6 steps to effective multichannel customer service (yes, AI is one)
The expectations for seamless customer service experiences have skyrocketed, and banking is not the only industry failing to deliver, as my recent attempt to resolve a problem with an airline demonstrates. Companies simply cannot create an effective multichannel strategy for customer service when the channels where these interactions take place are largely siloed off from each other. Here are six components needed to ensure a seamless experience that leaves a lasting impression on customers and drives long-term growth.
Customers are interacting with banks and credit unions across a wide array of touchpoints these days, including chatbots, social media, email, mobile apps, websites and traditional call centers.
Having all of these options available offers customers flexibility, but it also presents a formidable challenge for financial institutions.
Ensuring high-quality customer support is delivered across each of these channels — with people able to switch from one to another without having to repeat everything they’ve already said — is a complex undertaking that many banks and credit unions are struggling to perfect.
The banking industry is not alone either. I recently had a problem with an airline that illustrated this point. It was not until I worked my way through four different channels, failing to achieve an adequate resolution in any of them, that I finally got satisfaction using the fifth channel, as discussed in more detail below.
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