by Fronetics | Aug 15, 2018 | Blog, Customer Service, Data Security, Data/Analytics, Logistics, Strategy, Supply Chain
Data breaches are all over the news lately, but data analytics may be the key to tighter security — and better customer service.
A growing number of high-profile organizations have been in the news recently for data breaches that put customers at risk, and the trend shows no signs of stopping. Collecting data about customers allows organizations the advantage of personalizing their services, but safeguarding that data comes with major security concerns.
[bctt tweet=”Collecting data about customers allows organizations the advantage of personalizing their services, but safeguarding that data comes with major security concerns.” username=”Fronetics”]
Data analytics, or the way organizations process the information they collect to learn about their customers, is becoming increasingly effective at de-anonymizing large amounts of data and tying it back to specific individuals. While personalized data is a goldmine in terms of marketing and services, it’s also exactly what cyber-criminals target.
But information expert Sam Ransbotham, in the MIT Sloan Management Review, says that de-anonymizing people through data analytics coud be a powerful security tool itself, and can even improve customer service along with way.
How data analytics plays into security
Ransbotham points out that authenticating identity is one of the most important parts of keeping data secure. Whether online or over the telephone, authenticating your identity usually means answering a string of questions first to identify your account and then to affirm that you are who you say you are.
Data analytics, however, offer a better way of authenticating identity. A number of companies in the banking sector have already begun to use speech processing to identify a caller’s voice based on recordings of previous telephone calls. These “voiceprints” can confirm identity almost instantly and reduce the chance of someone stealing a personal identification number (PIN).
Using an automated system of voice-data analysis gives banks the added benefit of being able to adjust their security protocols for all customer service interactions at once. This allows for faster responses to updated assessments of security threats, rather than having to re-train customer service representatives.
Customer service advantages
Instead of making callers identify themselves by answering “security challenge questions,” data analytics allows the security process to take place behind the scenes. Customers experience a more streamlined calling experience that immediately addresses their needs. They save time and are spared the hassle of answering questions to identify themselves.
Security challenge questions are, Ransbotham says, “adversarial by design. … This authentication process must begin with the assumption that the caller is a malefactor impersonating the real customer.” By performing the authentication process behind the scenes, voiceprints help re-define the customer service experience as helpful instead of combative.
Organizations, in turn, can save time on employee training. They can focus on training employees for service rather than security.
Data analytics does not have to involve a trade-off between security and service. Techniques like collecting and analyzing voice data can actually start providing solutions to some of the security concerns that data collection raised in the first place.
As Ransbotham suggests, data analytics has the potential for further applications. Voice analysis can detect speech patterns that indicate if someone is being coerced or suffering from impairment, which could be adapted for security and service purposes, too.
Related posts:
by Fronetics | May 2, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Customer Service, Logistics, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Supply Chain
A new study shows that businesses that reply to customer reviews receive better ratings overall than those that do not respond.
I’ve written before about the rising popularity of B2B user review sites and how supply chain and logistics businesses can use them to increase organic traffic and lead-to-sale conversion rates. B2B buyers are increasingly considering user reviews when making purchasing decisions. That’s great for business — when the reviews are good.
But what if you get bad reviews?
[bctt tweet=”Bad reviews don’t necessarily spell disaster — but they do mean that you should incorporate a response plan into your overall marketing strategy. ” username=”Fronetics”]
A brand new study published in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) shows that businesses that reply to customer reviews get better ratings overall. This means that bad reviews don’t necessarily spell disaster — but they do mean that you should incorporate a response plan into your overall marketing strategy.
Replying to reviews is an important part of online reputation management — which is especially crucial in the B2B space, where companies live and die by their reputation. So how does responding to reviews improve your online reputation?
A study in why to reply to customer reviews
To examine this question, Professors Davide Proserpio and Giorgos Zervas looked at tens of thousands of hotel reviews and responses from TripAdvisor. What they found was that “when hotels start responding, they receive 12% more reviews and their ratings increase, on average, by 0.12 stars.”
While 0.12 may not seem like a lot, in the scale of TripAdvisor’s 5 star system, where ratings are rounded to the nearest half star, it has a significant impact on customers’ perceptions.
Proserpio and Zervas found that “approximately one-third of the hotels we studied increased their rounded ratings by half a star or more within six months of their first management response.”
Improved ratings are related to management response
So why is it that the hotels started to get more and better reviews when management started responding?
The researchers examined every facet of the data to rule out other factors that would undermine causality, and found that in fact “improved ratings can be directly linked to management responses,” rather than improvements made to facilities or services.
To explain it, the researchers make the analogy of eating at your favorite restaurant and your meal arrives late. You complain to your dinner companions, but when the manager checks in seconds later and asks how everything is, “for a moment, you consider complaining, but instead choose to avoid confrontation and focus on enjoying the rest of your meal.”
Essentially, by humanizing your presence on review sites, you discourage potentially awkward online interactions.
The researchers conclude, “While negative reviews are unavoidable, our work shows that managers can actively participate in shaping their firms’ online reputations. By monitoring and responding to reviews, a manager can make sure that when negative reviews come in — as they inevitably will — they can respond constructively and maybe even raise their firm’s rating along the way.”
Do you always reply to customer reviews on user review sites?
Related posts:
by Fronetics | Apr 24, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Customer Service, Logistics, Marketing, Strategy, Supply Chain
While automation technology can streamline many processes and functions, customer-service automation can sometimes backfire and lose you business.
We’ve talked a lot recently about implementing automation technology into your sales and marketing operations. It can be a great tool for saving time and money while increasing your communication and customization with prospects and leads.
But a recent Harvard Business Review article by Ryan W. Buell, Professor at Harvard Business School, reminds us that the benefits of automation “aren’t universally rosy,” particularly when it comes to customer service. Here’s why customer-service automation isn’t always the best answer.
Your brand is at stake
People like technology when it works. But they can be unforgiving when it doesn’t. Customer service is the part of your business that is most likely to cause lasting damage to your reputation when automation fails.
Any point of contact between your company and your customers is part of customer service. Outbound emails, chatbots, automatic order confirmations, and interactive voice response (call trees) are all part of the customer experience. If any one of them disappoints, you’ve given customers a reason to think twice before doing business with you again.
Solving problems is more important than saving time
People want technology to make life easier and ordinary tasks faster. That’s why digital boarding passes, on-demand ride services like Uber and Lyft, and electronic payment systems like Venmo are “good” technology. With simple interfaces and a specific purpose, they make it easier to accomplish something that would take longer to do without them. People perceive companies that offer these services as innovative, helpful, and even indispensable.
If, on the other hand, “an action would be seen as annoying when performed by a person, chances are it will be annoying when performed by technology,” according to Buell.
Call trees are the most egregious example of bad automation, especially when callers are forced to listen to product pitches or survey requests before they can talk to someone who can solve their problem. “The best uses of technology are likely to make customers and employees feel more, rather than less, valuable to your organization,” says Buell.
No one wants to talk to a machine
Humans are emotional and social beings. Buell suggests “an instantaneous connection to a gracious and well-informed human should be a short stroll, click, or tap away.”
Machines are information deliverers, not problem solvers. They can’t deal with ambiguity or non-conforming situations. As they get smarter and more connected, they can fool you into believing they’re thinking when, really, they’re just processing inputs and responding based on rules. That’s not the same as hearing, caring and reacting with empathy. And that’s why great customer service should always include easy access to a human being.
When electronic service isn’t responsive, it can make your customers’ problems worse, not better. Tasks that require creativity or are unique to individual circumstances don’t lend themselves to automation.
Don’t let technology take center stage
Technology should be invisible to as great an extent as possible. When servers and cashiers are slaves to tablets and POS systems, they’re not making eye contact and talking to customers. When callers are asked to repeat the same account information while navigating from one department to another, they get justifiably irritated, which puts your call center agents on the defensive before they’ve even said a word. Automated services that are difficult to use or don’t lead to the right outcomes are more annoying than satisfying.
Experts at TechTarget offer the following advice to keep service technology in the background where it belongs:
- Unify management of different customer service channels whenever possible to provide consistent service.
- Integrate customer data so callers don’t have to repeat the same information over and over.
- Integrate business processes across departments to create logical hand-offs and a path to solving customer problems.
- Make it easy to reach a human at any time!
- Make sure humans test and update automated services on a regular basis.
If you’re looking at customer-service automation as a way to improve productivity, don’t make the mistake of prioritizing cost savings over customer satisfaction. Never underestimate the value of human connections for both employees and customers.
Related posts:
by Fronetics | Nov 9, 2017 | Blog, Content Marketing, Customer Service, Marketing
Case studies have proven to be one of the most effective kinds of content in converting leads to buyers. Here are 4 strategies to getting customers to participate.
The 2017 Content Preferences Survey Report found that 78% of B2B buyers used vendor case studies as part of their purchasing decisions in the past 12 months. So why are customer testimonials and case studies so effective? Because buyers value the opinions of their peers and colleagues.
In fact, 89% of B2B marketers consider customer testimonials and case studies as the most effective kinds of content in converting buyers. It makes sense: User reviews offer an unbiased, credible experience regarding a company’s products or services. So potential customers do not have to rely exclusively on information the organization provides.
With stats like that, it is easy to see that case studies are compelling, but getting customers to participate in case studies can be very challenging. Here are 4 tips to help increase case study participation.
4 strategies to get customers involved in your case study
Create a formal process.
Start by getting support from your sales and marketing teams. With compelling stats about the success of case studies and customer testimonials, your internal teams will be jumping at the chance to help find participants. After all, these customers will help drive new sales.
Next you will need a formal submission process for sales and marketing team members to complete when they want to submit a customer’s name and information. You will also need a detailed document that explains to participants their level of involvement. People are busy! Keep case studies short and sweet so nominees are more likely to participate.
Be smart with your timing.
Case studies are most effective when you have happy, satisfied customers beaming about your products. Be smart with your timing and ask customers who just recently purchased your products or services. These customers are most likely excited about their recent purchase and may even go one step further in their reviews, offering tips and how-tos that will only add to the success of your case study.
Not sure if customers are happy with their recent purchase? Ask them! Send an email that asks if they’re satisfied. If their response shows excitement, ask if they’d be willing to participate.
Treat the case study as a mutual opportunity
Case studies can be beneficial to you and your participants, and should be treated as such. “Many customers already think doing business with you is a favor they did. You should not make them feel like they’re going to be doing you another favor by doing a case study,” writes Ayodeji Onibalusi for Effective Inbound Marketing.
Let customers see your case study as an opportunity for them. Explain the benefits, including publicity, they will achieve from participating. Post your case study to social media, link to your website, and send to existing and potential customers. A case study is something your participants can enjoy and won’t want to miss out on.
Find alternatives if customer polices prohibit case studies
Company policies that restrict or forbid some customers from participating in case studies are a big roadblock. Your company could have strict polices about customer testimonials, or customers might have restrictive company policies that limit their participation. These can be a challenge but don’t have to quash your opportunity to conduct successful case studies.
Get creative if you must! Conduct large group interviews and take samples of customer testimonials. Or use the average results from the interview to create an anonymous case study. If you’re still running into issues, simply ask customers for a one-sentence review that you can post without their information. These short reviews can still have a big impact on potential customers.
Case studies have proven they are worth their time and energy. Recommendations from actual customers are a powerful tool. Use these four strategies to conduct case studies that will help attract new customers and drive sales.
Related posts:
by Jennifer Hart Yim | Jul 13, 2017 | Blog, Customer Service, Manufacturing & Distribution, Strategy, Supply Chain
Manufacturers who listen and focus on customer experience and service will win in the battle to increase revenue and company size.
This post comes to us from Kevin Jessop of Cerasis, a top freight logistics company and truckload freight broker.
Manufacturers have always struggled to know their customers. But, modern businesses have grown to encompass an omnichannel sales opportunity. Customers can place orders online, by phone, in person and in nearly any other means desirable. Unfortunately, this means manufacturers face an even greater challenge, as more customers translate into greater use of customer service.
In addition, customers are continuing to demand lower prices and free shipping. But, our predictions’ post noted how manufacturers are having trouble with transforming customer input into responsiveness and enhancements to the customer experience. Those who do achieve this feat can realize significant increases in revenue and high returns. But, how do manufacturers turn their focus to the customer experience?
1. Determine What Customers Want Today.
Modern technologies can give manufacturers real-time insight into the ways products are moving in retail and online environments. But, patterns today do not necessarily reflect the needs for tomorrow. As a result, manufacturers must be wary of overproduction and focus on providing the products customers want now, not tomorrow. In other words, manufacturers need analytics from point-of-sale systems, transportation metrics and more. Furthermore, companies must extend the buying cycle to get as much information as possible from consumers.
2. Lengthen the Buying Cycle Through Interaction.
Remember the catch-phrase, “Do you want fries with that?” Well, that concept holds true in the supply chain and for manufacturers alike. Consumers may not always go for what you are offering, but they want you to offer more than you have. Essentially, this creates a stronger level of customer service, and it can turn into additional purchases. More importantly, it gives manufacturers a chance to find out more about what the customer wants.
For example, a customer is a shoe store may purchase shoes, but if offered a new brand of socks, he or she refuses. During the ensuing conversation, the representative finds out that the socks have gathered a bad reputation on social media.
While this example is a bit extreme, it highlights how a longer buying cycle can translate into insights for manufacturers. In addition, a longer buying cycle naturally improves the company’s reputation.
3. Partner With Appropriate Businesses.
Businesses are often grouped into a broad category of competitors, but businesses can work to help manufacturers become more responsive to their consumers. This can include offering like products in package deals, compiling changes in like demographics or sharing information to reduce costs across the scope of both companies’ transportation networks. In fact, manufacturers can collaborate with third-party logistics providers (3PLs), like Cerasis, to realize the benefits of collaboration and taking advantage of business-to-business (B2B) sales through integration of systems, explains Louis Columbus of Supply Chain 24/7.
Essentially, every interaction with another business increases the possible customer base by both the number of employees in the new business and the number of customers working with that specific business. As you go through the chain of business, the opportunity for enhancing customer experiences grows.
4. Take Extra Care of B2B Partners.
B2B sales are more fickle than business-to-customer sales. According to a Gallup study, reports Chief Executive, more than 70 percent of B2B companies are facing setbacks and decreases among their B2B partners because of lacking customer engagement. Since B2B sales often take place behind the public’s perception of the economy, it is important that manufacturers work to create engaging relationships through content-driven, digital experiences. This can include videos demonstrating how products work, informative blog posts that provide something free and helpful to customers and beyond. Of course, the same concept of using digital technology to engage customers can be applied to B2C sales channels as well.
5. Be There for Customers After the Sale.
We have all experienced that disheartening feeling when calling customer service and getting lost or frustrated with the lack of service offered. Manufacturers need to be present to their customers after the sale because the level of customer service provided will be shared widely on social media. More importantly, poor customer service or inability to help customers with product issues or questions will gain a huge following much faster than a positive comment.
For example, manufacturers could send out emails for high-tech products that will require updates, or they may create online video banks to teach customers how to use the products easily. The opportunity for creativity in engaging current and future customers is only limited by your imagination!
Listening to What Customers Say is the Key to a Positive Customer Experience.
These steps go back to one thing, listening. Your company should listen to what internet-connected devices are saying about customers. You should listen to what your B2B partners are saying about your products and customers. Listen to what stakeholders, employees and B2C customers are saying. If you take the time to listen, you can meet the growing expectations of a modern customer base that wants a higher level of service than past generations. Ultimately, manufacturers who do listen and focus on customer experience and service will win in the battle to increase revenue and company size.
This post originally appeared on Cerasis’ blog.
Related posts:
by Fronetics | Jun 22, 2016 | Blog, Customer Service, Logistics, Strategy, Supply Chain
Source: Amazon
Today’s customers expect value, quality, and speed. Focusing on how your can deliver on those promises is what will win you business.
Remember that great advice: focus on yourself, not on what others are doing. According to an article in Harvard Business Review, the greatest challenge your company faces today is not keeping up with your competitors, but keeping up with your customers’ expectations.
This is not to discount the importance of watching business trends and monitoring the competition. But, your primary focus should be on what your customers need and expect and if you are providing it.
What do customers expect?
In today’s digital age, your customers’ expectations wash away traditional boundaries. According to a report in The Economist Group, customers compare and contrast their digital experiences across all industries, even those that offer totally different products or services.
Do you stand out above the crowd? Ask yourself this:
- Do you offer value, quality, and speed? Customers used to be willing to trade off one to get the other. Those days are gone. Today’s customer dictates that they want it all: lowest price, good quality, and fast delivery.
- Do you offer what the “big guy” does in terms of product, service, and ease, but with the care of a small business people trust? The size of your business does not matter in a digital marketplace. But, you must offer the scope, scale, and influence associated with being big, while maintaining the creativity and personal service characteristic of smaller businesses.
- Do you focus on helping customers to meet their objectives and needs? Do you share a purpose? According to an article in Harvard Business Review, what you provide ideally is not something you are going to do to them, or for them, but with them. It’s a journey you take together.
- Do you offer an intuitive sales funnel? Customers expect you to be where they are, deliver what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. If they are shopping your site, leave, and come back later, they want to pick up where they left off. They demand intuitive ease and ultimate convenience while they shop.
- Do you offer personalized customer experiences? Remember what happened every time Norm entered that television bar called Cheers? Your customers want you to know their name when they return, as well as their unique individual preferences, and they also want you to make relevant recommendations for products or services they may like.
- Do your social media interactions inform and help customers? Your posts should not deliver a sales pitch. Social media content should be educational, entertaining, or support the needs and interests of your audience.
There are new rules businesses must follow today in creating the ideal digital journey for their customers. Focus your attention on exceeding customer expectations and answering to their unique needs, not on your competition.
Related posts:
