Published on : 13th June 2016
Consumers are interacting with businesses in very different ways than they used to. With our plethora of mobile devices and channels, customers expect to connect with us from anywhere at anytime using phone, email, live chat, social media or web-based apps. Cloud technology has helped to meet these demands by improving upon internal network efficiencies and business productivity most notably by enhancing the user experience through customer service. Gartner estimates that by 2020, the customer will manage 85% of the relationship with an enterprise without interacting with a human. The organizations who are ready to meet their customers needs will give them a real reason to remain loyal.
Here are a few ways the cloud can facilitate real-time service excellence.
- Web-Based Customer Service
Our customers want answers 24 hours a day x 7 days a week. They don’t expect to wait until Monday to get an answer to a question or resolve an issue. A chat with a live agent can cost $6-12 per interaction, while an automated interaction can cost as little as 25 cents.
The cloud has enabled customers to solve their own problems with real-time servicing on-demand. It has been proven that the vast majority of customers prefer self-service and the faster that an issue is resolved, the more positively they will regard the company. Self-service usage increased from 67% in 2012 to 76% in 2014, and according to apresentation by Steven Von Bellingam, 40% of customers prefer self-service to human contact.
For the issues that self-service cannot resolve, the cloud can help the customer to leverage the benefits of live help, through interactive chat, without having to initiate a phone call or wait for an email.
- Personalized Customer Experiences
Through real-time analysis of a customer’s behavior and interests, organizations can develop personalized customer experiences that are tailored to each consumer. Personalized customer experiences are able to engage customers on a unique level and therefore drive more conversions when it comes to sales. They also deliver to the customer a more relevant user experience and promote social sharing and memorable branding. A personalized customer experience can be tailored by platform, from the personal computer to mobile devices to streamline the user experience.
- Social Engagement and Outreach
Modern consumers are increasingly engaging with brands via social media. Through cloud-based analysis and platforms, companies can achieve an improved level of customer support and service. Social engagement gives organizations the opportunity to engage with their customers in a highly visible context, increasing brand awareness and improving their reputation. Cloud-based social media engagement systems and customer relationship solutions can be used to better track the relationship that an individual has with the brand, in addition to creating important brand insights regarding the demographics of the customers engaged.
- Consolidated Case Management
Sometimes the best way to provide better customer service is to make it easier for your employees. Consolidated case management solutions create an all-in-one management platform for client interactions. Employees can access the cloud from anywhere, even at the doorstep, to see a customer’s history – and they can use this knowledge to provide superior real-time support. Other use cases include a tracking mechanism through which tickets can be identified if they are outstanding, and analytic services that can be the most common issues that customers face.
Modern Customer Service Cloud and Expert Integration
Cloud technology can have a significant impact on your customer service delivery throughout every level of your organization. From branded, self-service experiences through multiple channels, including the phone, email, online or live chat, virtual assistant and SMS to the technician at your customer’s door, the Oracle Service Cloud supplies you with the flexibility to embed service where your customers need it most.
Zensar is a leading Oracle partner and technology services provider helping organizations to achieve a best-in-class cloud infrastructure. The Zensar team performs Cloud Migration Assessments to assist organizations in developing a cloud adoption roadmap that drives collaboration and productivity forward. For more information on how Zensar can help you improve your customer experience with the Oracle Service Cloud contact us at www.zensar.com.
About Author
Sunil Warake
Oracle Cloud Practice Head