4 key strategies for proactive customer engagement

In recent years, businesses faced unprecedented challenges as they scrambled to adapt to the rapid shifts in market demands and customer expectations brought on by the pandemic. Retailers had to quickly overhaul their technologies and operations just to keep up with the sudden changes.

Now that the dust has settled and we have a clearer picture of customer preferences, it's the ideal time to focus on proactive customer interaction strategies.

Leading companies are embracing these key strategies to meet evolving customer expectations:

• Build agile and flexible operations that can quickly adjust to new trends and customer needs.
• Deliver seamless omnichannel experiences, so customers enjoy a consistent and high-quality interaction across all touchpoints.
• Create an easy-to-navigate contact center experience that empowers agents and enhances their interactions with customers.
• Leverage advanced tools to unlock the full potential of your data, providing deeper insights and smarter decision-making.

Strategy 1: Agility and adaptability

According to Zendesk research, 60% of customers say they have higher customer service standards than they did pre-pandemic. Customers today expect you to know who they are and what they need, and they expect you to deliver on those needs without having to forego much information or effort.

Businesses need to establish flexible, adaptive mechanisms that influence their ability to meet the evolving needs of their organization and customers. Factors like intelligent automation, machine learning, cloud capabilities, and an agile contact center methodology can help you to learn and adapt in step with your changing business and customer needs, amplifying your ability to delight customers and boost outcomes in every interaction.

Strategy 2: Omnichannel experience

According to the 2022 edition of the Omnichannel Retail Index, retailers are implementing omnichannel best practices at a rate we haven't seen before. The highest-ranking company in the index implemented 85% of the omnichannel best practices identified on the 2022 list, compared to 72% just one year earlier. And it’s no wonder – customers demand access to these channels like never before and they're willing to take the business to the brands that get it right.

Going forward, customers expect their needs to be easily and quickly addressed on whatever channel they choose - and they expect to effortlessly move between channels without stops and starts. In other words, relying on a multi-channel strategy that simply presents more interaction channels is no longer enough to meet customer needs. Businesses need an omnichannel strategy that treats the interaction experience as a single engine, pulling together every channel into one, unified experience and journey.

Strategy 3: Agent experience

Typical customer interactions involve several new tools and channels, which means agents have a lot more information and systems to sift through than ever before. In fact, according to a 2021 study by Zendesk, 70% of contact center agents report feeling overwhelmed by their jobs.

Your agents are still the face of many of your customer interactions. A disgruntled agent often means a disgruntled customer. The role and expectations of your agents are shifting, and to retain these key players in the customer interaction experience, organizations need to prioritize an agent experience that is as simple and easy as possible. Take a step back to look at where your contact center operations and tools are overcomplicating things for your agents, so you can make plans and investments to optimize and enable the agent experience. Which in turn will optimize and enable experiences for your customers.

Strategy 4: Data visualization and automation

Rapid technology advancements and innovations have made it easier than ever to harvest your data in a more strategic and meaningful way. The challenge is no longer how to get more data, it’s how to get smart data.

With data visualization and automation tools — like AI, machine learning, and smart automation – customer data becomes the digital exhaust that powers your contact center operations and CX transformation strategies – fueling the engine of every customer engagement and business decision. A more sophisticated data strategy helps you deliver the right information at the right time, enabling a far better experience for your customers and agents, while also offering insights and opportunities for adapting and improving your omnichannel customer journey.

The ROI of optimizing customer interaction strategies

Reenergizing and refocusing your experience strategies may take some planning and resources — but when done right, the ROI of enacting these strategies speaks for itself. Businesses enacting these strategies report significant results in the way of new business growth, heightened customer satisfaction, streamlined contact center efficiencies, and improved agent engagement and retention.

Here are just a few examples of the ways these strategies can strengthen your business:

• The adoption of agile, adaptive tools and strategies will reduce friction and amplify satisfaction across the interaction experience, leading to as much as 72% growth in customer loyalty. (Source: Forrester)
• Agent-centric contact center operations and experiences result in higher agent retention, which can decrease losses from agent turnover by as much as $2.1 million. (Source: Sharpen)
   
• Leading brands in customer experience tend to see a 307% return in stock performance. (Source: Watermark Consulting)

Ready to take the next step?

To truly thrive in today’s dynamic environment, it’s crucial to tackle the challenges of customer experience with a strategic and informed approach. By understanding your current position and where you want to go, you can create a plan that makes a tangible difference in how you engage with your customers.

Embrace the latest advancements and best practices in customer experience to ensure you’re not just meeting expectations but exceeding them. With the right tools and strategies, you can adapt to changing needs, deliver consistent and valuable interactions, and ultimately enhance your overall customer experience.