meet high expectations with customer experience outsourcing · the trends reflect new perspectives...

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MEET HIGH EXPECTATIONS WITHCUSTOMER EXPERIENCE OUTSOURCING

Build Consumer Loyalty And Concentrate On Your Core Competencies With A Trusted Customer Service Partner.




The U.S. economy is marked by slow but steady growth, just below the growth rate of the last five years. The labor market continues to strengthen and, the unemployment rate hovers at low levels, contributing to a rise in family income. That means things are heating up, and in a competitive marketplace in which companies are beginning to invest in growth, customer service will be a key brand differentiator. Research shows that providing an exceptional level of customer services is perhaps the most sustainable differentiator for success. After all, a wise person once said, "People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel." Here's a review of recent research in the United States, touching on different verticals and key issues for customer service. The data includes consumer and professional perceptions of customer service, and how companies can leverage customer service outsourcing to generate increases satisfaction, loyalty and engagement. This document will highlight just how deeply consumers want to engage with companies that provide service they way they want it, and the advantages of partnering with a customer service outsourcing partner.




Customer Service Counts

With the growth of online and multichannel retailing, social media, off-premises restaurant dining and other factors, increasing numbers of U.S. consumers are contacting customer service.

The percentage has grown from 45% in 2014 to 54% in 2016, according to TelePerformance. As customer service interaction becomes a large portion of the relationship, companies must develop a balance of channels and coordination among them. It's becoming increasingly difficult for companies to manage the proliferation of channels and expectations to meet customers' expectations to be available anywhere at any time.

During the last 12 months, have you ever contacted customer service?

Yes 54% No 46%

There is a wide range of contact between sectors; however Online Travel 46% Agency (OTA) is the sector with the highest percentage of contacts (92%), while Consumer Electronics has the lowest percentage of contacts (16%). Consumers contact OTAs more often because travel plans can be more complex and more prone to problems than the products produced in other sectors. Source: TelePerformance "High Expectations for Customer Service in the U.S."




Source: Deloitte "2016 Global Outsourcing Survey"

Who Outsources Customer Service?

Consumer & Industrial Products 29%

Financial Services 27%

Life Sciences & Health Care 11%

Technology, Media, & Telecomm 9%




Speed vs. Loyalty

Consumers value exceptional customer service the most, higher than a company's hard-won brand attributes. Consumer seek fast, easy resolution of their issues, which can lead to greater loyalty and guarantee that customers continue to purchase and recommend brands to their family and friends. In fact, 45 percent of U.S. consumers will abandon an online transaction if their questions or concerns are not addressed quickly, according to KPMG research. Source: Teleperformance "High Expectations for Customer Service in the U.S." People of all ages are intolerant of in friction in customer service interactions. Source: Forrester "Understand Communication Channel Needs To Craft Your Customer Service Strategy"

Likelihood of remaining customers of the brand/company in the next 12 months.

Brand Attributes 49%

Customer Service 51%

18-23 63%

Valuing my time is the most important thing a company can do to provide me with good customer service.

57-67 76%




Perceptions of Customer Service Customer experience centers play a major role in the trajectory of a business, aligning with internal and external strategies while at the same time providing enhanced value to customers. That's why effectively managing service delivery, with full consideration of the unpredictable nature of customers and their highly critical perception of service, has become even more challenging in terms of costs and options. Despite the influx of technology, customer experience managers continue to value highly trained and experienced agents with the knowledge and empathy skills to ensure interactions with customers meet their expectations for a timely, thorough, and successful resolution. More and more customers are coming to prefer automation for repeatable contact types and transactions, which moves the customer through the process to achieve their objective more quickly. However, there is still a significant risk for dissatisfaction if the self-help options are exhausted before a resolution is reached. Providing the option for a customer to speak to a representative at any point during the interaction is still the best strategy for satisfaction. However, it's also expensive to maintain a state-of-the-art contact center in-house due to the ongoing need for well-trained representatives and current technology. Partnering with a customer experience-outsourcing provider provides a cost-effective, strategy solution to transforming customer service into a competitive differentiator.




First Contact Resolution is Key

Even as technology develops, talking with a live person remains a highly efficient way to resolve issues with a single contact, especially when the resolution to a particular problem is less than straightforward and requires research or back-and-forth discussions between the customer and the service agent.

Channel Preferences

Source: TelePerformance "High Expectations for Customer Service in the U.S."

Customers who had to make multiple contacts to resolve issues had:

12% lower satisfaction with the brand.

8% lower loyalty intention.

Do you prefer to talk to a real person or a virtual assistant?

Prefer a real person 81%

Either is OK 13%

Prefer a virtual assistant 6%




Moving to an Omnichannel Customer Experience According to KPMG, the introduction and acceptance of social media has led to a new focus on customer service. With instant feedback flowing out via social media, companies have become painfully aware of the importance of shortcomings in their customer service centers. Even though about two-thirds of customers prefer phone contacts for service, that's changing. Companies are recognizing and investing in new channels, as 51% of companies use at least eight channels to interact with customers. Customers want an accurate, relevant, and complete answer to their question during their first contact with a company. And, they expect effortless transitions across multiple touchpoints (Web, tablet, in-person, etc.) via their channel of choice (e.g., voice, chat, email, or social) without having to repeat information. Innovative use of technology that enables companies to meet business objectives while managing cost should be based on user-friendly integration at all levels.

Siloed and disjointed implementations for different customer service channels simply won’t cut it anymore. Relying on customer service outsourcing will help companies integrate and tame disparate information sources to provide relevant and undisruptive customer service.




Consumer Preferences for Contact Channels

Source: Forrester "Understand Communication Channel Needs To Craft Your Customer Service Strategy"

Percent of U.S. online adults who have used customer contact channels in the past 12 months

Telephone 73%

Help/FAQs 67%

Email 58%

Chat/IM 43%

Click to Call 33%

Forum/Community 32%

Virtual Agent 28%

Text/SMS 24%

Twitter 22%




Business Case for Customer Service Outsourcing In the ongoing search for a competitive advantage, organizations are altering their focus from lowering the cost of labor to building strategic relationships with customer experience outsourcing providers. The 2016 Global Outsourcing Survey from Deloitte surveyed leaders of organizations of all sizes and representing geographic footprints in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The leaders reported a clear shift from traditional labor cost cutting to an emphasis on driving innovation and value for their organizations.

The trends reflect new perspectives on outsourcing. While still a priority, cost cutting is no longer the primary driver for customer experience outsourcing adoption. Instead, about half of (47%) the organizations in the survey identified their service providers as business enablers, supporting innovation and business transformation, rather than focusing primarily on costs. More organizations are opting for outsourcing not just to reduce expenses, but also to take advantage of the value-added services provided by customer experience outsourcing providers. The value proposition for call center outsourcing has transformed from a labor arbitrage cost-containment strategy to one that focuses on delivering business outcomes. For example, TSD Global build a turnkey outsourced customer service solution for a leading global online which resulted in increased efficiency and customer satisfaction while reducing costs dramatically. The company was unable to keep




up with the flow of customer emails and online interactions. TSD Global created a special team that took over the customer support function of the company; the entire structure was set up and operational in under 30 days. The team managed over 10,000 interactions per month, and brought down the average response time from multiple days to less than 3 hours with omnichannel support provided 24x7, 365 days per year. Moreover, the company registered a drop in costs by 40% by outsourcing its customer support operations to TSD Global. For world-class companies, true differentiation comes from orchestrating interactions across all channels for a seamless, effortless customer experience. TSD Global can streamline your customer service functions in a cost effective and efficient program designed to fit your business strategies. Contact us here:

PH: 888-646-6626 or http://tsdglobal.com/contact/

About TSD Global TSD Global is an award winning global customer care and business process outsourcing company. They have been called the secret weapon for growth of some of the world’s most notable brands and companies. Since 1989 TSD Global has been a leader in helping companies acquire and retain millions of customers for Fortune 50 clients. TSD Global offers a full omnichannel solution including voice, chat, email, and SMS text to some of the largest companies in the US. They support businesses in many growth verticals such as technology, telecommunications, home services, and financial services. TSD Global is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and operates customer experience centers in the U.S. and the Philippines.

meet high expectations with customer experience outsourcing · the trends reflect new perspectives...

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