How Is COVID-19 Changing the Customer Experience?

Customer experience has always been a way for companies to differentiate themselves. But COVID-19 has changed the rules of the game.

The customer we now serve is self-isolating, prefers digital and contactless engagement channels, is more conscious about spend, and is likely to be making different lifestyle choices for some time. 

Designing customer experiences for this new world may call for fundamentally different approaches. But the opportunities to create value are many. 

To explore these opportunities, Salesforce organised a virtual panel discussion on Delivering Differentiated Customer Experience in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Moderated by Varun Aggarwal, Editor, ETCIO, the session featured:

• Vasudeva Rao M., Regional Sales Director, Salesforce

• Anand Ramanathan, Consultant, Deloitte

• Ashish Vikram, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, SpiceJet

• Deepak Bhosale, General Manager - IT, Asian Paints

• Sukanta Padhy, Chief Information Officer, Alliance Tire Group

Here’s what they had to say:

Self-service is the future

In an era of social distancing, the way companies interact with customers is changing. Physical touchpoints are being minimised in favour of no-touch self-service models that are not only safer, but also more cost-effective and efficient.  

At some airports, for instance, passengers can now scan their e-boarding passes at a contactless self-service kiosk. Luggage, in turn, can be deposited at a fully automated self-bag drop machine. No more manual check-ins or even stamping of boarding passes. Customer service at every touchpoint is almost entirely contactless.

Meanwhile, Asian Paints, India’s largest paint company is also going down the self-service route by enabling its dealers to place orders through a simple web portal or mobile app.

Does this shift to self-service models mean that human-powered customer service will fade? No. Many customers still prefer talking to a real person like a call centre agent, especially when trying to address an issue. But even in call centres, there’s now a first layer of communication in the form of self-service chatbots, portals, and communities.

These tools allow customers to find answers, and resolve routine issues on their own. It also frees up companies to focus attention and resources on how to deliver better customer experiences.

Remote customer experiences can still retain a personal touch

Companies don’t always need to meet customers face-to-face to provide that personal touch. Technology offers rich possibilities for businesses to deliver personalised experiences to customers even from a distance. 

Leading global off-highway tires business, Alliance Tire Group is exploring how AI can be a personal assistant to agricultural customers searching for the right tires. The company’s vision is to have farmers simply upload a picture of their vehicle (e.g. tractor) onto an app, and instantly receive personalised recommendations—all from the comfort of their homes. 

Asian Paints is also using AI and machine learning to offer dealers personalised product suggestions. When it first set up a call centre, Asian Paints was concerned that tele agents wouldn’t be able to replicate the familiarity and trust that a traditional customer relationship manager could provide. But customers interacting with the call centre soon began reporting very high satisfaction rates. 

What made the difference was an analytics solution that gave agents comprehensive insights on the customer’s buying behaviour and other key metrics. With this data, agents could continue to deliver the kind of personalised service that Asian Paints was known for. 

Changing customer needs have opened up new business opportunities

With customer behaviours evolving since COVID-19, many organisations are rethinking their business strategies, and looking for new opportunities to provide great customer experiences.  

One such opportunity is direct-to-community selling which takes products straight to local communities, while cutting out intermediaries (like distributors, vendors, and retail stores).

Closely linked to that is doorstep delivery. More companies are partnering with hyper-local delivery service providers to carry essential goods directly to customer homes. Home delivery is now more than just a nice-to-have service—it’s a given.

Another opportunity is “phygital” – a hybrid of physical and digital strategies. For instance, a well-known kitchen appliance company is currently looking at how it can supply products to customers by connecting to franchise outlets near them through an online commerce platform. The idea is to create compelling customer experiences that flow seamlessly between online and offline channels.

The bottomline is that a new normal calls for new business strategies. Companies that can find a way to pivot and reach customers where they are in fresh ways will stand to gain.