Contact centers that prioritize the customer experience are better able to attract new customers and retain current clients, allow them to build a loyal, unbreakable brand following, and provide agents and contact center employees with a considerably better work environment because when customers are happy, everyone wins. 

However, we often place disproportionate importance on the agent’s role, when the customer-centric mindset should start at the management level where policies and decisions are formed, ultimately trickling down to the agent level. It’s essential that management understands that a customer-centric focus requires an organizational change that starts from the top down. 

In this blog, we will focus on six ways to make your contact center (even) more focused on the customer by placing importance on how to build a customer-centric culture: 

1. Define what “exceptional customer service” means to your organization and make sure every decision supports this goal

To make your contact center more customer-centric, ensure that your entire management team is truly laser focused on the customer experience. By implementing a customer-centric culture throughout the organization, you will drastically change the dynamics within the entire company and not just at the call center level. This entails ingraining this new way of thinking and doing into the very foundation of your company’s day-to-day operations. No easy feat by any means, but through a coordinated effort, over time, it is possible to create and promote a customer-first culture that uplifts everyone within the organization to work towards a common goal. 

The first step is to clearly define what a customer-centric culture looks like within your organization. This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same mission. Once you have defined what a customer-centric culture looks like, the next step is to evaluate your current processes and procedures. Are they customer-focused, or do they focus solely on agent productivity? What new processes and procedures can be implemented that will support this culture and ensure that every decision – no matter how big or small – supports this goal? Set customer experience goals and measure, measure, measure against those goals.  

2. Empower agents to do what it takes to resolve customer issues and encourage empathy and compassion in every interaction

To deliver exceptional customer service, contact center agents need to be empowered to go above and beyond for customers – not as an exception, but as part of every interaction. This means giving them the authority to make decisions on the spot, without having to escalate every single issue to a manager. We’re not talking about making mission-critical decisions that impact the organization. We’re talking about small, often customer-specific things within the agent’s control (often pre-determined) that can significantly impact the way the customer feels – this can include providing a discount, moving up a service call to accommodate the customer’s schedule, or modifying a service package to create a custom experience for the customer. You get the idea!  

By giving agents the authority to make these kinds of decisions that positively impact the customer experience, agents will feel like they can make a true difference and will be more engaged and motivated to continue to provide excellent service. 

Agents should also be encouraged – through words and actions – to always provide world-class customer service. One way to do this is by providing contact center agents with customer service training that not only covers the basics but also teaches them how to go above and beyond for customers. This is not an obvious thing and needs to be taught so that the agent clearly understands what is expected from them and how they can best deliver at a higher level. 

And of course, contact center managers should lead by example and always be looking for opportunities to improve the customer experience. 

3. Encourage and incentivize contact center employees to provide feedback on ways to improve the customer experience

To make your contact center more customer-centric, it’s important to encourage contact center employees – agents and managers alike – to provide feedback on ways to improve the customer experience. After all, they are on the front lines, interacting with customers every day. They know what’s working and what’s not. 

Make it easy for contact center employees (agents, managers, supervisors) to provide feedback, whether it’s through an online portal, surveys, or even through your workforce management software platform. Don’t wait for annual surveys or for specific moments to collect such feedback. It should be collected regularly, as events and ideas arise. More importantly, make sure you act on the feedback you receive. 

Incentivizing contact center employees to provide feedback is also a great way to get them more engaged in the goal of improving the customer experience. You could offer prizes for the best suggestions or even implement a points system that can be redeemed for rewards. 

4. Implement a customer feedback loop

To make your contact center more customer-centric, it’s important to solicit feedback from customers and then act on that feedback. This is known as a customer feedback loop, and it’s an essential part of any customer-centric organization. 

There are a few different ways to gather customer feedback, but one of the most effective is through customer surveys conducted post-interaction, via email, text or chat. 

Another great way to solicit feedback from customers is through social media. Many contact centers are now monitoring social media channels for mentions of their brand and using this as an opportunity to resolve issues and deliver instant and immediate customer service. Not only does it help the client in question, social media also allows you to reach a much larger group with similar interests who are actively engaged, tapping into a new potential channel. 

5. Regularly analyze data to identify customer journey pain points and take immediate action to address them

At all times, data and analytics should be used to drive decision-making. Data can be used to identify areas where the customer experience can be improved, as well as understanding what’s working well and why. Additionally, data can be used to track progress against goals such as customer experience. 

Often, it’s not the collecting the data that is an issue; it’s the analyzing of the data – making sense of the various outcomes to form a strategic plan that can be challenging This is where contact center service partners, such as Inoria, can positively impact the customer experience. 

6. Constantly evaluate processes and procedures to ensure they are customer-friendly and efficient

We all start with good intentions, but without strategic vision and a coordinated plan to move toward a customer-centric culture, we can easily fall back to our previous ways. It’s therefore critical to constantly evaluate processes and procedures to ensure they are in line with goals, customer-friendly and efficient. After all, contact centers are constantly evolving, and what works today might not work tomorrow. 

A great way to do this is to conduct regular audits of your contact center operations with the goal of identifying areas where the customer experience can be improved. This gives you a detailed snapshot of your operations and can pinpoint areas that require improvement. When working with a strategic advisor, they can also provide an improvement plan customized to your specific environment and needs. 

Of course, we’re just scratching the surface. Depending on your customer-centric priorities and the specific challenges you face, you could also consider implementing some of the following best practices: 

• Encourage agents to take ownership of customer issues 
• Train agents on how to handle difficult customer situations 
• Giving agents the resources they need to be successful 
• Implement quality assurance measures to ensure that agents are delivering great customer service 

Finally, keep your contact center up-to-date with the latest technology. This will allow you to better meet the needs of your customers and provide them with a superior experience. By investing in the latest omnichannel technology solutions, such as cloud and self-service AI, you’ll be able to offer new and innovative services that keep customers happy. 

Making your contact center more customer-centric requires a commitment from everyone in the organization, starting at the top. Creating a customer-centric culture throughout the organization is key to turning happy customers into loyal customers. And, as we all know, it’s easier to keep a customer than to hunt down new ones! 

If you’re ready to transition to a customer-centric culture and are not sure where to start, speak with our Inoria experts. We can assess and audit your contact center and develop a strategic customer-centric plan. Contact us today to learn more.