Busy shopping days are never short on drama, but are organizations really ready for them? Black Friday door-busters and Cyber-Monday deals succeed in driving record breaking traffic, but they also provide a greater customer experience challenge than many brands expect.

And while stampedes of shoppers might be fodder for the viral video of the week, when the dust settles, many customers are left frustrated and dissatisfied with their shopping experience. What was designed to be a day of increased business and a chance to attract new customers, often turns out to be a roll call of everything that could possibly go wrong. And brands are left having to cope with the long-term reputational and financial damage.

Peak season + high expectations = risk x2

In today’s incredibly competitive world with customers empowered with handheld, instant access to information brands cannot afford to provide anything less than a seamless, drama-free shopping experience. Especially on the busiest shopping days when there is amplified attention and expectations on the brand. A recent survey found that 82% of customers have stopped doing business with a brand following a bad experience.

Empowerment and low switching costs have raised customers’ expectations when it comes to customer service - they want fast, efficient, and frictionless service. Most brands struggle to meet these expectations because they are hindered by disjointed, legacy systems. The same aforementioned survey concluded that 47% of contact centre managers think outdated technology and limited technology budgets (43%) are the two biggest challenges they face in delivering great customer experiences.

It is easier to hide behind any deficiencies in the support and customer services system at quiet periods when resources are not stretched, but during peak shopping periods the sheer volume of inquiries acts as a bright light shining directly on an organization’s inadequacies. Brands that have not invested appropriately risk the worst possible outcome – bad experiences which eventually leads to customer attrition.

Peak season solutions

Brands need to equip customer-facing staff with information, tools, training, and empowerment to ensure that shopping and service experiences meet or exceed customer expectations. In addition to effective staffing, brands also need to invest in technology solutions that will efficiently handle increased customer enquiry.

While planning for the mega-deals and big advertising campaigns to attract customer to engage in-store and online, brands must also plan for the additional support it will need to provide for the increased number of customers they will be assisting.

Increasing channel availability is one way to ensure superlative customer experiences during the busiest times of the season. Channels such as online self-service and live chat are high on the list of priorities for many brands and are known to be increasingly popular with customers. 78 per cent of consumers have said they would choose a channel other than a phone call if they knew they could get a resolution to their issues on the first attempt.

More than the additional sales opportunities, busy shopping days provide brands with the opportunity to build new and better relationships with customers. It is not just about the deals and offers but also about how brands can add value to the customer experience through every conceivable touch. The brands that grasp this, invest in it, and run with it will be putting themselves in line for a jackpot of loyal customers.

 

By Ross Haskell, senior director of products, BoldChat by LogMeIn

 

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