Managing the Customer Experience has never been more of a priority for companies focusing their call center service on customer-centricity. All companies deliver a Customer Experience, just as all organizations deliver a company culture. However, the experience delivered to customers is not always what the company intended.
This is why we need to understand one the key elements in this process: measurement. Because, as with any other process, if the Customer Experience can be measured continuously, it can continuously be improved.
In one of their recent Twitter chats, ICMI moderated a discussion that focused on Customer Experience Metrics. Among the key takeaways from the discussion were these key questions you need to ask yourself in order to understand how to measure the Customer Experience delivered by your company:
- How does your company define the Customer Experience?
"You don't define the customer experience, the customer defines it."
- Teresa Allen
The Customer Experience is not just one thing, it's the sum of all experiences (touchpoints) a customer has over the duration of their relationship with your company. This means that it is not just about rational experiences, half of the time is about how the customer feels. Therefore, it goes beyond the customer service agent and it doesn't even have to be related to human interaction. Every single exposure to your company influences the Customer Experience, and that includes brand awareness, the perception of your service, and the interactions.
- How is it possible to measure the Customer Experience?
"The journey map includes measuring internal metrics and external perception" - Silver Lining
In order to accurately and completely measure the Customer Experience, your company needs to have a document outlining what the Customer Experience is supposed to be and plan for every touchpoint. With this "Customer Journey Map", you will be able to measure input from customers and staff at every intersection and then improve the individual touchpoints. These answers are influenced by the sum of their experiences, so don't forget to ask "why?" in addition to an overall rating question.
- What Customer Experience metrics should your organization be tracking?
"What we think might be most important to customers isn't always what actually is." - Erica Strother
You always need to map your business goals with your customers' goals. The data you find between the customer's expectation and the experience delivered by your organization at each "step" of doing business with your company is what you need to be measuring and improving upon. Measure what your customer base finds most important in their customer experience and how focus on how these measurements correlate to your company's potential actions.
- Which customer experience metric is considered most important in your organization?
"The metric is useless unless the reason - the "why" - is understood."
- Silver Lining
First Call Resolution (FCR), Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Effort Score (CES), Repurchase Rate, Revenue, Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), customer recommendations, or even the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Not every metric works with every industry. Always know the "why" of your company and the "why" of your customers before you ask yourself what Customer Experience metric is critically important to your business. Measurement is nothing without action.
- How can your contact center use Customer Experience metrics to better prepare frontline agents?
"Use the data to personalize training. Find pain points. Also praise success."
- Erica Strother
Find success by analyzing the skills, knowledge and behaviors of the contact center agents who get the best customer experience scores, measure common issues that are important to customers, and use that information through training, coaching, and process improvement. Agents should be hired, trained, coached, and rewarded to meet Customer Experience.
- How should agents be rewarded for meeting Customer Experience metrics goals?
"Training X Measurement = Short Term Success; Training X Measurement X Reward = Long Term Success" - Teresa Allen
Analyze outcomes and reward behaviors. Find out what motivates your team: food, public recognition, monetary reward, opportunity for advancement. Personalize the reward to your agents, just as you would personalize service to your customers. Creating a culture of appreciation is a critical part of creating a great place to work and do business with.
At Call Center Services International, we continuously measure performance, thereby driving process improvement and customer satisfaction. Read more about how we train and develop our
call center agents.
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