Email, phone calls, WhatsApp… are just some of the channels that coexist today in most of the strategies of organizations and their customer service departments. On paper, this multiplicity responds to a clear logic: facilitate contact and adapt to user preferences within customer service. In practice, however, this expansion has not always been accompanied by real integration between systems and customer service teams.
When customer service channels operate in isolation, the customer repeats information, changes interlocutors without shared context, and perceives constant jumps in the conversation. The customer service experience is fragmented and the feeling of agility turns into aggravated friction. What should be closeness from the customer service area ends up becoming complexity.
The data supports this situation. 56% of consumers report having to repeat their query during support and customer service interactions because the channels were disconnected, according to the latest Top Omnichannel Customer Service Stats report. This same study reveals that only 13% of companies manage to share context between customer service channels, which explains many of the current frustrations in customer service.
Internal fragmentation, external impact
Beyond customer perception, fragmentation in customer service also has an internal impact. Duplicate processes, lack of traceability, altered data and lack of a unified vision make decision-making difficult and increase operating costs. In an environment where customer service experience has become a competitive factor, the question is no longer how many channels a brand offers, but whether those customer service channels are part of a coherent system.
Faced with this scenario, WAM addresses the challenge with its ‘CRM & Marketing Automation to Connect’ solution, aimed at connecting context, data and processes to build a coherent customer service experience. The approach is based on the analysis of the customer’s real journey, by segments, identifying frictions and breaking points between customer service channels. From there, an omnichannel interaction model is defined that establishes how customer service should work in an integrated way and what role each point of contact plays within the whole.
From redesign to implementation
From WAM they point out that, only after defining the model, can that design be transferred to customer service operations, usually through the implementation of platforms such as Salesforce Service Cloud. At this point, the key is for technology to act as an enabler to unify information in real time, share context between customer service teams and reduce unnecessary repetition of procedures. The objective is not to add tools, but to ensure continuity in the relationship and customer service.
Only 13% of companies manage to share context between customer service channels
When the customer service experience is articulated as a single system, the effects are measurable in terms of efficiency, operational clarity and retention. Consistency between customer service channels not only improves satisfaction, but also allows you to better understand customer behavior and anticipate needs.
“Fragmentation is not just a problem of experience, it is a problem of efficiency and profitability. Without a single vision of the customer, decisions in customer service are made with partial information and operating costs skyrocket. Integrating is not a technological improvement, it is a strategic decision,” says Laura Ortega, Head of Business at WAM.
