The era of social messaging and intelligent automation, for customer service, has truly come to fruition. With this, brands are starting to realize that the channels in which they serve their customers have changed drastically. Despite rapid evolutio...
April 17, 2018 5:02 AM
Seleah Gardiner
It is often said that ‘sorry’ is the hardest word to say. However, looking at some social media channels, it seems to be the easiest thing to say. Over and over, we see the word ‘sorry’ flooding our social feeds from companies and organisations. But is it always necessary?
While telecommunication companies are the vanguard of sleek, modern digital communication, underneath they are weighed down by vastly complex organizational structures. Many operate both fixed-line as well as wireless networks, with both business and consumer audiences, domestically and internationally. They have incredibly complicated product offerings and backend support systems reliant on armies of engineers, and yet must package these offerings into a simple menu for customers. Regulations treat these public companies akin to utilities, hampering their ability to respond nimbly, and most have a long trail of legacy systems inherited through divisions and acquisitions.
Traveling can be stressful at times, right? And the nature travel means you are always pressed for time. For the always on the go traveler, digital is fast-becoming the favored channel for resolution. Beyond simply solving customers’ problems, digital channels offer a unique way for airlines to actually enhance the travel experience. When managed properly, a service experience is quick, in-the-moment and personalized. The benefits also ring true for airlines, with digital care often being both more efficient and ROI positive compared to traditional service offering.
Few experiences are quite as stress-inducing as travel. Travelers who need support are often sleep-deprived, homesick, short on time, or suffering from a deadly combination of all three.
Last year we looked at how delivering effort-free customer experiences was the driving force behind the change in customer expectations. Whilst delivering effortless customer service is still critical to delivering seamless customer experiences, a lot changed in 2017 also. The digital customer service landscape evolved significantly, truly undergoing its own digital transformation. The maturation of social care has given rise to the natural evolution of the term ‘Digital Customer Service’, which is where we find ourselves as we start 2018!
Today, it takes a lot more than lightning fast response times to make customers happy.
The retail landscape has changed radically over the past few years. Consumers are noticeably shunning the high-street and instead choosing to shop online. E-commerce offers what the high street cannot—convenience. You can shop on your mobile device wherever, whenever. The exponential growth in e-commerce is proof that an in-store shopping experience just isn’t cutting it anymore.
Your travelers’ lives are digital, but is your customer care stuck in the past? Conversocial’s NEW Airline Benchmark Report is here!
Simpliflying recently found that 43% of airlines cite delivering customer service via social media as their top priority for 2018. Not surprising when considering last year we saw a host of high profile airline service mishaps, with social amplifying the impact (United Airlines' for one was right at the epicenter of some very negative social PR).
United Airlines' failure to go the extra mile for a customer is one example of how not responding to a major complaint in today's digitally focused age can spiral out of control publicly. The epic fallout from high profile service instances like this, demonstrating a lack of adequate customer support, means that now more than ever service provided by airlines is under intense scrutiny. Airlines are constantly under pressure to not only meet but fly above their customer’ expectations.
The new competitive advantage for airlines is delivering humanity in service, at all customer touch points. This means arming frontline staff, breaking down internal silos and allowing social to inform business decisions. Airlines that are attempting to capture, understand and win the travelers of 2018 are faced first with the prospect of having to initiate a personalized experience. You can’t just cruise on autopilot when it comes to servicing digital passengers. With air travel often embedded in very emotional life moments, exemplary customer care is the ticket to customer loyalty.
But what makes an airline #SocialFirst? It's time to stop wondering, Conversocial's Airline Benchmark Report is here to help! Read the Conversocial Airline Benchmark Report to:
The Conversocial Airline Benchmark Report aims to help airlines in their journey to become a paradigm of effortless, in-the-moment digital customer service providers, at scale, as well as showcase the leaders and laggers in airline customer service over Twitter.
As 2017 draws to a close, we thought it was only fitting to reflect back on the year
gone at Conversocial. A lot's happened, be it the recent changes to Messenger as a service channel, or Carter chasing 18 million retweets on Twitter to get a lifetime's worth of chicken nuggets from Wendy's. It's been an eventful year to say the least.So cheers to 2017, from the Conversocial team to yours we wish you a warm and happy holiday season.
Here's our hot take on the year gone by, inline with our five company values.
