It’s good to have a conversation with your customers, but talking alone isn’t enough. Encouraging customers to contact you over their preferred channels means you need to be ready to respond just as fast as their closest friends. Often, conversations can go in different directions. Sometimes customers may be trying to make a return when what they really need is an exchange. Or they may decide to buy a new product in the middle of asking about a different one. That means that conversational commerce and conversational service are two sides of the same coin. If you want to engage your customers on a 1-1 basis and in real time, then your entire customer experience needs to be part of the conversation. A truly conversational experience is hard to find, but we’ve shared some examples from Brad Birnbaum’s latest piece in Forbes to give you a better idea:
Example 1: IoT
Problem: Your customer’s smart speakers aren’t connecting to WiFi.
Conversational Solution:
- Your proprietary app brings up an FAQ article when it detects that your customer is not connecting to WiFi.
- Your automated customer service platform sends an email with an instructional video and support desk information if it detects that your customer has reset their device three times or more.
- You assign customers who have had multiple problems with high-priority when they call your customer service number so they connect to an agent quickly.
- Your agent knows that they’ve already received the FAQ and video because your platform gives them a single view of the customer. With that, they can skip ahead to advanced troubleshooting so the customer doesn’t have to repeat the same steps.
Example 2: Meal Delivery Subscription
Problem: Your customer needs to change their subscription and delivery dates.
Conversational Solution:
- If the customer has to change their delivery location or date, a chatbot or automated solution should instantly handle these simple tasks.
- If the request is more logistically complicated, like pausing for a week then delivering to a different location, the request should be elevated to an agent.
- If the request is more complex than that, like changing dietary requirements, agents should get on the phone and consult with them 1-1 to deliver the best possible experience.
Example 3: Clothing Subscription
Problem: Your customer needs a more consultative experience.
Conversational Solution:
- If customers are asking for a simple request like changing the date of the delivery, agents should ask questions and get more information.
- If there is a bigger reason, like they’re getting a new job, then an agent should be empowered to step up and act like a stylist to pick more formal options.
- This more hands-on experience encourages customers to upgrade to a higher subscription tier in the future.
Read the full Forbes article here.
To see how can deliver a truly conversational experience with Kustomer, request a demo today!
