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Heard a lot about effortless service? Don’t panic. We’re here to help.
A recent study by Corporate Executive Board (CEB), a leading member-based advisory committee for tens of thousands of organizations around the world, showed that what customers value in service situations more than anything else is that companies make customer service effortless for them. CEB found that companies that provide low-effort customer service experiences are 31% more likely to win repeat business, and 88% of them were able to increase their share of wallet. While the numbers are certainly appealing, it still begs the question: How does one achieve this service nirvana?
Taken from a distance, the concept of effortless service sounds almost magical, a utopian state that defies logic. Doesn’t the customer have to open their browser and go to my website? Don’t they still have to call my 800 number on occasion? How can service be effortless?
Actually, it can. What CEB’s research showed is that a customer’s perception of effort is what actually counts. If I lose my credit card, I am programmed to call the Contact Center. If my wait time is low and the agent is polite and efficient, it could qualify as an effortless experience. However, if I want to find out about your return policy and I can’t find it within a few clicks on my mobile phone, suddenly effort increases quickly and dramatically. Customers have expectations for service quality and preferences for which channels they wish to receive service. If I start on the web, don’t make me call you. If I’m on your Facebook page, don’t tell me that information is only on the website. When I’m speaking to an agent, don’t tell me company policy has their hands tied. The more interactions required to solve a single—and especially simple—problem, the more my perceived effort goes up.
Based on over 125,000 customer and over 5,000 agent interviews, CEB has identified the top causes for high customer effort and by extension, a strategy to reduce that effort. It has consolidated these factors into four areas, which it refers to as its four pillars of low-effort service. They are:
In this free e-book, we take CEB’s analysis one step further and break down each pillar into the capabilities and best practices your service organization should consider in order to implement effortless service. The practice of delivering effortless service is a journey that will require technology, process, and training. Here, we've made the core concepts of effortless service as tangible as possible so that you can start in the place and at the speed that makes the most sense for your organization. Effortless service can not only yield increased customer satisfaction and retention, but also become a customer service competitive advantage over your peers.
