In 2016, customer service will remain a pillar of success for companies and the focus of businesses across the globe. However, our definition of superior customer service will likely shift as we identify new consumer trends in the marketplace — increased mobile interactions, reliance on real-time support interface, further demand for “on-demand,” and more.

According to Retail TouchPoints’ recent 2015 E-Commerce Outlook Guide, the customer journey has become fragmented and less predictable, with customers jumping between channels and touchpoints to engage with companies. Knowing where your customers are and how to approach them is becoming increasingly difficult.
 
Customer engagement should already be the mantra of your contact center, but how we engage customers will need to change. In 2016, customer service will evolve and your customer engagement strategy must keep pace. Here are our predictions and tips to help you get closer to your customers in the coming year.

1. Consolidate your interface.
   Organizations are acquiring more data about their customers than ever before. Customers are interacting with your agents across channels, but still demanding a seamless, consistent experience. A consolidated interface that provides agents with a holistic view of the customer is not a pipedream — it is a necessity. Invest in a single UI to improve agent efficiency and speed up the case management process.
2. Personalize your approach.
   Generic, promotional blasts are antiquated tactics to engage the modern customer and will continue to lose ground in the coming year. Talk with your customers — personalize each interaction across every channel. Although a consolidated interface will help better decipher what customers want and need, service organizations need to deploy proactive and personalized measures to keep up with customer expectations.
   Create campaigns tailored to individuals based on the data you are collecting and analyzing. Have a clear understanding of products and services they have purchased in the past, and use that information as a platform to distribute relevant updates and product/service check-ins. If you can, solve the customer's problem before they even ask you to (for example, alerting your customer that it’s time to get an oil change in the next month).
3. Make your company available from anywhere, at anytime.
   Globalization necessitates investment in consistent, fast, and reliable service across borders. Customers want to be engaged on their medium of choice, and will award their business to companies that exemplify “on-demand.” 

   Have a strategy for engagement on all your channels. There should be more than one channel for customers to ask questions, make requests, and purchase product. Some customers may prefer to operate via the phone, but others may be looking for the guided experience across different channels. Create a 24-hour support line on your mediums and staff with adequate resources to minimize response lag. Aim to facilitate requests as quickly as possible and build a reputation as a fast response brand.  

To be a top service provider, your organization must prioritize omni-channel and omni-location support to meet your customers whenever, wherever. 

2016 is right around the corner. Is your service organization ready?
 
Make sure to join us on Dec. 10, 2015 at 11:00AM PST for a collaborative webinar from Bluewolf and NewVoiceMedia to hear how the top Service teams are preparing for 2016.