It’s common knowledge that customer experience is the factor that helps your brand stand out against the competition. But the fact is that no matter how good your customer experience, each time consumer expectations change, your CX needs to evolve, too. Otherwise, you leave the door open to rival brands.
In recent years, one of the biggest shifts in preference has been towards text-based channels, which today encompass everything from SMS notifications to social messaging and online chat.
Your customers want to text
The growing popularity of text-based communication is understandable. Smartphones are ubiquitous, as is social media use, and both have made messaging a facet of modern life across all age groups.
As a means of communication, text is much more flexible and dynamic than other channels, such as the phone. Thanks to online or in-app chat, consumers can reach out immediately when they have an issue or a question — in the context of that question — and start engaging with an agent. No searching for a contact number or email form and no need to wait in a queue on hold while a member of staff becomes available.
And as well as the context of the issue, text enables consumers to communicate based on the context of their day — at home, at work or at any point in between — and in terms of the seriousness of the issue. So, customers can use online or in-app chat for an immediate response or send a social message for a query that doesn’t need an answer right away.
What’s more, whether the communication is synchronous or asynchronous, written communication offers more clarity and, unlike the details of a phone conversation, are automatically preserved on the customer’s handset — it’s there in the message history. Which of course provides the added benefit of being the right communication format for enabling the sharing of links and images for adding greater detail or sharing more information.
5 ways text channels will boost your business
In addition to delighting customers, text-based channels offer a host of business-focused benefits that could help lower operating costs without reducing service quality.
Concurrent conversations
Unlike traditional phone calls, where an agent can engage with only one customer at a time, text channels allow staff to manage multiple conversations simultaneously. This capability boosts productivity and optimizes resource allocation.
Synchronous and asynchronous communication
As well as enabling better deployment of human resources, the fact that not all messages need to be answered in the moment, but within an agreed time period, can reduce pressure on staff, better balance workloads and provide greater latitude to get creative or personal with responses, especially if the communication is via social channels.
Efficiency through automation
Integrating generative AI into text channels empowers organizations to automate many customer engagements. For simple inquiries, AI can provide quick, accurate responses, ensuring customer needs are met promptly. Importantly, customers should always have the option to escalate their inquiries to a live agent when necessary, ensuring a seamless transition while maintaining service quality.
Use of canned responses
Text channels facilitate the use of pre-scripted responses for frequently asked questions or for establishing initial rapport, reducing the number of conversational turns required and, in doing so, expediting service delivery and enhancing the overall customer experience through quicker answers and a lower average handle time.
Data-driven insights
Text-based communication channels generate valuable data that is easy to collect and analyze. By leveraging analytics tools, businesses can gain insights into customer behavior and preferences, informing service improvements and tailored marketing strategies for a more personalized experience.
5 potential challenges in implementation
Despite the clear benefits, integrating text-based communication channels into existing CX operations can present significant challenges.
Integration issues
Ensuring that all communication channels are seamlessly integrated into a cohesive system can be complex. To really deliver, text must be part of an omnichannel CX platform so that customer data flows freely and all relevant information is simple to capture. Don’t forget, just because consumers like text, it doesn’t mean that they don’t use other channels based on their need, and your organization needs to be able to capture data from those interactions too, and make sure they form part of the customer’s expanded history.
Consistency of messaging
Maintaining a consistent brand voice and message across multiple channels is crucial. Inconsistencies can confuse customers and dilute brand identity. Even if social messaging can be less formal and more direct than other forms of customer interaction, your organization needs to find a balance and initiate guidelines for agents.
Resource allocation
Adding new channels may require additional resources, including staffing, training, and technology investments, which can strain existing operations in the short term. What’s more, there can be a temptation to set concurrent message rates too high. As soon as an agent is charged with handling more than three engagements at a time, the risk of a diminishing service increases. It becomes harder to track the specific details of each conversation and service quality is going to suffer as a result. High concurrent rates are indeed possible, but targets need to be raised slowly over time and supported by training.
Training and upskilling employees
Staff must be trained effectively to handle communications across new channels while upholding high service standards. All forms of direct customer interaction require similar soft skills, but your staff will need to learn and feel comfortable with performing in a new context and with new tools and processes.
Quality control
As the number of communication channels grows, maintaining the quality of customer interactions becomes increasingly challenging.
The power of text: Elevating CX for long-term success
Text-based communication channels have become vital for organizations striving to meet modern customer expectations. Their immediacy, flexibility, clarity and data-driven insights make them invaluable tools in building strong customer relationships. By understanding both the benefits and challenges of these channels, businesses can build a more cohesive and satisfying customer experience that ultimately drives long-term success.
To learn more about integrating and managing the performance of contact center communication channels, read our best practice guide.