CSPs are investing in various digital channels to communicate bills and support bill-related inquiries. But support costs are not decreasing and customer journeys are still not seamless. Laura Broers looks at what CSPs can do to improve their omnichannel support.
CSPs have invested considerable sums in providing an ever-increasing range of support channels, with investment now switching towards digital channels. Calvi research, for example, has revealed that in the next 2-3 years, European CSPs intend to change investment away from traditional channels such as e-mail and physical mail towards mobile apps, web apps, chat, and even social media. Interestingly, even though they perceive the quality of contact center support to be good, they still intend to invest in this channel.
This is telling. The original rationale for investing in digital channels was partially to meet demands from increasingly tech-savvy customers but also because it promised to reduce costs – with commentators suggesting savings in the region of 30-40% (see How to capture what the customer wants, McKinsey).
But many CSPs have not seen a decline in traffic to contact centers (or to specialist support staff) – despite offering a comprehensive range of channels – nor a drop in support costs.
There are several reasons why contact centers are busier than ever, and not all of them are bad news. Rising customer expectations, a greater willingness to complain and chattier customers, more frequent change (in services, networks, bundles, and prices), and more emotionally-charged interactions are all increasing call center traffic and lengthening support calls. For all these reasons, CSPs are challenged with handling more requests for support, and more complex support requirements, for the same budget as before. Fortunately, there are a number of things that can help them do just that.
A well-thought-through omnichannel strategy can help support increased customer interaction without increasing costs or putting more strain on call center staff.
The first step in delivering such a strategy is to understand customer intent – that is, why customers are accessing support in the first place. In the telecoms domain, the most common customer journeys are getting assistance with quality service issues, bill-related inquiries, or buying something. In all of these cases, most customers now begin their journey in a digital channel – attempting to resolve their problems, answer their questions, or buy what they want to buy themselves. When they need more help, the journey becomes frustrating, as it may require them to drop out of digital channels and call support staff or force them to queue or wait for help.
So how can CSPs create an optimal digital journey for billing-related inquiries? There are six main steps to this.
In addition to smoothing the customer’s bill-related support journey across multiple channels, CSPs must consider the root cause of inquiries. Not understanding charges or trying to find key information (such as contract start and end dates) are typical causes of bill-related inquiries. By understanding the reason for common inquiries, CSPs can provide a better customer support journey or even avoid the need for an inquiry in the first place.
To find out more about how Calvi can help empower your omnichannel strategy and deliver world-class support for bill-related inquiries. Feel free to reach out.
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