Category Archives: Customer Service

Customer Service, Gardening, Gardens

National lawn care giant sows seeds for future growth with post-pandemic vision

A GIANT of the lawn care industry is sowing the seeds of future growth with plans to expand further post-pandemic.

GreenThumb is the market leader for lawn treatment services with 220 branches nationwide and a network turnover of more than £48million.

Founded by CEO Stephen Waring in 1986, the business employs more than 100 staff at its St Asaph headquarters and is now led by Managing Director Paul Edwards, who took the helm just months before the onset of Covid-19 in the UK.

A former lawyer, he is focused on further improving the customer experience and building on the solid foundations which have positioned GreenThumb as one of the country’s most reputable, sustainable, and responsible organisations.

“Like all industries we faced challenges over the last couple of years, but our incredible team and service operatives worked hard to ensure health and safety were paramount, and that the standards we set were as high as ever,” said Paul.

“As a result, we managed to keep growing and have invested heavily in the wellbeing of our staff and the culture of GreenThumb, which is, and will always be, about people.”

Servicing more than three million lawns every year, operatives were able to continue working when other sectors ground to a halt, and Paul says they received many letters and messages from customers, thanking them for their support and reassuring presence.

“During lockdown, a lot of more vulnerable householders were in isolation and didn’t see anyone for days or even weeks, so having our vans in their local area helped them return to some semblance of normality,” he said.

“That feedback makes us proud and spurred everyone on to look at the long-term vision of the company, where we are heading and what our priorities are.

“More GreenThumb franchisees and the unveiling of new machinery and treatments will ensure we remain at the forefront of advances in lawn care.

“When we connect our people with great products, equipment and new technology it will take the experience of our customers to a whole new level.

“That will be pivotal, as is the continued development of our service to our customers.

“Ultimately it’s about continuing to enhance and improve the customer’s end to end journey, from booking a consultation to treatment of their lawns.”

Paul, an ex-semi-professional rugby player who lives in Cheshire with wife Nicole and son Harry, added: “We have plans to streamline our commercial and scheduling processes online, including a self-service portal that will make a big difference in terms of flexibility and efficiency.

“It will be more personalised, make recommendations and be tailored to their needs; it’s not about sales it’s about striving for an even better experience, something GreenThumb is renowned for.”

A winner of countless awards, the firm is also looking to forge new partnerships over the months ahead.

“I have an ambitious plan for the business, supported by what is a strong and experienced leadership team,” said Paul.

“We are already trusted by hundreds of thousands of people across the UK and want to see that rise further, so there is an opportunity to attract new franchise partners who can see the benefits of being part of what is an established, successful working model.

“The GreenThumb culture is also a major USP, our operatives are fantastic ambassadors and have long-standing relationships with our customers, they genuinely care and that’s why we continue to grow and improve.”

He added: “The main thing for me is keeping our promises and coming from a legal background the integrity and attitude we display is crucial to our success.

“Every day is something new, we want to keep delighting our customers and that involves significant investment in the development of our products and our workforce, so they continue to see even better results.

“Lawns are living, breathing things and with proper care they will thrive; that’s our ethos for the service we provide and the people who represent GreenThumb – long may that continue.”

For more news and information from GreenThumb, visit www.greenthumb.co.uk and follow them on social media at @greenthumblawns. Alternatively, call 0800 0111 222.

Customer Service, News

Independent outsourcer celebrates international milestone

Kura, a UK-based market leader in customer service outsourcing, is celebrating the anniversary of its fourth year of operation in South Africa after being ranked the number one business process outsourcing (BPO) offshore location for customer service around the globe.

The business has substantially grown in South Africa over the last year, increasing its overall headcount to 800+ across two sites in Durban. Amidst ongoing expansion, Kura also continues to increase its international client base.

Kavir Singh, operations manager at Kura South Africa, said: “Since the beginning of Kura South Africa in 2018, I have progressed from a team manager up to an operations manager. I originally joined a team of 30 people so it’s fantastic to see staff numbers increase rapidly to over 800 heads.

“I am proof that Kura is unrivalled in developing people.”

Kura provides a range of technologically advanced contact centre services and software solutions for some of the world’s most successful brands, making it one of the fastest-growing outsourcers headquartered in the UK.

Brian Bannatyne, CEO at Kura, said: “Working closely with our clients, we spotted an opportunity for growth in 2020 and expanded operations at our site in the wonderful Durban, South Africa.

“The team there are achieving huge success, having received the accolade for the number one BPO offshore location for customer service around the world. The rapid expansion in South Africa means that we have greater agility and flexibility to deliver tailor-made solutions for globally-focused customers – it’s at the forefront of everything we do here at Kura.”

Kura continues to recruit for various roles across the UK, US, and South Africa. Those interested can find out more here: https://kura-careers.icims.com/ or email HR@wearekura.co.za

Customer Experience, Customer Service, E-Commerce, Marketing, News, PR and SEO

Shocking consumer statistics every UK brand should know

Written by Nick Watson, VP Client Success EMEA, Cheetah Digital

Whether due to the rise of e-commerce, the disruptions of the pandemic or other factors specific to a given industry, the old patterns of consumer behaviour no longer hold true in the current marketplace. According to Cheetah Digital’s recently published 2022 Digital Consumer Trends Index, even the 76% of UK consumers who define themselves as loyal to certain brands say they’d still buy from competitors if it was cheaper or more convenient to do so. In this article, we take a look at the most critical consumer facts and statistics that are changing the way we approach customer loyalty today.

 

Today’s consumers are highly opportunistic. And why wouldn’t they be? Thanks to advancements in technology, they have all the tools to act on better offers or easier fulfillment options at their fingertips.

What’s more, modern consumers are also highly protective of their data and how it’s used. And they expect the brands they do business with to reflect their values. However, even that doesn’t guarantee that they’ll pledge their loyalty.

The results of Cheetah Digital’s recently published ‘2022 Digital Consumer Trends Index’ highlight some eye-opening stats affecting customer loyalty today.

 

Habit vs Loyalty

70% — the percentage of UK consumers who frequently buy from the same company, yet say they’re not necessarily loyal to the company

Are your repeat customers loyal, or simply habitual? People are creatures of habit and tend to stick with what they know and trust in the absence of any compelling reason to do otherwise.

Oftentimes, brands will mistake habit for loyalty. But the two are definitely not synonymous: habits are developed, whereas loyalty is earned.

 

In fact, 70% of UK consumers who frequently buy from the same company say they’re not necessarily loyal to the company. Our report also indicates that 76% of UK consumers who define themselves as loyal to certain brands say they’d still buy from competitors if it was cheaper or more convenient to do so.

Emotional and genuine loyalty is an outcome. It’s a goal that can only be achieved by truly knowing and understanding your customers. And that comes from carefully nurturing every relationship you have. That means, every action, input and communication a customer receives needs to make them feel valued and respected.

 

Product vs Trust

110% — The YoY increase in consumers citing “the ability to understand me as an individual” as a factor of brand loyalty

There are many factors that drive brand loyalty. However, the one that beats them all is the recognition of the individual. There’s been a 110% YoY (year-on-year) increase in consumers citing “the ability to understand me as an individual” as a factor of brand loyalty.

The other drivers of loyalty are fairly simple and probably ones you already know, like great product or service (55%), great customer service (38%), useful loyalty program (34%) and convenient to use (31%).

This rise in conscientious consumerism, where customers proactively educate themselves on a brand’s corporate, ethical and environmental values, is also a burgeoning loyalty driver with staying power.

 

Of course, investments in those areas will ensure a long-term return and will help you differentiate from competitors. But there comes a point when a product can only be so good or so cheap. Eventually, there needs to be another level of effort to keep consumers loyal once all of the other factors equalise.

That’s where relationships come in. It’s vital to understand how consumers feel not just about the product they bought, but the experience they had when they bought it, including who they bought it from.

 

Customer Acquisition vs Retention

40% — The percentage of consumers who would remain loyal to brands that provided extra value other than product or price (a 67% YoY increase)

When it comes to loyalty, the cheapest price point isn’t everything. Brands who foster loyalty do so by creating emotive bonds, fostering community and recognising the customer as an individual.

Marketing departments are continuously working to envision new and interesting ways to keep their customers engaged, retained and loyal in a world full of infinite choices. In this new era, where the consumer is digitally savvier than ever, traditional loyalty programs just won’t cut it. They’re too transactional, stale and ineffective at significantly changing consumers’ perceptions and behaviours.

 

In fact, just over a third of UK consumers (35%) say they’re not loyal to any given brand because the brand did nothing to encourage their loyalty, even though they’re frequent shoppers. Brands need to do better than that. And they can by offering more to remain in consumers’ good graces.

 

Things UK consumers say brands can offer in exchange for their loyalty:

  • Recognition
  • Rewards Points
  • Exclusive/Early Access
  • Personalised Recommendations
  • Discounts
  • Contests
  • Community Features

 

Few companies would argue against the value of loyal customers. But far too many are spinning their wheels trying to nurture customer loyalty, using outdated and ineffective tactics. Fresh data on the rapidly changing mindset of today’s consumer is critical to ensure an effective strategy 100% of the time.

 

These stats are just the tip of the iceberg. Deep dive into more research, analysis and insights on customer loyalty today by downloading your copy of Cheetah Digital’s 2022 Digital Consumer Trends Index here.

 

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About Cheetah Digital

 

Cheetah Digital is a cross-channel customer engagement solution provider for the modern marketer. The Cheetah Digital Customer Engagement Suite enables marketers to create personalised experiences, cross-channel messaging, and loyalty strategies, underpinned by an engagement data platform that can scale to meet the changing demands of today’s consumer. Many of the world’s best brands, including Starbucks, Hilton, The White Company, Levi’s, and Williams-Sonoma trust Cheetah Digital to help them drive revenue, build lasting customer relationships, and deliver a unique value exchange throughout the customer lifecycle. To learn more, visit www.cheetahdigital.com.

 

Customer Experience, Customer Service, News, North Wales

Moneypenny Launches New Guide with Secrets for Improving Empathy in Customer Care

A guide has been launched to help businesses put empathy at the heart of customer care practices and ensure that clients and customers benefit from the power of human connection.

Moneypenny, the leading outsourced communications provider which handles 20m interactions for 21,000 organisations each year, has compiled the free guide to promote the commercial necessity of empathy and arm companies with the tools to forge stronger, more valuable relationships – both internally with staff and externally with customers.

The guide includes practical tips to ensure employees’ use of language hits the mark, explains the importance of active listening and outlines the need for empathetic leadership. It also includes a short quiz to help businesses ascertain just how empathetic they are.

Joanna Swash, CEO of Moneypenny said: “The pandemic has changed the relationships we have with each other – our peers, colleagues and customers – and it’s made human connection more appreciated than ever.  The business winners of the last two years prioritised empathy, but as the world returns to normal we have to make sure we don’t forget these valuable lessons.

“This guide is intended to remind businesses of the commercial necessity for empathy and show how they can integrate it into service delivery – reassuring customers that they’re not only being heard but also listened to and understood.”

The guide was developed with insight from emotional intelligence expert and founder of the EI Evolution, Sandra Thompson. Sandra is the first Goleman emotional intelligence coach in the UK and an experienced customer experience management consultant.

Sandra Thompson said: “Neuroscience tells us that it’s impossible to know exactly how someone else is feeling, yet the value of demonstrating that you’re doing your best to understand is huge – particularly when it comes to business. Brilliant customer service experiences are built on empathetic interactions. That’s how you keep your customers loyal and make your employees feel empowered.”

Joanna Swash concluded: “As a business that handles inbound and outbound communication around the clock, we know first-hand that empathy shapes customer experience. It underpins how we connect with others and has the power to transform reputation. Actively listening and displaying empathy not only puts customers at ease but offers valuable insights that can shape service delivery, and put you at the forefront of your industry.”

The guide is available to download for free on Moneypenny’s website here

Established in 2000, Moneypenny is the world’s market leader for telephone answering, live chat, outsourced switchboard and customer contact solutions. In total, more than 21,000 businesses across the UK benefit from Moneypenny’s mix of extraordinary people and ground-breaking technology.

Customer Experience, Customer Service, News

A Great Technology Reset Needed, as Customer Turnover Rates Reach 33 Percent

New Study from SugarCRM Underscores the Urgency for Organisations to Implement Purpose-Built Technology Solutions to Combat Customer Churn

“The Great Customer Resignation,” fuelled by non-customisable and inefficient CRM systems that are creating poor customer experience (CX) is hitting businesses hard, new research from SugarCRM has found. The average customer turnover rate is now nearly one-third globally and 33 percent in the UK, meaning businesses are losing nearly one out of every three customers they gain.

Sixteen hundred global sales and marketing professionals, including 400 in the UK, were interviewed as part of Sugar’s latest report, titled The 2022 CRM Impact Report. The findings pinpoint organisational turbulence across the customer journey while highlighting the inadequacies of traditional CRM solutions that aren’t purpose-built to address today’s post-pandemic customer experience realities.

 

The Great Sales and Marketing Technology Reset

Organisations need winning CRM strategies to combat customer churn and realise greater sales and marketing synergy and assurance. However, 58 percent of UK respondents think their CRM system is wasting time and money, while over half (56 percent) say their current CRM system cannot be customised properly to meet their specific needs.

This negative view of current/legacy CRM solutions may be why 59 percent of UK respondents said they plan to change their current CRM platform within the next 12 months.

Additionally, more UK sales and marketing leaders are turning to AI, with 94 percent saying plans to deploy AI technology to augment existing processes will increase over the next two years.

“Unfortunately, many sales and marketing leaders will fail to find real solutions using a loose collection of lightweight AI automation tools as opposed to AI that is purpose-built to solve sales and marketing challenges,” said Rich Green, SugarCRM CTO. “Making AI pragmatic, Sugar has focused on bringing to market the first data-fuelled AI for CRM that offers extraordinary levels of prediction accuracy without the time, cost, and technical expertise typically required to take advantage of AI.”

“Clearly, customers are changing the rules of engagement, and many companies are at an inflection point. Technology can be the game-changer here, but the time to act is now,” said Volker Hildebrand, Senior Vice President of Product Marketing for SugarCRM.

“It starts with removing blind spots: understanding what your customers want and predicting what they need next. It continues with a focus on eliminating busy work – making it easier for customers to engage and empowering employees to create the experiences customers expect. Finally, it removes roadblocks and friction points to enable brands to consistently deliver on their promises,” he said.

 

The Great Customer Resignation

Last year, SugarCRM’s global survey research reported that customer churn was costing mid-market companies an average of £4M per year. This year, 58 percent of global respondents reported their rate of customer churn has increased over the last 12 months. This “Great Customer Resignation” – yet another challenge for brands fighting an onslaught of forces including supply chain disruption and employment challenges – threatens the future of companies across all industries worldwide.

Seventy-four percent of UK respondents suspect customers are leaving due to poor customer service or experience. This could explain why 70 percent of global respondents said they need to do more to improve customer trust in their brand / organisation and why 73 percent underscored the need to act on customer feedback for improved customer service and experience.

Over half (58 percent) of UK respondents admit to not being able to identify customers at risk of leaving and 61 percent say they struggle to track customer churn rates effectively.

Survey respondents also voiced frustration in filling the top of the sales and marketing pipeline, making the issue of customer flight even more pronounced. Fifty-three percent of sales leads generated by marketing are deemed either poorly qualified or under qualified, and 27 percent of sales leads go to the wayside, receiving zero follow up.

While over three-quarters of those polled worldwide say a consolidated view of customer information across the organisation is critical to delivering optimal customer experiences, 59 percent of UK respondents say they are missing data to improve marketing campaigns and sales conversions. Additionally, one in four sales respondents worldwide believe they could miss a quota due to incomplete data across the customer lifecycle.

“Companies face a daunting scenario – struggling to fill the top of the funnel with qualified leads while losing customers at the bottom of the funnel,” said Craig Charlton, SugarCRM CEO. “A key contributor to losses on each side of this equation is a lack of data. Data fuels the actionable insights that sales, marketing, and service teams need to act decisively at every critical touchpoint – to drive high-definition customer experiences – and to reverse the Great Customer Resignation.”

 

Download a copy of the full report here.

Customer Service, News

New research: digital self-service now more popular than calling customer service

60% of UK household water and energy customers prefer not to call customer service if they can use online tools to solve their problems, according to Macro 4 research

Crawley, UK, March 22, 2022 – Most consumers are ready to swap customer service calls for digital self-service in the wake of their experience during the pandemic, according to new survey findings released by Macro 4. The research, which examines UK consumer attitudes to household energy and water suppliers, suggests that 61 per cent of customers have become more comfortable interacting with companies digitally since the pandemic, on websites, apps and other online channels. And 60 per cent would now prefer not to call a live customer service person at all if they can solve their issues themselves using online resources.

When asked what aspects of service are important in a household energy or water supplier, 72 per cent of the 1,000–plus survey respondents said they now want utilities to provide online resources that make it easy to resolve their questions themselves rather than having to use the phone. 93 per cent said it was important[1] that they are able to contact their supplier in whatever way they prefer – such as by phone, email, social media, text or messaging apps. And 93 per cent stressed the importance of getting a quick response whether they call or make contact digitally.

Macro 4, a division of UNICOM® Global that helps enterprises accelerate digital transformation, commissioned two separate surveys of over 1,000 household utility bill payers in the UK. The results are published in a report, ‘Giving UK Utility Customers A Voice’.

Jim Allum, Director, Commercial and Technical at Macro 4, said: “During COVID-19 restrictions, we all got used to doing more things digitally. And for many people that would have included resorting to online self-service since most contact centers at the time were experiencing significant delays due to soaring call volumes. What’s interesting is that the habit has stuck. The majority of people are now happy to use self-service instead of speaking to a customer service person on the phone – especially for simple queries. One positive of helping customers to do more for themselves is that it frees up hard-pressed contact center agents to handle more complex queries by phone, chat or email, and this is where companies can add real value. And it should also mean shorter wait times for those people who do need to speak by phone.”

Questions related to bills and charges often trigger calls to the contact center and this was one of the specific gripes identified by the research. 31 per cent of energy customers and 26 per cent of water customers in the survey sample want their current suppliers’ bills to be easier to understand[2]. And 73 per cent regularly check their energy and water bills for mistakes[3].

Allum said, “Self-service can play an important role by providing reassurance and clarity surrounding bills and how they are calculated. For example, if customers are given self-service access to detailed historical information, as well as basic analysis facilities to compare their own billing and usage rates over time, they can rule out any anomalies for themselves.”

Further underlining consumers’ growing preference for digital resources and interaction, nearly two thirds of the customers questioned in the survey believe it’s more convenient to view all of their household bills online rather than on paper.

Allum added, “Ditching paper altogether is not yet an option, however, since nearly a third of the people we asked still want paper bills. This research highlights the importance of building flexibility into your communication systems so that you can personalize your service to meet the needs of different customers. It’s all about delivering a consistently great experience across every communication channel.”

Macro 4’s report ‘Giving UK Utility Customers A Voice’ can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/Utilitysurvey.

[1] ‘Very important’ and ‘Somewhat important’ options combined

[2] Survey of 1,193 utility bill payers (18+) between 19.01.2022 – 21.01.2022

[3] Survey of 1,312 utility bill payers (18+) between 08.02.2022 – 10.02.2022

Customer Service, Logistics, News

Around 75% of consumers will abandon retailers over poor delivery service

Consumers have an innate preference to buy from independent retailers.  But these companies are set to miss out to the big online marketplaces if they can’t perfect the delivery experience, warns nShift.

Consumers often feel little loyalty to global online marketplaces.  Research shows that between 50% and 70% would prefer to support independent businesses.  But they will not compromise on the quality or speed of the delivery process.  Almost three-quarters of customers (72.5%) say poor deliveries mean they will stop recommending the retailer.

A survey found that fast and free shipping is the number one reason people shop with Amazon so independents need to be able to compete.

A new guide from nShift, “Building the brand with distribution and delivery”, shows how quick delivery and easy returns are essential to creating a workable alternative to the leading online retailers.  It explains how vendors can significantly build their brand, boost revenue, and build better relationships with customers. Highlighting that a first-class delivery and returns experience should include:

  • A range of delivery options – this can cut abandoned carts by 50%.

  • Clear communication – people want to know where their package is at each stage of the delivery process.

  • The ability to serve new markets – if a shopper finds that an item can’t be delivered to where they live, they are unlikely to come back.

  • An easy way to feed back – when something goes wrong, customers want it sorted quickly.

  • The ability to return items easily – 30% of delivered items end up as returns meaning sending something back is part of the shopping experience.

Lars Pedersen, CEO of nShift, said: “While there are undeniable advantages to using online marketplaces, it can come at a cost.  By depending on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and others to sell and ship their products, businesses allow them to control the customer experience, take the credit for their brand, and gain crucial data on consumer preferences.

“But when ecommerce companies do take control of deliveries, the experience must be flawless.  Deliveries and returns must be easy, effective, and seamless to build a high-quality customer experience.  When this happens it is the seller, not the online marketplace that gets the credit they deserve.”

The guide, “Building the brand with distribution and delivery” can be downloaded here.

Customer Service, News

Taking Your Customer Experience to the Next Level

Nicola Buckley, Executive Vice President, Global Service Delivery, Park Place Technologies, discusses the customer experience strategies that will deliver for your customers

During the past year, businesses around the world have had to reimagine their business models and operations multiple times. Nearly overnight, the pandemic forced most companies to pivot to remote working, creating an instant demand for new technologies and services that had previously been thought about in conference rooms, but never fully implemented.

As businesses continue to look for ways to navigate this new world order, they are looking for partners who can help them along in that journey.

For service providers, the differentiation they can offer in a partnership comes not in any single product, but in the ability to understand a customer’s need and to react and help customers solve a problem at a moment’s notice.

Customers will always choose a vendor or solution based on how the vendor interacts with them on a personal level. That’s a fundamental fact of how business is done, regardless of the industry. A product can have lots of fancy bells and whistles, but if the customer doesn’t feel like they’re being embraced by the vendor, they won’t buy it.

The key for all companies to succeed is to fit their products into the services they offer, rather than the other way around, which is what most companies do. Indeed, recent research by Ipsos found that 91% of CEOs believe they deliver a superior experience, yet only 30% of their customers agree.

How can companies close that gap? Let’s explore a few ways to build a better experience – and relationship with your customer.

Listen to the Voice of Your Customer

A strong customer journey – and experience — always starts with the human element. Building a strong and effective experience platform is more than just a process — it’s an opportunity to build an emotional relationship with your customer across all touchpoints.

To truly connect with customers, and understand their experience, business leaders must spend time with them, face to face. And that means really getting to know them, not just dealing with events when they need services. It’s imperative to spend time with the customers during and after an event, to show them the plan and ask for their input.

While understanding their needs is key, it’s critical to always focus on allowing your customers space to make the right decisions and choices for themselves. As a service provider, you should, in some respects, offer staff augmentation. Focus on enabling choice while offering a very simple entry point into how clients gain access to services. Provide them with the simple tools they need to remove the stress and worry out of managing their complicated business environments.

Align Your Sales and Service Teams

Many companies overlook the need to engage the whole organization, including its support functions, in their quest to build a memorable customer journey. Guaranteeing high levels of service requires companies to have large, effective engineering and logistics capabilities, and to be innovative to ensure they have the tools and processes customers can rely on, 24×7.
To accomplish this, it’s critical to avoid “silos” in your organization. Silos never drive good results. Collaboration across functions is key. The service team should be a tool for the sales team and the sales team can serve as support for the service team.

To drive this collaboration, be hyper aware of your strengths and how you build a team that complements everyone’s strengths and opportunity areas across the organization. This will help the team feel empowered in their various roles.

A collaborative approach has been proven to work. The Ipsos study noted that empowering an insurer’s agents to resolve customer queries on that first call has increased customer advocacy by more than 50%.

Growing at Scale

All companies are at different stages of their customer experience journey but no matter what part of the journey you’re in, a well-aligned, embedded service team can provide an experience that will help drive revenue without ever moving a product. According to Ipsos, 86% of people will pay more for a better experience. That means a better customer experience can lead directly to increased revenue.

There are two ways to drive this growth: organically and through acquisition. Organic growth is driven by good service and performance by the team in the field. This leads to customer satisfaction and loyalty, which in turn can lead to greater revenue.

On the acquisitions front, expanding your business’ capabilities and offerings through acquisition is a fast way to accelerate your growth. However, taking this approach, which Park Place has done numerous times during the past few years, requires a fast integration. It’s vital to quickly bring the service team you’re acquiring into the culture of your organization so the same level of service can be maintained. The new team must be trained to understand the expectations at the outset of the relationship and given the necessary tools to succeed.

Looking Ahead

The new normal is unknown. Budgets are getting squeezed and new decisions are having to be made. It’s critical to make sure your customers don’t have to worry about risk or issues in their businesses.

As services providers assess their customer journey, it’s imperative to identify the moments that matter most and what customers need, expect, and what the ideal experiences are for them. As we move forward though the pandemic and beyond, the companies with the closest personal touch on this front will be the ones that succeed in delivering a top customer experience.

Customer Service, News

85% of people in Wales believe an increasing number of companies are using Covid as an excuse for poor customer communications

A new survey by leading outsourced communications company Moneypenny shows that 85% of people in Wales believe that an increasing number of companies are saying there will be a delay in answering phone calls, or engaging in live chat, due to unusually high call volumes caused by the pandemic.

However, what is surprising is that people in Wales seem understanding of the situation, as 60% said they believe phone delays are acceptable due to Covid, compared with only 42% of those in the North East and 48% of those in the South East who feel these delays are acceptable.

Across the country younger consumers seem more accepting of delays, than older ones: 73% of 16-24 year olds said phone answering delays are acceptable, compared with 46% of the over 55 year olds.

Call answering waiting times
The survey also indicates the average length of time customers in Wales have to wait for their call or Live Chat request to be answered:

– 12% said they have to wait 1-5 minutes

– 17% have to wait 5-10 minutes

– 25% have to wait 11-20 minutes

– 12% have to wait 21-45 minutes

– 19% have to wait 45-60 minutes, which is higher than those in any other region, eg 4% in Yorkshire, 3% in the West Midlands and 1% in the East Midlands

– 22% typically give up waiting altogether, which is high compared with those in Yorkshire – 12%, and the South East – 14%.

Businesses with longest call waiting times
When asked which types of companies and organisations are the worst for answering calls, or not being able to get through to them, utility companies were most frequently mentioned in Wales – 40%, followed by insurance companies – 29%, utility companies – 27%, banks 25%, and doctors – 21%. Those that were mentioned least in Wales, were legal companies – 8%.

Group CEO of Moneypenny, Joanna Swash, believes companies are not doing enough to resolve waiting times:

‘It’s interesting that legal and property companies were least likely to be mentioned for poor answering times and we know from our clients in these sectors that they prioritise good customer service. However, the survey shows that the pandemic is too often being used as a scapegoat for companies delivering unbelievably poor communications, and consumers should not accept this as inevitable. Even with reduced staff through redundancies and furloughing, there are so many cost effective solutions available to ensure customer calls and live chat can continue, so it’s not good enough for companies to do nothing and to reduce service levels. As businesses open up there is a real danger that customers will vote with their feet and move to a competitor if poor service levels continue.”

Survey commissioned by Censuswide Consultants between 26-29th January 2021 of 1,000 UK adults.

Customer Service, Finance and Banking, Fintech

Galit Michel: PSD2 and Personalising Customer Experience

Written by Galit Michel, VP of Payments, Forter

The eCommerce world is increasingly competitive, especially as more and more consumers turn to online shopping due to COVID-19 and the need to socially distance.

Businesses that want to maintain a competitive advantage during this time are investing heavily to understand their customers’ shopping habits, online behaviour, and preferences. Doing so enables customisation and personalisation of the shopping experience, thereby increasing conversion and revenue generation.

Today, merchants care about how a consumer arrived at a website, their previous purchases, what items they clicked on, how much time they spent on the website, and more, yet they often forget about their customers’ checkout preferences and what verification method will cause the least friction for them.

This is because the payment flow is seen as a necessity rather than part of the shopping experience, and is not seen as something that can be personalised.

The EU’s Revised Payment Service Directive (PSD2) changes that.

How PSD2 Changes Checkout 

PSD2 was designed to protect businesses and consumers by adding Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) to the checkout process. This is most often done through the incorporation of 3D-Secure (3DS).

However, when 3DS is added to the checkout process, the payment flow changes to include additional layers of friction that did not exist before, changing the checkout process customers are familiar with to something more complex and time-consuming.

The new layer of friction that 3DS adds increases cart abandonment rates, harms customer experience, and leads to a decline in revenue generation.

The additional 3DS verification that customers will need to input changes the entire customer experience and makes way for further problems; When customers have to input additional information, this increases the chance of human error, and legitimate customers may find their transactions declined. The additional layer of verification may also provide customers more time to think about their purchase, allowing them to get buyer’s remorse and abandon the purchase before completion.

If merchants want to reduce the impact PSD2 and 3DS have on their business, they need to shift their mindset and view the payment flow as an integral part of the consumers’ shopping experience and a crucial element of their entire operation.

The Need to Meet Customer Expectations

The fact that PSD2 adds a layer of friction to the checkout process is in stark difference to consumers’ evolving payment habits and expectations.

Today, online shoppers expect a customised shopping experience, and personalisation is a crucial part of that. Businesses that want to continue to grow must recognise this and meet their customer expectations everywhere – including the payment process.

By knowing what customers expect of the checkout process, merchants will be able to adapt their payment flow accordingly, providing customers the best possible flow that will enhance their shopping experience and facilitate the checkout. In doing so, merchants will create an ecosystem of trust, increasing customer loyalty and lifetime customer value.

For example, if a consumer is completing a checkout process on their mobile device, providing them with an SMS code as an SCA verification method can make the checkout process smooth; however, if another type of verification is sent, this may deviate from their expectation and harm their experience.

In contrast, a desktop shopper may not be near their device, and as a result, may abandon the cart if they have to get up to find their mobile device. Some shoppers may prefer guest checkout, especially for their first transaction on the site, however if a merchant does not offer it because of fear of fraud, they will lose out on the transaction and cause the customer to be frustrated.

Merchants need to recognise that instead of expecting consumers to adapt, their role is to optimise their eCommerce businesses’ payment flow to meet evolving customers’ expectations. As PSD2 goes into effect, knowing what customers expect and meeting those expectations becomes even more critical for businesses.

Personalised Payment and Verification 

Knowing customers’ preferred payment flow (including preferred payment method and SCA verification method) is the only way for merchants to comply with PSD2, add a layer of SCA, and increase their conversions and revenue generation

By recognising the different payment and verification needs of customers, merchants will be able to maximise revenue generation and reduce declines.

For example, some consumers may be more inclined to complete a purchase if they have a split payment method, while others may care more about seamless checkout and may be dissuaded from a purchase if a pop-up window comes up. Knowing this could be the difference between a completed checkout and cart abandonment.

Knowing which payment method to offer and which verification method to apply becomes critical under PSD2, as all merchants will need to perform 3DS on transactions in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA).  The increased use of 3DS will yield a higher decline rate, unless smart routing with dynamic 3DS is incorporated.

Personalising the payment and verification method is possible through smart routing and dynamic 3DS. With smart payment routing, artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioural analytics are applied to each transaction, enabling merchants to provide each customer with the checkout process and verification method that they prefer.

By automatically routing each transaction through the most suitable checkout process, merchants can boost revenue while ensuring their business is safe from fraud and PSD2 compliant.

The Payment World is Changing  

Combining a global pandemic and a large-scale regulation has led to a complete shift in the payment world. Today, consumers are overcoming their fear and turning to online shopping, and previous online shoppers are increasing their reliance on digital brands.

This creates a massive opportunity for merchants if treated the right way.

Consumers who are not experienced eCommerce shoppers are only now overcoming their hesitation. Creating a friction-full checkout process or unexplained false declines will cause them to abandon their shopping cart and the merchant.

To meet the needs of existing and new online shoppers, merchants must treat the checkout process as a crucial part of the user experience and invest in knowing their customers preferred payment and verification methods, as well as their online shopping preferences.

By making the checkout process an extension of the personalisation process, merchants will truly know their customers’ needs, behaviour, and expectations, and in meeting their needs, will be able to provide them with a better experience.

In today’s competitive and digital world, rejecting legitimate transactions or scaring customers away is not an option; having a payment optimisation partner, dynamic 3DS, and smart payment routing is the only solution.

For merchants to offer a truly personalised customer experience and understand their customers’ preferred payment methods, they must ask the following questions:

  1. Do you have high cart-abandonment rates?
  2. Does your payment optimisation partner customise payment methods per customer?
  3. How does your payment partner know when to offer different verification methods?
  4. What solutions do you have in place to reduce checkout friction?
  5. Do you have insight into the checkout patterns of your customers?