needs to be addressed in person, can be resolved via video calls. Financial corporations, healthcare industry, insurance companies, and other relevant businesses started opting for video-based-solutions. This pandemic has observed the adoption of technology like never before. Certain sectors like healthcare which always had been a very high touch pint industry is under a massive transformation. Last time I interacted with my doctor over a video chat which was so convenient for both of us and completely safe from visiting the clinic. There are other benefits that is provided by video-based solutions:-
1. Contactless Onboarding - Customer’s KYC work can be easily done while maintaining omnichannel engagement. This includes document uploading while the video chat is on, ensuring that the complete verification process is successful. 

2. Geotagging - The customer’s location can be requested during the call and the location and date/time gets watermarked in the video recording. 

3. Product Demonstration - Customer sales or support can be easily offered via video calls.

4. Immediate Medical Consultation - Suffering patients can get quick aid until they make it to the hospital.

5. Help At Home - Differently-abled and elderly customers can avail customer support from the comfort of their homes. Subsequently, voice bots can offer an even seamless interaction.

6. Quality Check - Managers or QAs can utilise this opportunity to measure and improve the quality of the support provided. They can analyze the video-call recording or study the questionnaire that agents fill out during the call. 

7. Informed Agents - Customer data management is available alongside the video call. Agents will have most of the customer data like name and purpose of the call to provide an uninterrupted service.

8. Cost Efficiency - This is a no brainer that a tech-driven operation is scalable and cost efficient. It reduces time and effort for all the parties involved and promotes the idea of “immediate response.” With the pandemic affecting our economy, this is a wonderful opportunity to shift to such worthwhile solutions.

Thus, it is safe to say that video-calls or video-KYC can potentially elevate customer support experience. However, it is a costly affair to keep agents working around the clock - especially if you serve customers across timelines. Consequently, a brand or a business cannot abandon its customers either. Therefore, employing voice bots or chat bots will be the ultimate solution. 

Voicebot is an artificial intelligence and natural language understanding (NLU) based voice channel for communication that works by converting audio to text format. These bots can replicate human mannerisms and conduct a complete conversation while providing relevant solutions to the engaged customer. Voicebots are extremely reliable and running round the clock. It is a sophisticated form of self-help and can reduce the human contact level to a certain degree. This is indeed an ideal solution amidst a pandemic.

Voicebots are a preferred mode of communication as it is purely voice based. It is a seamless affair for encouraging customer interaction while offering efficient integration with the CRM or knowledge base. The bot improves its intelligence with all the knowledge at its bay, enhancing the nature of the support provided. In a pandemic driven atmosphere, such self-servicing tools add essential values to the lives of the customers. 

Conclusion:

Nevertheless, these investments seem pandemic specific but can offer a lot in the long run. Think along these lines and imagine the quality of customer service that can be provided. Customers need connection and trust. A business that walks an extra mile to provide top-class customer support, definitely gains brand advocates for a lifetime. Customers will remember the specific brands who stood by and delivered in times of need. The ones who abandoned will not only lose customers but will lose brand value in front of the world. Hence, it is imperative to make the right decision and invest wisely. The change the world is enduring is transforming the customer service industry.