Category: Blogs

CX Experts Provide Insights and Strategies

This blog is a collection of insights on artificial intelligence (AI) in customer experience (CX) strategies from an elite group of CX strategists and consultants. Collectively, they explore a future where AI is not just an operational tool but a transformative element for exceptional customer and employee experiences. Their reflections consider AI’s use, limitations, and methods for maximizing its potential in the ongoing delivery of irresistible customer experience across all industries.

Following are the topics addressed by the CX experts. In the next section, their insights are provided in alphabetical order by first name.

Trends and Predictions

The evolution of AI is set to deliver immersive, personalized experiences through a blend of physical and digital engagements with advancements in hyper personalization, multi-channel engagement, and augmented reality. AI’s role in enhancing self-service options and supporting customer service agents by offering accurate, customized interactions is increasingly significant.

Challenges and Solutions

Key challenges include skepticism towards AI, data integration, strategy development, and balancing automation with human empathy. Solutions highlight the importance of building trust, ensuring AI transparency, fostering collaboration, and focusing on strategic, ethical AI deployment.

Personalization and Ethics

Ethical considerations revolve around data privacy, consent, and customer control over data. Ethical AI use begins with prioritizing ethics over speed or market competitiveness, ensuring AI’s use gains customers’ trust.

Customer Engagement

AI transforms engagement through automated insights, personalized recommendations, and innovative content creation, elevating interaction and loyalty.

Data and Privacy

Addressing personalized experiences with data privacy involves securing customer consent, adhering to privacy laws, and practicing ethical AI use.

Emerging Technologies

Innovations in natural language processing, explainable AI, and reinforcement learning promise to improve transparency and customer interaction.

Employee Experience

AI improves employee experiences by automating routine tasks, providing insights, and supporting personalized training to maximize efficiency.

Future Skills

Essential skills in an AI-driven future include empathetic listening, creative problem-solving, and an understanding of AI technology and data analysis

Ethical AI and Trust

Trust necessitates ethical AI practices, transparency, customer data respect, and regular audits for bias and fairness.

AI Limitations

AI cannot currently replicate the nuanced human touch required in complex customer service scenarios. Strategies must include seamless AI-human interactions.

In an AI-enhanced future, businesses must navigate the complexities of technology integration with a focus on ethical practices, transparency, and the deployment of essential human skills. Success lies in balancing technological advancements with the irreplaceable value of human empathy and understanding, ensuring that AI serves as a complement rather than a replacement in CX.

“The organizations that are deploying AI effectively are using it not only to create smoother customer experiences but also to facilitate smoother employee experiences, making human agents more effective. Back-end AI deployment can give agents real-time, contextual information with a speed and accuracy never seen before, from natural-language queries to instant customer history summaries. As with anything, training will be essential to helping agents maximize these tools and use them effectively with customers in real time.

“The agent skills that will be essential in an AI-driven future are the human skills. Robots will be cheaper, faster, and more accurate; humans will add value by being more human and by having advanced skills in empathetic listening, compassionate communication, and creative problem-solving. The term ‘retail robot’ has been used for years as an insult, to describe script-reciting, unenthusiastic service employees. However, the agents who try, who care, and who can put a smile on another human’s face are the ones that will always be more valuable than a machine.   

“In something as new and unexplored as AI, ethics tend to be in the eye of the beholder. However, as a first principle, I believe that companies can best use AI ethically by prioritizing ethics—putting them first, ahead of speed and ahead of being first to market. Based on how the AI gold rush is playing out across industries, it may be naive, but I think the ethical use of something as powerful as AI begins with focusing on what it should do, not just what it can do.” 

“While a lot of conversations about AI in CX focus on mass personalization and automated support, a big win is on the horizon for organizational learning and knowledge management. When customers call contact centers for support, agents will have faster access to answers via intelligent intranets. When R&D professionals seek emerging—and even predictive—data on customer preferences and trends, AI can serve real-time information at their fingertips. Faster and more accurate intelligence will yield efficiencies for companies and should also yield more satisfying products and services for customers.

“AI and advanced computing will allow organizations to activate CRM programs with deeper relationships than ever before. Within—and beyond—a company’s customer journey, AI will enable new ways to learn about and connect with our customers. As with familiar examples like shopping cart recommendations and targeted Google ads, AI is offering ‘shortcuts’ from search and social media placements to check-out pages. Shopping and viewership data can also be aggregated to guide the design of new products that better meet customers’ wants and needs. Ethical and technical safeguards are needed to ensure customer data is secure from bad actors and to prevent vulnerable customers from being marketed dangerous or disturbing products.

“Evolutions in natural language processing are about to unlock a world of opportunity—literally and figuratively! On top of chatbots, voice agents, and the like developing real-time speech capabilities, we will also see (and hear) their ability to translate across languages. Companies with global growth strategies can use this trend to their advantage, accessing new markets and new customers through emerging communications technology. Even internally, the translation benefits of AI can help diverse workforces engage in trainings, access organizational knowledge, and collaborate internationally.” 

“One thing that stood out as a house of themes around challenges for integrating AI to improve the customer experience is building trust with those who will use and be affected by it. Without the rules of engagement and guard rails in place for the responsible use of AI, customers could be turned off and not believe in the value AI can bring to improve the customer experience. These ‘rules’ will be essential for the responsible and broad adoption of AI in the years to come. It is a continuing conversation, but the awareness of the need in and of itself is essential.”

“Over the next few years, AI systems will become more adaptive and capable of continuous learning. We will experience more human-like interactions with chatbots and virtual assistants, significantly improving customer service. In addition, businesses will be able to analyze customer sentiment and predict customer needs and behaviors to help create even more personalized experiences and recommendations in dashboards readily accessible to employees across the organization. As AI continues to evolve, customer expectations are only going to increase. Speed and personalization will become even more important for all businesses.

“AI platforms require A LOT of data, so companies must ensure that they are capturing high-quality data to inform accurate AI predictions. Implementing an AI platform is not the end of the project, though. Companies will need to hire in-house experts or third-party vendors who specialize in data science and machine learning to constantly audit and update the systems. Lastly, aligning your team around the benefits of AI and establishing clear protocols will be a challenge. Employees may be worried that their jobs will be replaced with AI, while others will be reluctant to learn new technology. They must all realize AI is to help humans perform CX tasks, not replace humans.

“AI has allowed companies to create highly personalized experiences for customers. Platforms like Spotify and Netflix can make personalized suggestions based on our consumption history and rich customer data. Fashion and beauty brands like Warby Parker and Ulta use AR (augmented reality) to help customers try on products in the comfort of their own homes. Many of these features have enhanced the customer experience, but there are several ethical concerns businesses should be aware of. If AI algorithms are trained on biased information or models, personalized recommendations may reinforce existing stereotypes or inadvertently exclude certain groups. Moreover, customers should regularly be allowed to opt in or out of certain features and take control over their preferences.  

“The use of AI has significantly improved customer engagement. Some of the most notable examples I’ve seen firsthand are Canva and Castmagic. These platforms offer new AI-driven features that help users write copy or headlines, design unique images, create music, generate scripts or episode summaries for podcasts, and much more. AI has made content creation significantly easier, faster, and more accessible than ever before.

“AI platforms must get customer consent for data collection and be transparent about data usage. Businesses will need to be up to date on privacy laws and regulations to protect customer information and maintain their trust. They must also acknowledge that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach anymore. Some customers will appreciate the efficiencies AI will provide, while others will be skeptical about sharing information. Companies must make allowances for customers existing on both ends of the spectrum, in the same way that smart companies now allow customers to solve problems via a number of avenues. 

“Explainable AI (XAI) will significantly improve customer experience. XAI provides insights into how AI models arrive at specific conclusions or predictions, increasing transparency and accountability. XAI will help companies use AI more effectively and will enhance customer understanding and trust.

“Customer service employees will be relying on AI-generated insights, so they need to be trained on the limitations of AI and when to use their human judgment to make decisions. For all employees (not just those using AI!), it’s important for them to know that while AI-generated scripts, prompts, or suggestions are helpful, they are not a replacement for a human operator.

“Customer experience professionals will need a foundational understanding of AI concepts, technologies, and applications. Since AI is data-driven, being able to understand certain metrics and derive insights from customer data will be crucial. Lastly, empathy is a non-negotiable in any customer experience role, but it’s especially important when AI is heavily involved.

“Due to the lack of transparency, privacy concerns, and the evolving nature of AI platforms, the use of AI can significantly erode customer trust. However, businesses can maintain their customer relationships while reaping the benefits of AI by putting a few ground rules in place. 

• Always indicate when AI is being used exclusively in a customer interaction (e.g., chatbots).
• Regularly audit AI systems for potential bias.
• Ask customers for their feedback after AI interactions to help improve the technology. Explain how AI algorithms work and what will happen to customer data after the interaction.

“At the end of the day, AI cannot replicate the human touch. Companies will need to put processes in place to ensure that certain situations get directed to a real person instead of a chatbot, especially in areas or industries where empathy, understanding, and emotional connections are crucial. Another limitation will be the innate bias of the algorithms. Regular audits of AI systems can help ensure fairness and accountability.”

“The biggest challenge is resisting the urge to have AI do everything. The goal should not be to replace human interactions but rather to supplement them with AI. Yes, there are plenty of places where AI can make things easier for the customer, but also look for places where it can make things easier for your employees. That allows them to do what they do best—be human.

“Employees need the comfort of knowing that AI isn’t coming for their jobs. In fact, it’s there to help them do their jobs better. Regular AI training should be adopted so employees always feel up to date on one of the fastest-moving technologies we’ve ever seen.”

“From an average customer’s perspective, people are afraid of AI and the use of this new, mysterious technology. Importantly, employees are also uneasy with this new technology. 

1. Find the champions. Find the individuals—no matter what level—that understand the benefits to the employees and the customers. Don’t look for the technical experts. Why? Remember, you are not trying to integrate AI technology but rather an improved experience or efficiency for the employee/customer. You’ll need to lead the integration with benefits. 

2. Kill the term ‘AI.’ Technology drives the backend of the business–not the front end. Employees and customers don’t care about what version of the software runs the program they are using. They don’t care what makes things run. They care about the efficiency and reliability of the program. 

3. Build can-do collaboration teams. In Phase I, you will likely find a few problems to solve or efficiencies to bring using AI technology. In Phase II, create cross-functional teams with both the technologists and the realists. Find ways to dream. What’s possible?” 

“AI’s impact on the employee experience can be far reaching and positive. As we look at employee experience as a holistic approach to the employee’s journey, there are a myriad of touchpoints along the way. AI can not only ease the load for customer service employees through practical applications, but it can also improve their overall experience by providing more custom training and development offerings and delivery. Employee experience is driven by emotions; AI can boost most positive emotions by delivering what the customer service professionals need when they need it and leave a supportive impression.”

“A big challenge I continue to see is simply not having a defined strategy for customer experience efforts. Many organizations are still moving from tactic to tactic or starting with the tool (let’s use AI) instead of determining what success means and how to deliver the best possible experience for customers. To deliver results, leaders need to make sure efforts are aligned with overall outcomes—that requires strategic thinking, proper prioritization, and making a business case for these investments. 

“Customers appreciate personalized experiences, and AI can provide those in a more predictive way for individual customers at scale. Customers are becoming savvier about how their personal data is involved, and they deserve more transparency. I see a future of easier, more transparent data control options for customers. And if a customer decides to change something—like masking their email or something small—AI will be able to make that change across the organization instantly. Transparency like that will also continue to build trust between the customer and the brand. 

“AI will allow customer service agents and others who interact directly with customers to focus on the nuanced, more emotional situations that require human empathy and compassion. AI will keep the more mundane and repetitive tasks and questions from taking their time and empathy, and customers will be happy to get answers when they need them and personalized from their needs. Employees will have access to intelligent search and other features to get to the right information at the right moment. So, skills around how to prompt the right response quickly and how to move from ‘reading a script’ to engaging in authentic conversations with new information will be important. With this freedom from routine tasks, employees may have time to innovate around the customer journey as well.” 

“I believe use cases will come from the gaming world. I’m seeing more and more experimentation in immersive technology, and it is working. Gartner described it as moving into a phygital world. The blend of physical and digital engagement to enhance personalized experiences. We talk about journey maps, but we’re now building ‘experience structures.’ These are designed to optimize interactions and improve behavioral outcomes. An example of this comes from a company called Unreal Engine. In it AI is used as a means for users to guide their own story. They can win physical prizes and create digital currency.”

• “Hyper Personalization: I expect an even greater ability to deliver hyper-personalized experiences, with AI becoming more sophisticated in understanding customer preferences.
• Voice and Conversational Interfaces: The rise of voice search and conversational AI will likely prompt more businesses to adopt voice-enabled customer service.
• Augmented Reality (AR) Experiences: AR is set to enhance online shopping, enabling customers to visualize products in their environments.
• Emphasis on Customer Privacy: With increasing data use, more importance will be placed on protecting customer privacy and data security.
• Growth in Customer Self-Service Options: More customers will prefer self-service options, leading to increased self-help tools and resources. But don’t forget to have well-trained team members ready to serve when technology fails or customers ‘opt human.’

“Transformative customer experience organizations will need to be led by people who invest in their culture and people, not just their IT systems. For example, leaders must provide ongoing training for employees on how to use technology tools effectively and must guide them on how to provide personalized service wherever possible. They also must work with subject matter experts and business partners to ensure seamless integration of human service and AI tools. This means providing a consistent experience across all channels, whether customers interact with a chatbot, speak with a human representative, or send an email.

“AI allows business leaders to provide service 24/7 and customize products and services based on the behavioral preferences of consumers. To achieve those benefits, leaders face many ethical risks related to data collection, customer consent, data security, and discrimination. Here’s my quick take on these challenges. 

• Consent and Data Collection: AI requires access to copious quantities of personal data. The acquisition, storage, and analysis often occur without consumers’ explicit and complete consent. This lack of transparency is an ethical concern. 
• Data Security: Data breaches are a substantial concern because of the volume of personal data being collected and stored. This is especially problematic, given the rise in cyberattacks that have compromised sensitive information. 
• Discrimination: AI systems can form biases during training, leading to discriminatory recommendations and services. 

“I work with retail and hospitality clients who effectively analyze customer sentiment in online feedback, reviews, and social media posts. AI-aided insights from this ‘social listening’ allow my clients to quickly address emerging issues, improve products, and pinpoint marketing strategies. Similarly, I have e-commerce clients who use AI to analyze a customer’s behavior, preferences, and browsing/purchase history to recommend products optimized for that customer. This level of personalization elevates the customer’s experience and dramatically increases customer engagement, sales, and repeat business.

“‘The train has left the station.’ The use of AI will only increase—hopefully at a pace our security and ethical oversight can manage. I liken it to nuclear technology, which can be used for noble or pernicious ends. Alternatively, we can think of the challenge as needing to ‘build a parachute after jumping off a bridge.’ Gravity (or, in this case, the benefits of AI) will hurt us—our challenge is to secure a safe landing for all stakeholders. 

“Trust is the currency of relationships. Playing fast and loose with customer data, violating their privacy, being nontransparent, and using their information only for the gain of the business will cause businesses to implode. It has done it long before the rise of AI. This technology only amplifies the potential risk to both the customer and the business. Of course, the wise use of AI will enhance intimacy, trust, and the enduring nature of customer relationships.”

“1. Al will create seamless experiences for customers reaching out across multiple channels. Customers want to be able to reach out to companies over social channels like Instagram, follow up by email or phone, and want and expect companies to remember their interactions and respond with a strong memory. Companies can no longer have a single channel strategy and architecture, or they risk leaking customers and customer sales.

2. There will be a widening of the gap between leaders and laggards in customer experience. Al has the potential to revolutionize businesses’ ability to deliver personalized customer experiences. Businesses that harness that power will leapfrog businesses that do not make investments in Al. The laggards, who are already playing catch up, will have even more ground to cover.

3. There will be a doubling down on the uniquely human values, such as empathy, which are necessary to deliver great customer experiences. Al will improve consistency, multitasking, and processing speed of data without losing effectiveness or efficiency, but only humans can understand and empathize with the emotions of customers. Al can only treat customers as data points, which will result in ‘me too’ and lackluster experiences if companies are not careful. Only humans can take a deep interest and involvement in the details of customers’ lives as people, not as data points. That’s why we call it empathy. The closer you get to customers’ lives, to their problems and frustrations, the better customer experience leaders will be at creating new value for them. 

• “Safety: It probably goes without saying that the safety debate is the biggest question around Al. There is a lot of activity from governments and regulators, but, so far, there has not been much progress towards global governance and standards.
• Unraveling Real from Fake: Identifying what are fake experiences from what are real experiences will be harder to solve. Will fake experiences feed Al models and expand the pool of customer experience data? We will all need to be vigilant.
• Evaluating Utility of Models: Subject matter expertise transforms how you use AI. SMEs can ask better questions and evaluate answers. If CX leaders rely on emerging Al tools without evaluating the utility of methods, tools, and products with SMEs and diverse stakeholders, they will increase the potential for bias. Al is evolving so quickly and making sense of the landscape of Al tools, and choosing the right one is key. The utility of Al tools will be determined in large part by SMEs.  

“Al will get businesses closer to realizing what Joe Pine described in 1993 as ‘mass customization.’ The theory of mass customization advocates for the integration of flexibility and personalization within scaled systems or experiences, allowing companies to offer products and services customized to individual preferences without forsaking efficiency or significantly increasing costs. This ability to deliver unique value to each customer while maintaining economies of scale has been somewhat elusive over the last 30 years, but Al will get us closer to this vision. 

The ethical considerations are the same ethical considerations we hope all businesses are aspiring to honor in delivering customer experiences.

1. Prioritize the safety and needs of customers.

2. Be honest, truthful, and transparent in all communication.

3. Value diverse customers and their unique needs and wants.

4. Protect the privacy and safety of customer data. I think the one unique ethical consideration in an Al world is to consider the long-term social impact of using Al and to commit to evolving and learning forward for the benefit of humanity.   

“There are so many exciting ways in which Al is transforming customer engagement. 

1. New Product Offerings: The Al-powered robotic restaurants and bars like Spyce, PizzaBot, and Bionic Bar are really interesting. 

2. Transforming Patient Outcomes: Al-powered medicine has the potential to transform whole populations by rapidly diagnosing diseases at mass scale and drug discovery. Early results in Al-powered mammography, sickle cell diagnosis, and molecular biology are very exciting. 

3. Back Office Work Transformation: The ability to do code generation; create images; do speech synthesis; create video and 3D models; and use high-fidelity sketching, writing assistants, and text generation speed up back office work, which accelerates delivering better customer experiences.

4. Al-Powered Applications: The ability to do copywriting + art generation, social media design, media/advertising agency automation, and voice dubbing for both entertainment and educational applications is very exciting. 

5. Novel Tools:

• ChatGPT is the king of Al tools designed to generate human-like text responses in a conversational manner. 
• DALL-E can generate a wide range of creative visuals for campaigns, social media content, or branding materials. 
• Perplexity is an interesting tool that shows promise in accelerating domain knowledge and research and can accelerate contextual awareness. 
• Code Interpreter can quickly analyze and aggregate data that could help a data scientist quickly arrive at preliminary insights.  
• Anthropic’s Claude is an Al assistant that is good for tasks such as complex reasoning, creativity, coding, and detailed content creation. I have seen it used for evaluating ideas, devising scoring systems, and assessing viability and feasibility on new offerings that lead to more compelling features. 
• GitHub CoPilot acts as an intelligent assistant for software developers, offering suggestions for whole lines of code or entire functions as they type. 

“Leading with an ethical stance of prioritizing data privacy, customer consent, and security; abiding by regulations; and ensuring the right humans are overseeing the systems will go a long way towards striking the right balance. 

“1. Reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) is helping make models safer and more helpful for users. It can be used to fine-tune Al models like chatbots or virtual assistants to make interactions more personalized and relevant. It can improve the quality of responses by learning nuances of human language, and it can better understand and respond to the emotional tone of customer inquiries, which makes customer experience interactions more empathetic and contextually sensitive. 

2. Chain-of-thought technology can make customer experience interactions more transparent, intuitive, and effective. Leveraging chain-of-thought tech has the potential to break down complex customer inquiries into manageable steps that are more accurate, which is great for technical support operations. It also can make customer interactions more personalized, which makes experiences more trustworthy, building customer confidence. It also has the potential to reduce the frustration with automated services, making the experience feel more human-like.

“I think the skills that will be important for CX professionals in an Al-driven future are some of the same skills that are critical today. 

• Opportunity Seeking Skills: The ability to see opportunity, challenge conventional wisdom, explore non-traditional ideas, remain open to redefining the problem trying to be solved, and then search broadly for areas of opportunity—all before deciding on a particular solution will be critical in an Al world. 
• Relationship Management Skills: These are no longer soft skills. The ability to listen deeply, explore, and leverage multiple viewpoints and be comfortable working across differences is crucial. Success in a complex Al world is about making differences work for us rather than against us. Relationship management skills have always been downplayed as soft skills, but they will be mandatory in the customer experience world. 
• Experimentation Skills: The ability to treat ideas as hypotheses to be tested, to identify the data needed to provide an evidence base, and to design and execute rigorous experiments is essential to managing Al risk rather than merely avoiding it. 
• Reflection Skills: The ability to be self and situationally aware, to be able to explain to others the ‘why’ behind your reasoning, to be able to ask good questions, and to drill down on critical issues will be more important than ever in an Al future. This is the ability to do both perspective ‘taking’ and perspective ‘making.’”

“AI is not a supervillain here to steal everyone’s jobs. It’s more like a sidekick. Just like Robin took on lower-level thugs to free Batman up for the bigger fights, AI frees your customer service agents up to tackle the big bads of customer challenges. So, your training and development should center on turning agents into AI whisperers, mastering the art of collaboration between man and machine. Focusing your AI investment into simplifying and streamlining the employee experience will allow your people to build relationships with customers where and when it matters most. 

“AI’s biggest limitation is that it’s simply not human. Technology’s ability to recognize another person’s intent and express empathy is still limited. In the more nuanced and complex customer service challenges, customers will be looking for real human connection and insight, not canned responses and answers from chatbots that don’t accurately solve their problems. But a combination of AI and human customer service agent interaction can deliver an experience with the speed of technology and the empathy of a real person. Then seamless handoffs between AI and humans ensure customers feel like they’re getting the best of both worlds.”

“The primary challenge with using AI is getting access to data to allow the AI to provide relevant information to customers for self-service or to associates and leaders to enable them to do their jobs. Limiting AI to only having access to a single system or data source will not allow AI to fulfill its potential. For AI to work, it needs access to all of the data within a contact center environment. 

“One of the primary benefits of AI is to augment and support our employee population. As AI/automation removes easy contacts from customer service roles, it just makes the job of customer service more complex for the associates and leaders. The customer interactions now will all be more complex and difficult, which means how we train and develop frontline associates, coaches, and leaders has to be reimagined. That is where AI can support training, onboarding, and driving speed to proficiency for new hires. AI can support connecting data and easy access to information and answers during conversations. AI can definitely also assist the more complex role for coaches and leaders who have to review all the data, reports, and analytics to determine how and what to coach to develop associates.”

“AI will improve self-service beyond anything we’ve seen up until now. In addition, it will support customer support agents by providing accurate answers to customers’ questions, information about the customer’s history with the company, and more. There will be a blend of digital automated support and human-to-human interaction. The companies that can find the balance will succeed with stellar ratings from their customers. 

“While many companies are focused on using AI to support the customer’s self-service experience, companies are starting to recognize the value of creating a similar experience for customer support agents. In addition to feeding employees information about the questions and problems customers call about, AI can/will create in-the-moment/real-time coaching, giving agents opportunities to not only support their customers but to do so with empathy and understanding. In addition, AI will allow companies to save money on traditional training, by providing some (not all) technical and product information to agents at the time they need it. All of this will create a better employee experience, empowering them to create a better customer experience. 

“Nobody knows or can predict the limitations AI presents in enhancing the customer experience. In 10 years, we’ll look back and think what we’re doing today is archaic. However, let’s address current-day limitations. Presently, some companies believe AI can create a self-service support system that does it all, eliminating live customer support. 

Our CX research asked more than 1,000 consumers, ‘Do you use self-service tools before contacting live customer support?’ 70% said ‘Yes,’ but that doesn’t mean they are satisfied with the results. In a follow-up question, we asked, ‘Do you think self-service can deliver as good of a customer experience as humans?’ Only 27% said ‘Yes.’ Furthermore, 70% of consumers prefer to call the company and talk to a live customer support agent. The limitations are more about present-day capabilities. Soon, improvements and new capabilities will break through current limitations.”

We are thankful to these CX influencers for sharing their insights on the evolving role of AI in customer experience across these topics.

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iQor is a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions. We are passionate about delivering an outstanding omnichannel customer experience for brands across the globe. Harnessing intelligent CX technology and AI-driven innovations that can scale teams anywhere, our custom BPO solutions create happy employees and delighted customers. Symphony [AI]^TM, our generative AI ecosystem, unifies our commitment to innovation, flexibility, and excellence by integrating advanced digital CX with irresistible human experiences. 

If you’re ready to reshape your customer service strategy with the optimal mix of AI, human performance, and operational excellence, start a conversation with one of our CX experts.

Bernie Borges is vice president of global content marketing at iQor. Connect with Bernie on LinkedIn.

Delivering Year-Round Customer Experience Excellence With Strategic BPO Partnerships

“Mastering Retail: Optimize Your Customer Experience Year-Round” is a free on-demand webinar sponsored by iQor in partnership with Retail Customer Experience.com. The virtual event explores effective strategies to enhance customer experience in retail throughout the year. Panelists include industry experts Tone Holmen, senior vice president of operations at iQor; John Swain, vice president of account management, retail at iQor; and Brian Madonna, vice president of operations at Universal Screen Arts, Inc. Here’s an overview of what they discussed. 

Personalized Experiences Every Day of the Year

In today’s highly competitive retail landscape, providing an exceptional customer experience (CX) is a necessity. The integration of digital and physical shopping experiences has created an omnichannel retail environment that demands seamless and personalized interactions at every touchpoint. To meet these expectations and stay ahead of the competition, retailers need to prioritize operational excellence year-round, especially during operationally intense peak periods. This involves implementing strategies that optimize workforce management, foster a customer-centric culture, and leverage technology effectively. 

By effectively managing and optimizing these key areas, retailers can transform the customer journey and create more smiles with exceptional experiences. At iQor, we deploy an effective operations process honed over several decades that enables retailers to confidently outsource their customer experience for every season.  

Operational Excellence Through Strategic Recruiting and Onboarding

Retail has the most seasonal needs of any industry. From peak periods for holidays to campaigns like catalog drops, retailers of all sizes experience staff fluctuations weekly, monthly, and quarterly. In order to meet demand, brands often partner with a business process outsourcing (BPO) company that cross-trains its employees to move between different clients as needs shift, which then enables employees to enjoy a long-term career and a deeper understanding of clients’ needs. 

In the post-COVID era, many retailers have shared that they struggle to secure reliable domestic outsourcing due to high attrition rates and higher expenses, and hiring multiple in-house customer service roles can create redundancy since peak periods are unpredictable, resulting in over-hiring and potentially low morale if positions are eliminated. 

iQor’s offshore and nearshore BPO capabilities allow us to shift according to our clients’ seasonal operations needs with a steady stream of expertly trained staff. Our teams maintain consistent employment and develop in-depth knowledge of the brands that entrust us to serve their customers, which results in smoother operations and more enjoyable customer experiences.

AI’s Role in Successful Agent Recruitment

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment processes has been a game-changer for BPO companies like iQor, allowing for the handling of a higher volume of applicants with efficiency and precision. Leveraging a variety of AI tools enables companies to automate skills testing and streamline recruiting to quickly identify and place candidates in roles where they are most likely to excel.  

This modern approach meets the demand for rapid recruitment cycles, ensuring that top candidates receive timely offers and are captured effectively without requiring excessive effort on their part. This strategic use of AI not only enhances the recruitment process but also competitively positions companies in attracting and retaining the best talent. 

iQor’s Symphony [AI]^TM generative AI ecosystem maximizes employee performance capabilities throughout the entire employee lifecycle, ensuring a seamless transition for new hires into their roles and beyond. From recruiting to training to development, Symphony [AI] utilizes proprietary large language models (LLMs) to tap into iQor’s accumulated process knowledge from the last two decades to transform the tool set and allow employees to deliver optimized CX based on previous experiences and scenarios. Exploring past interactions and results for multiple retailers allows our team to vet processes from some of the best practices to effectively meet clients’ KPIs.

Effective Training Benefits Employees and Clients

Ongoing training and development are foundational to maintaining successful operations in customer service. This continuous education process is vital not just after initial hire but throughout an agent’s tenure, especially considering the high seasonal demands of retail. By preparing agents for leadership through early management training, companies foster an environment of growth and advancement. This method enhances service quality and significantly reduces attrition rates, as agents see clear pathways for promotion within the company. Such a strategy keeps the knowledge base within the organization robust and dynamic, ensuring sustained performance excellence. 

In addition to measuring successful recruitment and onboarding through key performance indicators (KPIs) like low attrition rates, iQor also analyzes the effectiveness of its training and speed to proficiency. Agents must be able to serve customers’ needs after a short period of training as seasonal needs and demands change, so feedback on training is crucial to ensuring an efficient transition from training to the production floor. 

Three important KPIs for iQor client Universal Screen Arts, Inc., include low abandon rates, successful VIP sales, and upselling. New hires are matched with the client’s needs, ensuring they meet these KPIs as soon as possible. 

One of the most effective training methods iQor uses is the active learning classroom, which allows agents to actively participate in their learning through hands-on demonstrations and practice models in groups or teams. Trainers and trainees engage in feedback and discussions that provide continuous improvement. In between serving customers, agents also undergo microlearning sessions, which allow them to train during idle time without being removed from production. 

Regular communication is another imperative aspect of a successful partnership. iQor’s teams meet with clients weekly to review KPIs. This allows all levels, from senior leadership to agents, an opportunity to connect with the brands they service. The most effective and rewarding customer experiences come whenever clients are in tune with their customers’ needs, and the employees who are undergoing and monitoring the customer experiences can provide invaluable insights that can transform customer interactions.

Maximizing Customer Engagement Through Omnichannel Support and Multiple Touchpoints

Customers have more options than ever to connect with retailers and seek support: voice, email, chat, text, social media, and digital agents are some of the omnichannel offerings that help customers to connect with brands based on personal preferences and needs. Understanding how different support channels work is critical to ensuring seamless CX that serves customers in their preferred channel. 

For example, self-service options often can handle simple customer inquiries and allow more complex tasks to go to human agents, who can empathize with customers. An inherent benefit of working with a BPO like iQor is having access to a team that has a wide variety of tools that can put the best solution together. Aligning staffing with customer preferences involves leveraging technology to guide customers towards the most efficient communication channels. This strategy depends on available technologies and directing customers to preferred methods like chatbots, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, or online accounts through specific cues in communications, such as order confirmations. 

Rigorously tracking the performance of customer communication channels is essential for refining marketing and service approaches in response to direct customer input and evolving preferences. Offering a variety of contact methods—from traditional voice calls to digital platforms—and customizing these options to suit individual customer needs can ensure an enjoyable customer journey. This tailored approach not only meets but exceeds customer expectations, promoting a positive perception of the brand and encouraging long-term customer relationships.

Workforce Management and Customer Experience

Effective workforce management over peak periods is crucial to consistent retail customer experience; having the right mix of staff available at all channels allows retailers to deliver optimized service. Once data is available regarding the forecast of peak periods, iQor begins conducting contact arrival analytics to match up the time of day and the day of the week for arrival patterns and then shares that feedback with the client. We plan for ongoing training, coaching sessions, and team meetings to prepare our agents for exceptional service delivery.

During the holiday season in 2023, iQor helped to lower Universal Screen Arts’ abandon rates from a range of 5 to 8% to a range of 2 to 3%, which were the lowest the client had experienced in 30 years. With peak weeks undergoing between 140,000 and 150,000 orders, reducing abandon rates not only ensures happier customers but also fosters brand loyalty. Satisfied customers are more inclined to repeat purchases and recommend the brand to others, driving up sales and strengthening the brand’s reputation.  

During the holiday season in 2023, iQor helped to lower Universal Screen Arts’ abandon rates from a range of 5 to 8% to a range of 2 to 3%, which were the lowest the client had experienced in 30 years.

 Overcoming Challenges for Workforce Management During Peak Periods

Forecasting peak periods accurately can be challenging due to unforeseeable external factors like delayed catalog mail deliveries or inclement weather, which can unpredictably shift a company’s high-volume periods. In such instances, it’s crucial for customer support agents to be prepared and adaptable. A partnership with a BPO like iQor offers a pool of cross-trained agents proficient in various communication channels and familiar with a variety of clients, so they are ready to meet fluctuating demands. 

A BPO’s flexibility can lead to significant cost savings for retailers by optimizing agent deployment based on real-time needs, thus avoiding the overhead costs of a fixed in-house team. We prioritize aligning our workforce management strategies with our clients’ objectives, ensuring our teams are positioned to deliver maximum impact.   

Investing time to thoroughly acquaint new agents with a client’s business model is also essential; this prepares them to provide exemplary support during peak times. Moreover, flexibility and the ability to adapt to potential overtime due to unexpected shifts are critical traits we look for during recruitment, ensuring we match our clients with agents who are not only capable but also resilient and responsive to customers’ needs.

Building a Customer-Centric Culture

Instilling a customer-centric culture not only enhances customer satisfaction but also builds a strong brand loyalty that is invaluable in today’s market. By prioritizing customer needs and ensuring that every team member from the frontline to the executive suite shares this focus, companies can create a cohesive and impactful customer experience strategy. 

iQor’s iQorian Values—Integrity, Qustomer Dedication, Open Communication, Respect, Innovation, Accountability, and the Need to Give Back—are fundamental drivers for how iQor employees interact with one another and with clients. These values are embedded into the entire operations process, from executives to agents, and create mutual respect for all parties involved in delivering exceptional customer experiences. 

A key insight shared during our webinar underscores the profound impact of respecting and empowering customer service agents. Explaining the “why” behind actions and processes fosters better performance and adherence. Understanding the importance of their role in the customer experience and the value it brings to clients motivates agents. By integrating this philosophy, we witness remarkable improvements in compliance and the delivery of superior customer experiences. This illustrates that agents value respect and how this explanation can transform the efficiency and effectiveness of customer interactions, highlighting the crucial role of thoughtful communication with frontline agents in achieving CX excellence. 

iQor’s Resonance With Client Brands

Making our processes and the work of our clients deeply relatable and significant for our agents emphasizes the emotional investment customers have in their purchases, whether those items are gifts, party supplies, or enhancements to their living spaces.  

Recognizing that these aren’t just transactions but parts of people’s lives and celebrations, iQor dedicates substantial effort to ensuring our agents fully grasp the impact of their work. This deeper understanding cultivates a more empathetic and connected customer service experience, reinforcing the importance of recognizing the emotional contexts behind customer purchases. 

Our agents have a remarkable dedication to the brands they represent. Their personal commitment, some of whom have supported the same retail client for over a decade, profoundly underscores their deep investment in and understanding of the brand. This level of familiarity and loyalty not only rivals but may even surpass that of the client’s own employees. It’s a testament to the depth of connection and expertise that our team brings to every customer interaction, ensuring that the brand’s values and essence are communicated with authenticity and passion. 

“iQor’s agents are just like Universal Screen Arts employees. You would not know any difference. You would absolutely believe that the iQor agent was sitting right here in our contact center.” – Brian Madonna, Vice President of Operations, Universal Screen Arts, Inc. 

The concept of partnership is vital, encompassing not only the engagement from our team but also the proactive involvement of client experts. They share insights, whether about new product offerings or unique services, through means like video recordings to foster a deep connection between our agents, the clients, and the products they represent. This multi-layered engagement strategy enriches our agents’ understanding and enthusiasm, enabling them to deliver service with the same passion and knowledge as the clients’ own teams. 

Leveraging BPO Partnerships for Revenue Growth and Customer Loyalty

A strategic BPO partnership offers more than operational efficiency; it opens avenues for revenue generation and customer loyalty enhancement. Our on-demand webinar highlights the success of iQor’s upsell programs and VIP sales for Universal Screen Arts, Inc., showcasing how BPO partners can significantly contribute to a company’s financial growth. By pushing the boundaries beyond traditional support functions, BPOs can drive sales and loyalty programs, contributing directly to the bottom line.

“We’ve experienced some of our highest VIP sales and upselling in the last 90 to 120 days that we’ve seen in years. We had approximately an 8% boost for February 2024. When agents are able to come right out and start hitting the sales, then it’s been a win-win for both of us.” – Brian Madonna, Vice President of Operations, Universal Screen Arts, Inc. 

This strategy enables retailers to leverage BPO partnerships, extending their value beyond mere cost-saving measures to becoming integral components of revenue enhancement. With a trusted BPO partner, retailers can support their day-to-day operations and align customer engagement practices in a manner that significantly boosts financial performance. This approach unlocks opportunities for retailers to transform BPO collaborations into vital contributors to financial success and competitive positioning in the market. 

Clear, multifaceted goals beyond just revenue or customer satisfaction scores are important. Aligning the broader objectives of the partnership with those of individual agents ensures everyone is pulling in the same direction. In essence, maintaining an active, engaged partnership with your BPO provider amplifies the impact on customer experience, operational efficiency, and, ultimately, the bottom line. This ensures that all stakeholders understand and work towards the shared vision and goals, fostering a productive and harmonious relationship. 

Actional Insights for Retail CX Leaders

A successful BPO partnership hinges on commitment at every level of the organization. From the executives to the frontline agents, the buy-in must be comprehensive, aiming not just to serve customers but to forge a deep, collaborative relationship with the BPO provider. This joint effort is crucial for a successful launch and ongoing management of the outsourcing relationship. The essence of an effective training and communication strategy revolves around ensuring agents possess comprehensive knowledge and maintain a positive relationship with clients.  

Active engagement and a robust feedback loop are essential, debunking the myth of a “set it and forget it” approach to BPO partnerships. Encouraging direct communication down to the agent level enriches the relationship, making frequent, focused interactions—like weekly meetings or daily sessions during peak times—integral to understanding and enhancing performance. This model fosters an environment where BPO partnerships are seen not just as external support but as integral, profit-generating team members of the retailer, driving forward both operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

“I can’t stress enough about how important it is to have open communication and dialogue. This is a partnership. iQor is an extension of Universal Screen Arts. I encourage anybody to really look at a strong BPO partnership” – Brian Madonna, Vice President of Operations, Universal Screen Arts, Inc.

Experience the iQor Difference

iQor is an award-winning managed services provider of digitally enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions trusted by global brands. We understand the unique opportunities available to retailers and are ideally suited to help brands create exceptional customer experiences throughout the ebbs and flows of each season. iQor offers a comprehensive suite of BPO full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX. We provide strategic thought leadership, competitive pricing, performance excellence, attractive geos, and talented teams to meet demand and deliver differentiated customer experiences at the best value in the industry. 

Our award-winning CX services include:

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprising people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn how we can help you create more smiles.

WendyAnn Hornak is vice president of account management at iQor. Connect with WendyAnn on LinkedIn.

iQor, in partnership with Retail Customer Experience.com, sponsored an on-demand webinar titled “Mastering Retail: Optimize Your Customer Experience Year-Round.” The free virtual event explores effective strategies to elevate the customer experience in retail. Our panel of industry experts includes Tone Holmen, senior vice president of operations at iQor; John Swain, vice president of account management, retail at iQor; and Brian Madonna, vice president of operations at Universal Screen Arts, Inc. Visit iQor’s webinar webpage to view the webinar on-demand and glean valuable insights.

The Value of Partnering With a BPO With Decades of Retail CX Experience

Creating outstanding customer experiences is a necessity for retailers of all sizes—from global giants to boutique brands. The competitive retail and eTail landscape demands exceptional service and a strategy that adapts and thrives throughout the seasons. 

Partnering with a trusted business process outsourcing (BPO) customer experience (CX) company like iQor—for everything from inbound voice support to back office support and social media monitoring—can offer a world of opportunities for retailers to improve their service delivery and elevate customer satisfaction.  Drawing on decades of accumulated process knowledge, iQor partners with retailers to provide specialized expertise, thought leadership, and innovative digital and human capabilities to craft amazing customer experiences year-round. From the intricacies of recruiting and hiring a customer service team to the nuances of training and development, operational excellence is key to providing a rewarding customer experience. We train agents in upselling and cross-selling to meet revenue targets for retailers, and we cross-train frontline agents so they can be moved quickly to support a client’s needs when peak demands require immediate staffing increases.

At the core of iQor’s approach to retail customer service is a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings. These are meticulously designed to deliver enterprise-quality CX driven by digital and human capabilities that ensure every interaction results in customer smiles. Work-in-office and work-at-home teams, spread across domestic, nearshore, and offshore locations, are adept at meeting diverse client needs. This global reach, coupled with iQor’s seven core values, drives rewarding omnichannel customer experiences. 

By helping retail, eTail, e-commerce, and catalog brands seamlessly connect with customers in their channel of choice, a strategic BPO ensures that every interaction is personalized and effective. This strategic partnership offers custom CX solutions, the agility to adapt to changing needs, and thought leadership that drives client success. 

An innovative feature of iQor’s service is the Symphony [AI]^TM ecosystem that empowers agent performance across the entire employee lifecycle. By combining advanced machine learning models with years of accumulated process knowledge, iQor optimizes the employee experience to provide clients with cost-effective solutions that contribute to greater employee satisfaction and exceptional customer service. 

In this blog post, we cover the advantages of outsourcing retail and eTail CX to ensure irresistible customer experiences year-round. We also highlight traits to consider when selecting a BPO well-suited to help you achieve your brand goals.

5 Benefits of Outsourcing Retail Customer Support

Outsourcing customer support offers myriad benefits for retailers. Here are our top five.

1. Cost-Effective Solutions: Outsourcing customer support is often more cost-effective than maintaining an in-house customer support team, as it eliminates the need for recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, nesting, coaching, supervision, project management, workforce management, process improvement, and change management, not to mention the infrastructure costs associated with a customer support function. 

2. Data Security: iQor’s investment in and commitment to a dynamic zero-trust approach to data security provides our retail clients peace of mind knowing their data and systems are protected from the latest threats. 

3. Quality Assurance: Outsourcing customer support offers specialized expertise to promote service quality through training, career development, and highly effective processes. At iQor, we optimize the employee lifecycle for performance excellence through our Symphony [AI] ecosystem that leverages our accumulated process knowledge to create happy employees who perform consistently at high levels of quality. 

4. Seasonal Staffing: An experienced BPO offers retailers reliability when it comes to rapid ramps and ensuring frontline agents are prepared to succeed from the start. Effective recruiting, onboarding, and training processes support ramping up seasonal staff to meet the heaviest demands associated with holidays, special events, new product launches, and more—even on short notice. At iQor, we cross-train agents so they can apply their CX skills to benefit different retailers by moving flexibly between programs based on staffing needs. This ensures responsive CX during unpredictable peaks and prevents the need to hire excess agents who would either be left with nothing to do or go unpaid when staffing levels are sufficient, leading to low morale and high turnover. 

5. Specialized Training: Lastly, BPOs work with retailers to develop ongoing and customized training and coaching for customer service teams. This training expertise can often exceed the in-house capabilities of retail clients. At iQor, our award-winning training reflects active learning strategies to engage and prepare frontline agents for success in work-at-home and work-in-office settings. 

5 Traits of a BPO That Will Make a Great Partner

Every retailer wants to deliver consistently excellent customer service that addresses their customers’ unique needs cost-effectively. Here are a few characteristics to look for when selecting a BPO partner to help you turn your vision into value.

1. Partner Mindset: Partnering with a BPO you can trust and collaborate with is key. Selecting a BPO with a partner mindset means seeking one that listens to your needs and goals, offers proactive solutions, and delivers consistently. For example, at iQor, it’s common for us to learn about our clients’ businesses in such detail they contact us with questions they can’t answer internally themselves. We are often referred to as the most strategic BPO relationship in their portfolio, offering thought leadership and innovative solutions responsive to their needs, even when compared to Gartner Magic Quadrant leaders. 

2. Brand-Centric Culture: A true outsourcing partner represents your brand with the same passion and enthusiasm as your internal team. Looking for a BPO with a culture of brand-centricity ensures the frontline agents embrace your brand wholeheartedly and are trained to serve as brand ambassadors for a seamless and authentic experience. 

3. Open Communication: A true partnership approach fosters open communication from the C-suite to frontline agents. It also provides retailers control over the customer experience they envision while offering thought leadership with digital and human capabilities to bring the retailer’s vision to life. Through open discussions on weekly calls with retail clients, iQor teams foster honest, direct, respectful, and effective communication to keep all program aspects on track.

4. Agility: The ideal BPO partner can pivot on a dime and respond to situations that might require workforce management shifts, staffing, or a move to another channel for service delivery such as chat, SMS, social media, etc. A partner that maintains focus on your business goals with a willingness to adapt quickly to fluid situations is one you want on your side.

5. Ongoing Training: A successful outsourcing relationship involves a partner committed to investing in their workforce through ongoing training and coaching. Through interactive training such as that provided through iQor’s active learning classrooms, frontline agents can engage meaningfully with material to quickly reach proficiency and deliver consistently excellent service. 

A true BPO partner is always listening. A relationship based on trust forms the foundation of a successful outsourced customer experience that delivers on KPIs and improves the bottom line. At iQor, our goal is to consistently meet or exceed our retail clients’ KPIs, creating smiles for our clients and for the customers we serve on the frontlines. We use digital technology where it matters most to engage retail customers in their channel of choice.

How to Prepare for a Successful Partnership With a BPO

We stand by our retail partners every step of the way to guide them through the outsourcing process. Our executive and operations teams are accessible, and our inter-departmental industry-savvy New Program Implementation Team makes for a smooth transition to outsourcing. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for a successful and long-lasting BPO partnership.

Define Objectives: Clearly outline and communicate the specific objectives and goals you want to achieve by partnering with a BPO. Whether it’s improving customer support, reducing costs, or expanding operations, having well-defined objectives is crucial.

Assess Current Processes: Evaluate your existing internal processes to identify the areas that you can outsource. Determine which processes are well-defined and those that need to be updated and improved.

Budget and Cost Analysis: Prepare a comprehensive budget and cost analysis of your current CX delivery systems. Plan to discuss the financial implications of outsourcing, considering both short-term and long-term costs and savings.

Risk Assessment: Assess your current potential for internal risks associated with CX delivery, such as data security, compliance, and quality control. Prepare to discuss how a zero-trust approach to data security, such as iQor’s, addresses threat risks.

Identify Key Metrics: Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that align with your business objectives to measure the success of the partnership.

Cultural Fit: Prepare to discuss the BPO’s approach to align with your company’s culture and values. A shared understanding of your brand’s identity will lead to a successful partnership.

Compliance and Legal Considerations: Plan to review legal and compliance requirements associated with outsourcing in your industry and/or location to ensure iQor’s compliance with these regulations.

Requests for Proposals (RFPs): Create a detailed Request for Proposals to solicit bids from potential BPO partners. Include your requirements, expectations, and evaluation criteria in the RFP. Prepare to meet with iQor to review a custom response to your RFP.

Due Diligence: Conduct thorough due diligence on potential BPO providers you’re considering. Consider their track record in retail, their experience, client references, and financial stability. Arrange to visit their facilities to meet the leaders in the trenches along with the people on the frontlines of service delivery.

Contract Negotiation: Prepare to engage in contract negotiations to ensure that the contract outlines roles, responsibilities, service levels, and dispute resolution mechanisms to your satisfaction. 

Transition Plan: Collaborate on a comprehensive transition plan that outlines how the transfer of processes and responsibilities will occur. This should include a timeline, training, and communication strategies. 

Change Management: Coach your internal teams on the changes outsourcing may bring. Provide training and support to employees who will work with your BPO partner. 

Communication Strategy: Establish effective communication channels and points of contact with the BPO. Ensure open and transparent communication to address any issues promptly. 

Performance Monitoring: Collaborate on a system for monitoring the BPO’s performance on agreed-upon KPIs. Regularly review and discuss performance and make adjustments as needed. 

By thoroughly addressing these internal and strategic considerations, retailers can lay the foundation for a successful partnership with a BPO. This preparation ensures alignment with your business objectives, efficient operations, and the results you seek in a CX outsourcing partnership. 

Experience the iQor Difference

iQor is an award-winning managed services provider of digitally enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions trusted by global brands. We understand the unique opportunities available to retailers and are ideally suited to help brands create exceptional customer experiences throughout the ebbs and flows of each season. iQor offers a comprehensive suite of BPO full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX. We provide strategic thought leadership, competitive pricing, performance excellence, attractive geos, and talented teams to meet demand and deliver differentiated customer experiences at the best value in the industry.

Our award-winning CX services include:

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprising people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn how we can help you create more smiles. 

John Swain is vice president of account management, retail at iQor. Connect with John on LinkedIn. 

Revving Up Auto Lending Through a Strategic BPO Partnership That Drives More Profitable Loan Business

Automotive manufacturers are increasingly investing in auto financing as a strategic move to capture more revenue and create a seamless journey for car buyers, from the moment they set their eyes on a vehicle to the exhilarating point of driving off the lot. 

A critical touchpoint in this journey, auto financing presents a unique opportunity for dealerships to deliver unmatched convenience, time efficiency, and a spectrum of competitive purchase options at the consumer’s fingertips. Buyers can easily navigate the entire purchasing process, from selecting their dream car to finalizing their finance options, all under one roof. This holistic approach is revolutionizing how customers interact with auto brands, significantly bolstering customer loyalty, deepening dealer loyalty, and turbocharging sales figures for auto manufacturers (OEM). 

In this blog post, we explore the transformative power of a car-buying experience supported by outsourced auto financing back office processes that deliver a competitive advantage for auto lenders. An outstanding financing experience fosters lasting relationships that translate into repeat business and a resounding endorsement of the automotive brand. Join us as we demonstrate how strategic BPO partnerships and robust back office support can amplify this experience, turning one-time buyers into lifelong brand advocates. 

Back Office Support Fuels Car Sales With Positive Financing Experiences

In its Global Automotive Consumer Study, Deloitte reports that car buyers who have personalized interactions with lenders are three times more likely to be highly satisfied and two times more likely to recommend the lender. PWC’s Automotive Consumer Insights Study reinforces these figures, finding that customers with positive financing experiences are twice as likely to recommend the lender and repurchase from the same brand.   

Automakers who create these remarkable financing experiences that customers want to share benefit from improved customer experience ratings, increased loyalty, higher sales, and more loans.

With over 25 years of experience partnering with leading global brands in the automotive sector, iQor helps drive success for clients in auto financing. Through skilled and efficient complex back office support characterized by accelerated income pre-verification (IPV), high quality scores, and higher loan conversion rates, we create positive customer experiences that fuel loyalty among car buyers.

With over 25 years of experience partnering with leading global brands in the automotive sector, iQor helps drive success for clients in auto financing. Through skilled and efficient complex back office support characterized by accelerated income pre-verification (IPV), high quality scores, and higher loan conversion rates, we create positive customer experiences that fuel loyalty among car buyers.  

Our auto lending back office CX expertise extends from approving loans and onboarding new borrowers to managing revenue recovery and repayment solutions with patience and agility to build trust and recover more revenue month over month. 

Read on to learn how a strategic BPO relationship can help auto lenders harness opportunities like these to attract – and earn hero status with – their borrowers. 

5 Benefits of Outsourcing Back Office Support in Auto Lending

Accenture surveyed 7,500 car owners and discovered two key findings that can increase sales and customer loyalty: personalization and stronger dealer relationships. By leveraging innovative technologies, personalization strategies, employee training, and efficient back office support, OEM manufacturers are poised to meet and exceed the expectations of today’s discerning buyers to close more loans faster and at a lower cost. 

For more positive financing – and ownership – experiences, more auto lenders are offering a broad spectrum of options driven by expert back office support that adeptly manages critical tasks such as documentation, regulatory compliance, and data management, enabling auto lenders to stay focused on their core competencies. 

Here are five benefits of outsourcing back office support. 

1. Optimize Performance 

BPOs like iQor are adept at optimizing processes for automotive lenders. Our New Program Implementation (NPI) team comprised of inter-departmental leaders performs a holistic assessment of our clients’ business and guides them through the onboarding process with expertise in automation, security, training, coaching, and more to make back office auto lending programs a success from Day One. Highly skilled agents who know the ins and outs of loan terms and processes close more loans with faster income pre-verification response times, improved accuracy, and greater agility to meet ebbs and flows in demand while delivering personalized support for complex issues. Partnering with a BPO also provides the ability to scale operations without additional hiring or capital investments in infrastructure. 

2. Achieve Significant Savings

Auto lenders can realize substantial savings, often in the tens of millions of dollars, by partnering with a strategic BPO provider that specializes in nearshore and offshore outsourcing. This strategy reduces costs related to recruiting, training, and retaining employees for back-office support, while also improving efficiency and accuracy. The result is a faster loan closure process. By working with a trusted BPO partner with expertise in nearshore and offshore operations, lenders speed up processes while enhancing cost-effectiveness, leading to increased proficiency and efficiency in their operations.

3. Hyper-Personalize Service 

A BPO that offers back office support with a customizable, interactive business intelligence platform can automatically correlate and aggregate data according to the lender’s needs to empower decision-making, solve complex problems, and identify new opportunities to tailor services and interactions to customer preferences. BPOs play a crucial role in refining data management and real-time analytics for auto lenders to improve decision-making and tailor services based on data-driven insights. 

4. Leverage Digital Transformation 

An approach to digital transformation that applies automation where it matters most can enhance personalization in customer interactions and provide valuable data insights for greater operational efficiency and seamless customer experiences. Robotic process automation (RPA) expedites back office support for loan processing by automating mundane tasks while ensuring data accuracy, improving compliance, and elevating the customer experience. Working with a trusted BPO partner that leverages technology can help auto lenders implement RPA solutions that contribute to higher auto loan conversion rates and improved profitability. Moreover, at iQor, our Symphony [AI]^TM generative AI ecosystem combines advanced machine learning models with our decades of accumulated process knowledge to create holistic employee experiences that drive performance. 

5. Safeguard Customer Data

In an era where security consciousness is paramount, digital identity verification tools like facial recognition and e-signatures are crucial in mitigating risks of fraud. A BPO with a robust zero trust approach to security ensures back office support that provides peace of mind for the dealer, the lender, and the borrower.

By capitalizing on outsourced back office support for irresistible customer experiences , auto lenders can build a foundation for long-term brand loyalty and success. 

Case Study: Back Office Support Exceeds KPIs for Auto Lender

A leading auto finance company has enjoyed remarkable benefits through its decades-long collaboration with iQor. With results consistently exceeding their target KPIs, the lender expanded the partnership to include complex back office support services designed to accelerate loan velocity and improve efficiency and quality while driving down costs.  

iQor’s team of back office CX professionals creates smile-worthy experiences through deep product knowledge, brand awareness, comprehensive training, ongoing QA, and compliance monitoring. QA scores are consistently at or above the client’s target with faster turnaround times that secure the lender’s competitive advantage in the auto loan industry. 

A Tale of Two Lenders Redefining Auto Finance Through CX Innovation

Two trailblazing captive finance organizations are energizing the customer experience in auto finance through initiatives powered by exceptional back office support. 

The first company, the financial services arm of a leading Japanese auto manufacturer, set a new standard with its comprehensive financial tools and resources. Its website is a treasure trove of knowledge, featuring extensive educational materials, intuitive auto finance calculators, and an exceptionally detailed FAQ section. 

This innovative lender has also introduced a world-class loyalty program. Its customer-centric ecosystem translates financing into rewards points that unlock myriad possibilities, redeemable for vehicle services, parts, and unique accessories. 

Another auto lender, this one for a renowned American auto manufacturer at the forefront of customer experience, has tailored its financing programs to resonate with specific customer groups. Their heartfelt commitment shines through in their special financing rates for active and retired military personnel. Additionally, they extend a helping hand to those rebuilding their credit, offering specialized assistance that empowers customers to regain financial stability. 

These auto makers are pioneers in customer engagement. Their proactive omnichannel customer service and back office support are staffed by personable and knowledgeable frontline representatives. Their support teams offer tailor-made, compassionate assistance that caters to the unique journey of each customer. 

Experience the iQor Difference

iQor is an award-winning managed services provider of digitally enabled business process outsourcing (BPO) solutions trusted by global brands. We understand the unique opportunities available to auto lenders and are ideally suited to help brands create exceptional customer experiences throughout the car buying journey. iQor offers a comprehensive suite of BPO full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX. We provide strategic thought leadership, competitive pricing, performance excellence, attractive geos, and talented teams to meet demand and deliver differentiated customer experiences at the best value in the industry. 

Our award-winning CX services include:  

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprising people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn how we can help you create more smiles.

Susan Halvorsen is vice president of business development at iQor. Connect with Susan on LinkedIn.

Driving Holistic Customer Journeys in the Consumer Technology Industry Through AI Omnichannel Solutions

Today’s digitally connected customers expect technology innovators to provide seamless, personalized interactions through a full suite of omnichannel capabilities. This is why business leaders in the consumer electronics industry are seeking strategic CX innovations that appeal to customers, providing differentiation in a competitive market.  

iQor’s years of experience supporting clients in the consumer electronics industry have earned it a reputation for innovative strategic outsourcing solutions and ease of doing business. Our industry-leading digital transformation strategies and cutting-edge customer insights help businesses achieve KPI targets and deliver more positive customer experiences. As a trusted partner to our clients, we unlock the ultimate customer experience through decades of CX expertise, a diverse array of agile solutions, and our next-gen Symphony [AI]^TM ecosystem.

How iQor Leverages the AI Imperative for Elevated CX in the Digital Age

Research shows that effectively integrated omnichannel shopping experiences are a minimum requirement for consumer electronics brands to succeed with their top customer segments.  

Skyrocketing customer spending on consumer electronics further highlights the benefits of meeting customer preferences for accessible, convenient touchpoints. This goes beyond the moment of purchase to encompass the entire customer journey, from advertising and order management to post-purchase customer support and revenue generation. 

The powerhouse of iQor’s comprehensive digital strategy is artificial intelligence combined with irresistible human experiences.   

The powerhouse of iQor’s comprehensive digital strategy is artificial intelligence combined with irresistible human experiences.   

At iQor, we integrate AI across platforms and processes to maximize success for our clients. Our agent training is specifically tailored to meet the unique demands of the consumer electronics industry, ensuring that our team is equipped to provide top-notch digital CX excellence. 

In this blog post, we discuss why frictionless touchpoints for customers and personalized customer experiences are top priorities for consumer electronics brands. Then, we break down iQor’s three-step strategy for unlocking the ultimate customer experience with AI to deliver elevated CX in the consumer electronics industry.  

The Advantages of Streamlining Customer Support With AI in the Consumer Electronics Industry

Streamlining customer support processes with AI in the consumer electronics industry is a complex task that requires careful consideration and strategic planning. Collaborating with a reliable BPO partner like iQor ensures a smooth alignment of the new system with the unique processes and workflows of the business. This may entail employee training, adjustments to backend systems, and reconfiguration of customer-facing interfaces. Here are a few of the advantages this AI integration yields for better CX.

1. Protect customer privacy with uncompromising security standards. 

The implementation of an updated support system brings forth the challenge of upholding security standards for handling sensitive customer data in the consumer electronics sector. Meeting these security requirements and adhering to regulations is of utmost importance. 

This is why iQor employs a comprehensive multi-layered approach to data protection, utilizing a zero trust security architecture and end-to-end encryption. These measures safeguard our work-in-office and work-at-home teams and provide peace of mind for our clients.

 2. Seamlessly integrate AI with existing processes. 

Consumer electronics brands experience numerous benefits by teaming up with a trusted BPO to seamlessly integrate AI customer service systems into their existing business processes. This integration yields several advantages, including heightened efficiency, elevated customer service, and informed decision-making. 

The integration of customer support systems with business processes facilitates the seamless exchange of data related to sales, inventory, and customer interactions among different departments. This results in more accurate forecasting, improved inventory management, and reduced costs through optimized resource allocation. 

3. Reduce friction to boost satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue.

The amalgamation of customer support and business processes contributes to an enriched customer experience. Centralizing all customer data allows businesses to anticipate needs, make recommendations, and provide seamless experiences. This leads to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, translating to repeat business and more purchases. 

Engaging with a BPO company that leverages AI-powered solutions further streamlines the customer experience. AI technology assists in training agents, analyzing customer data, and addressing customer needs promptly. This results in quicker issue resolution, heightened customer satisfaction, and a competitive edge in the consumer electronics market. 

iQor collaborates with brands to deliver managed services that minimize operational friction, maximize efficiency, elevate the customer experience, and foster business growth.

The AI Imperative for Personalized Customer Journeys That Build Trust in Consumer Electronics Brands

Personalization and convenience are essential for today’s tech-savvy, highly diverse personal electronics users. With products and services evolving at lightning speed, the consumer electronics industry faces two unique opportunities to drive satisfaction for their global customer base.

1. Rapid technological obsolescence drives the need for updated products. 

Consumer electronics products quickly become obsolete due to rapid changes in technological advancements. This results in shorter product lifecycles and can lead to challenges managing inventory, dealing with e-waste, and maintaining customer satisfaction as consumers expect the latest features and functionalities. 

2. Supply chain disruptions necessitate optimized processes and redundancy. 

The consumer electronics industry relies on complex global supply chains. Disruptions caused by factors like natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, or global pandemics can lead to short- and long-term component shortages, delays in production, increased costs, and challenges meeting customer demand. Effectively managing and mitigating these supply chain risks is essential for the consumer technology industry. 

With these market forces in mind, AI personalization for consumer electronics brands requires high-quality and relevant data for accurate predictions and recommendations. Without the right data, personalization may not be effective. As businesses invest in data collection and management approaches, an experienced BPO helps ensure that customer data is used responsibly to maintain customer trust in consumer electronics brands. 

Unlocking Valuable Insights With AI-Powered Data Analytics

AI plays a significant role in data analytics, helping businesses anticipate customer needs and preferences by analyzing substantial amounts of data. This enables consumer electronics companies to understand trends and patterns, allowing them to address customer demands proactively and stay competitive. 

iQor offers advanced interaction analytics capabilities through VALDI, our in-house platform designed by our global team of data science experts. VALDI—an essential part of our digital CX infrastructure—mines customer interactions for data that provides actionable real-time insights for optimizing customer service quality by providing personalized recommendations to customers based on their purchase history, browsing behavior, and preferences.

iQor’s 3-Step Strategy for Unlocking the Power of AI for Ultimate CX

AI has revolutionized service interactions by efficiently handling routine customer queries, offering instant assistance, and escalating complex issues to human agents with the information they need to address customer needs. This leads to improved customer satisfaction through faster response times and 24/7 support availability. iQor leverages AI technology across our business operations to drive performance excellence and business growth for our clients. 

iQor’s Symphony [AI] ecosystem augments agent performance throughout the employee lifecycle, offering forward-thinking strategies to keep employees smiling and delivering exceptional customer service. This next-generation AI ecosystem combines advanced machine learning models with iQor’s years of accumulated process knowledge to optimize the employee experience from first contact with recruitment through the years of customer service experience they build on the production floor.

Step 1: Optimize Talent Acquisition for Client Success 

By harnessing AI to optimize the talent acquisition process, we ensure our client partners benefit from expertly matched frontline employees tailored to meet the needs of their CX programs. Advanced technology and automation combined with our recruitment expertise elevates program outcomes at scale and boosts employee longevity. We accomplish this by strategically applying automation and conversational AI at various touchpoints in recruitment marketing, talent sourcing, candidate evaluation, hiring, and onboarding.

Step 2: Empower Agents From Day One Through Active Learning and Training

By integrating automation into employee training and nesting, we deliver rapid and effective training experiences based on employees’ individual skills so they are ready to excel in minimal time. By harnessing AI to optimize these experiences, our training, nesting, and development ensures frontline agents are well-prepared and knowledgeable from the outset. AI is used in the curriculum to promote more engaging hands-on learning experiences and to support employees throughout the training process. By fostering an environment of constant exploration and feedback, employees develop essential skills and knowledge for optimal performance. 

 Step 3: Ensure Excellence in Service and Compliance

Through AI analytics and real-time interventions, we’ve optimized processes to monitor employee efficiency, evaluate performance, ensure adherence to compliance standards, and prioritize well-being to drive employee satisfaction and retention. 

iQor’s robust analytics tools provide valuable insights into operational metrics, customer interactions, and service outcomes. This data-driven approach enables informed decision-making, process optimization, and a proactive stance towards enhancing overall performance and efficiency.

A sampling of these capabilities include: 

• AI-driven performance enablement technology integrated into our coaching processes inform personalized interventions based on data-driven insights. 
• AI-powered work-at-home monitoring ensures the security of critical resources and helps achieve consistently high quality scores. 
• Custom solutions like RPA and chatbots create a seamless customer experience and free agents to focus on more complex services. 
• Natural language processing and machine learning facilitate customizable analytics and connection-issue scoring to generate further insight into performance. 
• AI system semi-supervised learning techniques facilitate sentiment scoring and generate predictive NPS (pNPS) for learning at scale. 
• Machine learning solutions focused on attrition prediction inform personalized interventions that increase retention and build our team of happy and experienced professionals committed to delivering the best CX. 

The Result: An Award-Winning Workplace Culture That Delivers the Ultimate Customer Experience

The implementation of this three-step AI-driven strategy for CX culminates with an irresistible workplace culture that fosters rewarding employee and customer experiences. iQor has earned the Great Place to Work® Certification^TM in Colombia and the Philippines for 2024, highlighting iQor’s commitment to fostering a universal value-driven culture. This best-in-practice approach throughout the employee lifecycle produces positive work experiences ranging from a fair and just work environment, an inclusive community with open communication, and excellent training and growth opportunities. The end result is smile-worthy experiences for employees and customers.

Book Time With Us 

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2024 in Las Vegas showcases breakthrough innovations, inspiring thought leadership, and the latest industry trends that set the stage for the future of technology and business. In a session dedicated to the topic of unlocking the ultimate customer experience with AI, Atif Kureishy and Ken Mills will share their insights on the topic. Kureishy is founder and CEO of Vistry, a San Diego-based generative AI startup focused on revolutionizing the food commerce industry. Mills is CEO of EPIC iO, a global AI and IoT technology provider. 

To learn more about how iQor can harness AI to elevate CX for your consumer electronics brand, book a virtual consultation with our CX experts who specialize in the future of AI in customer service.   

Experience the iQor Difference

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally positioned to deliver innovative, technology powered CX services custom-built for our consumer electronics clients.  

Our expert teams collaborate every step of the way to develop a comprehensive AI strategy that propels your customer service into the future with AI-powered agents, in-app messaging, and intelligent analytics that create irresistible customer and frontline employee experiences. 

Our award-winning CX services include:

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• Decades of experience optimizing business processes for consumer electronics brands and a reputation for ease of doing business. 
• Our Symphony [AI] next-generation ecosystem for optimizing agent recruitment, training, nesting, onboarding, and ongoing performance and compliance. 
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The agility to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps leading consumer electronics brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to reshape your customer service strategy with the optimal mix of AI and human performance excellence, start a conversation with one of our CX experts.

Blake Graves is director of sales enablement at iQor. Connect with Blake on LinkedIn. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Empowering Brands to Stay Ahead in the Marketplace by Optimizing Costs, Employee Engagement, and Customer Experiences 

Strategic outsourcing to a business process outsourcer (BPO) has long been a boon for brands that want to focus their internal resources on their core competencies. Brands that have historically been reluctant to embrace outsourcing have come to realize the value of a collaborative relationship with a BPO and therefore now view outsourcing in a new light. They are realizing the benefits a strategic BPO partnership offers for effective solutions that meet a diverse array of business needs in an ever-evolving marketplace. Global BPO spending is estimated to reach to $212 billion in 2023, a 19% increase over pre-pandemic numbers in 2019. 

This rise in outsourcing can be attributed in part to the trusted nature of the relationship between a brand and a strategic outsourcing partner. A trusted BPO relationship offers unique advantages in a variety of business scenarios, such as the following three. 

1. Boost CRT: Many changes in consumer behaviors brought on by the pandemic remain today. Increased demand for remotely accessed goods and services increased contact center volume and impacted customer resolution times (CRT), heightening the need for customer experience (CX) solutions that offer lightning-fast, effective resolutions. 

Outsourcing allows companies to offer 24/7/365 support with seamless omnichannel capabilities. Access to robotic process automation (RPA) and other digital transformation optimizations frees agents to resolve more complex inquiries, reducing overhead costs and improving customer satisfaction (CSAT).  

2. Hire Right, Hire Fast: Tight labor markets can make it challenging for brands to recruit, hire, and retain motivated and loyal employees for frontline customer experience roles. 

A trusted BPO relationship is capable of recruiting, training, and nesting an engaged workforce with ongoing coaching, support, and a culture of career advancement that boosts retention and improves performance. BPOs with predictive analytics skills can forecast when frontline employees might be at risk of attriting and intervene with coaching and support to retain more of them. They can also harness AI performance enablement technology to inform coaching and replicate top performers at scale, as iQor does with AmplifAI. 

3. Reduce Costs: Inflation, high interest rates, supply chain issues, and other shifting economic trends can impact pricing, making every aspect of business operations more costly. 

A BPO’s access to a global talent pool of in-office and work-at-home (WAH) agents, workforce management technology, speech analytics, cloud-based infrastructure, endpoint security in a dynamic zero trust security environment, and other technologies provides brands with comprehensive and effective CX solutions. This type of partnership provides agility in changing environments, reduces overhead costs, and increases profitability by improving overall performance as measured by NPS, CSAT, CRT, AHT, and other KPIs. 

Strategic BPO partnership solutions provide brands with the results they need to enjoy an edge over their competition. In a marketplace defined by rapid, ever-changing advances in automation and technology and shifting customer sentiments, BPOs facilitate the ways in which companies can embrace the digital and human connections necessary for outstanding CX.

Getting Started With Strategic Outsourcing

After deciding to consider an outsourcing strategy, it’s time to dig into the details to find the right partner. Brands who view their selection process as choosing a strategic partner benefit in the long run from a collaborative relationship with a BPO starting on Day One.  

While the due diligence process explained here deserves attention to detail, assessing culture fit between you and the BPO is equally as important.  

Start with a cost-benefit analysis. After completing this exercise, conduct rigorous evaluations and due diligence of managed service providers before selecting a strategic BPO partner that provides the best fit for your brand’s culture, values, and business needs. 

Collaborating on Your Action Plan and Roadmap 

Here are some details to consider when negotiating a contract with BPO providers. 

• What are your most critical focus areas? 
  • Do you need to outsource front office operations, back office operations, or both? 
  • Some companies limit outsourcing to one line of business before committing to more after establishing a collaborative relationship with their BPO that proves economically viable and relationally compatible. 
• Which geolocations best fit your goals and values? 
  • Nearshoring and offshoring with integrated digital optimization strategies can reduce overhead, enable fast ramps with 24/7 support, and maintain exceptional quality and service, all while maintaining compliance and data security requirements. 
  • Highly educated, digitally savvy teams in different geographical regions can enable additional benefits such as bilingual support and technical expertise as part of a widespread customer service culture. 
• Can the BPO meet your staffing requirements and workforce management expectations? 
  • Are coaching and training processes already in place that fit your goals? 
  • What is the plan for the first team to complete training and nesting and start production with real-time coaching and quality assurance practices in place? 
• Does the BPO leverage artificial intelligence and automation options? 
  • A trusted BPO should recommend the use of RPA or AI or other automation solutions to optimize customer service offerings and focus human expertise on more complex tasks. 
  • A trusted BPO should have access to a wide range of secure digital platforms and cloud-based technology CX solutions. 

Finding the Right Strategic Partner 

Strategic outsourcing is more than just a business decision; it’s a partnership that requires trust, open communication, and commitment on both sides. The due diligence process can entail multiple conversations and site visits. Ultimately, selecting a BPO means inviting a trusted partner into your business based on shared values and cultural alignment.

At iQor, we’ve been privileged to develop valued partnerships over the past 20+ years with brands spanning many industries. To guide you through the selection process, we’ve gathered the following recommended attributes to look for in a BPO partner: 

• Provides strategic, individualized, research-driven solutions. 
• Implements effective operational changes as promised.  
• Maintains open, responsive communication to ensure all expectations are met. 
• Remains flexible and solution-oriented, bringing new ideas to the table as necessary to ensure success that is tailored to your company’s specific and evolving needs. 
• Engages with your brand through many levels of operations including the executive team, when appropriate. 
• Delivers excellent service across all geos. 
• Ensures all services are delivered in a zero trust data security environment. 
• Possesses a track record of consistently achieving client KPIs. 
• Offers work-in-office and work-at-home services with equal reliability, security and performance. 
• Provides robust training, coaching and career path options for employees, resulting in satisfied employees who love their job.  

5 Case Studies That Illustrate the Benefits of Strategic Outsourcing 

The roadmap for success looks different for each brand. Here’s a snapshot of how five brands addressed their specific needs and goals through a strategic partnership with iQor that provides a tailored approach to support each brand’s goals and deliver meaningful and profitable results.  

1. US-Based Energy Company’s Strategic Outsourcing Yields $14 Million Annualized Savings in Customer Service 

After partnering with iQor for non-voice back office support services, a Fortune 500 U.S. energy company and first-time outsourcer sought to expand their BPO support for credit, revenue recovery, new order service calls, customer care, and emergency calls. After conducting a rigorous evaluation and due diligence process of several BPOs recognized as leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Customer Service, the client selected iQor as their first and sole outsourced customer service BPO to handle both voice and non-voice support. 

They began the BPO selection process by identifying their critical focus areas as follows: 

1. Select a partner with a proven track record providing support to companies in the energy sector.
2. Expand into more geolocations to reduce attrition and recruiting costs that were impacting CSAT in their domestic operations. 
3. Identify and implement automation opportunities. 
4. Accelerate agent proficiency with the infrastructure for flexible work-in-office and work-at-home solutions. 

In partnership with the client, iQor designed and delivered automation integrations, staffing solutions, workflow optimization, and accountability models that yielded meaningful results for the energy company, including: 

• Annualized cost savings of $14 million. 
• CSAT results above goal and virtually zero attrition. 
• Seamless ramps in offshore and nearshore locations while meeting timeline and performance commitments. 

This partnership—which included a dedicated new program implementation team, open communication with iQor’s senior leadership, and a proven track record of success—paved the way for major strategic savings while maintaining or exceeding quality benchmarks. Read the full case study here. 

2. Strategic Outsourcing Saves Fashion Retailer $5 Million in Order Entry Costs 

After a competitive request for information process with multiple BPOs—including a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Customer Service—a major retailer selected iQor as their first and only BPO partner. Facing a shortage of experienced order entry agents who could upsell and cross-sell in their locale, customer demand for 24/7 customer service, and the need to ramp up staffing for two busy selling seasons each year, the retailer partnered with iQor for a strategic outsourcing solution that would also reduce costs. 

iQor’s new project implementation team devised a scripted playbook that set measurable targets for a comprehensive three-pronged strategic offshoring solution that integrated automation and AI technology:  

• Staffing that evaluated candidates’ abilities to tailor the sales approach to the customer. 
• Customized training in products, upselling, and cross-selling. 
• Agent coaching aided by three of iQor’s proprietary technologies. 

The client has reported the following returns since the partnership began in 2020: 

• $5 million savings in order entry costs in Year One. 
• Cross-sells 9% over goal; Upsells more than 12% over goal; Credit card signups nearly 2% over goal. 
• Average handle time reduced by more than 16%. 
• Order entry volume handling increased by 9%. 

The success of this strategic partnership has led the client to continue to expand iQor’s role in their business. Read the full case study here. 

3. Strategic Outsourcing to Trinidad Saves Utility $3 Million in Year One for Customer Support 

A U.S. utility selected iQor as their first and only strategic BPO partner for inbound customer service after a rigorous due diligence process that also included evaluating several BPOs recognized as leaders in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Customer Service. With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, the utility requested strategies to reduce the cost of service delivery in response to cost pressures while maintaining quality. The utility initially preferred to keep their customer service operation wholly domestic, but after learning of the benefits of nearshore outsourcing, they invited iQor to develop a strategic plan. 

In collaboration with our client, iQor’s new program implementation team created and executed a plan to nearshore part of their customer service operation to Trinidad. iQor’s investment in training and automation tools minimized the 1:1 transition of resources and increased our client’s profitability while providing an excellent customer experience. 

This strategic partnership resulted in: 

• $3 million annual savings in customer service delivery costs. 
• Comparable efficiency between U.S. and Trinidad teams across every KPI. 

This successful partnership approach led the client to expand their relationship with iQor to include additional lines of business with a similar focus on strategic solutioning. Read the full case study here. 

4. Culture of Innovation Inspires Strategic Outsourcing Partnership to Meet Global Retailer’s Commitment to Excellent CX 

A leading global retailer and e-commerce provider relies on an extensive network of business process outsourcing partners to support millions of customers. The company emphasized the requirement for all its BPO constituents to meet 95% compliance with their staffing goals to ensure timely and efficient customer service resulting in high CSAT. 

iQor initiated a proactive strategy by inviting the retailer to participate in a summit designed to evaluate performance, predict results, and determine actions to achieve their compliance goal. Using the retailer’s feedback along with input from iQor’s workforce management leadership team, iQor created and enacted a plan to maintain ongoing and transparent communication, showcase intelligent performance management tools that support employee development and lead to high customer satisfaction scores, and continue to improve processes.  

These custom CX solutions met the client’s compliance needs.  

• 100% staffing compliance. 
• Achieved #1 BPO status in the client’s network, leading KPI performance in voice and chat, including CSAT and repeat contact rate. 

As a result of this success, the global retailer outsourced additional lines of business to iQor. Read the full case study here. 

5. Strategic Outsourcing Transforms B2B Revenue Management for Business Solutions Provider 

A transportation, e-commerce, and business solutions provider manages high-priority, multimillion-dollar B2B contracts with top global enterprises that involve high-volume queues and require excellent performance from skilled agents. Their long-standing strategic partnership with iQor began with third-party account recovery services and expanded to include first-party inbound and outbound accounts receivable management and back office support. After visiting iQor centers in the Philippines for the first time, the client added complex revenue management services—outsourcing and offshoring these B2B revenue recovery lines of business for the first time in their history. 

iQor partnered with the business solutions provider to build the revenue management program and implement it expeditiously in domestic, nearshore, and offshore locations. The team streamlined training for the inbound and outbound voice and non-voice programs and boosted agent performance through workforce management and digital solutions. A three-phase RPA strategy for performance optimization enabled the redeployment of team members to more critical tasks focused on enhancing the customer experience. 

This partnership has yielded meaningful results for the client. 

• $100,000 savings in operating costs in one year. 
• 99% quality scores across all lines of business. 
• The first offshore launch was in the Philippines, with rapid onboarding and customized training in 45 days. The team met or exceeded the client’s KPI goals, surpassing the aging goal for overdue accounts by 7%. 
• iQor’s proprietary digital automation platforms strengthen training and coaching, reducing training time in one line of business by 50%. Insights gained through interaction analytics helped reduce AHT on the complex inbound voice line of business by 8% within the first six months of implementation. Data-driven, personalized coaching elevates the employee experience and yields high levels of customer satisfaction. 

This trusted partnership empowers the client with the confidence to rely on iQor for innovation in critical areas and has inspired them to expand RPA and other strategic CX solutions as the relationship continues to grow. Read the full case study here. 

Embracing the Digital + Human Transformation of Business Models Makes Strategic Outsourcing a Savvy Choice 

Partnering with a trusted BPO allows companies to discover and employ cost-saving measures while maintaining excellent CX and maximizing ROI. 

Navigating the landscape of brand and customer interactions requires a dynamic approach to determine the best strategies for your brand’s growth and success. Seasoned BPOs with a long history of a collaborative culture offer a multitude of benefits to help guide your brand along this path towards integrated technologies, skilled agents, and honed operational processes. 

Whether you’re seeking a partner with experience integrating seamless omnichannel support offerings or providing a robust and secure technology infrastructure, CX experts like the ones at iQor provide guidance to help brands deliver the best customer service to their customers. Our talented team of CX experts partners with brands to design intelligent channel optimization strategies and apply automation where it matters most to align with customer needs. 

By recognizing the profit-growth potential of embracing the digital and human transformation of CX, a strategic outsourcing partner provides many brands with big rewards as evidenced by the five case studies described above. No doubt, the positive trend of outsourcing will continue to rise, fueled by the uniquely effective potential a trusted partnership with the right BPO can deliver.  

Experience the iQor Difference 

Digital customer interactions are rapidly outpacing offline ones in many industries. A digital transformation of your customer experience is essential to help you keep pace as new technologies continue to evolve. A successful digital CX strategy accounts for all the customer experience variables relevant to your brand. These differ for every business, and you can implement them gradually. Examine your current customer experience options and look for touchpoints that can be optimized for digital, provided they improve the customer experience. With customer data and predictive analytics, you can refine your customer service options and provide a better experience for each customer while also creating a supportive environment for employees on the frontline serving your customers. 

iQor’s CX experts partner with brands to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they are perfectly aligned with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, iQor’s experience makes us a trusted partner in CX. 

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help brands create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.  

Our award-winning CX services include:  

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.  
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.  
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.  
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.  
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.  
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.  
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles. 

Richard Eychner is a strategic advisor at iQor. Connect with Richard on LinkedIn. 

Harnessing AI Capabilities to Build a Customer-Centric Culture 

In the competitive landscape of the retail industry, customer satisfaction sustains businesses and fosters brand loyalty. Satisfied customers are more likely to return for repeat purchases and become brand advocates, spreading positive word-of-mouth that can significantly impact a retailer’s reputation and bottom line. With this knowledge, retailers increasingly recognize the immense opportunities for growth in optimizing customer service performance. By placing the customer’s needs at the heart of every interaction, your retail brand can carve a path toward long-term success. 

Today’s digital-age customers have a stronger voice than ever, which is why retailers are investing in transforming their teams and operations to build a customer-centric culture. A culture that revolves around understanding and catering to the customer’s desires fosters stronger connections for both employees and customers, creating a unique and memorable shopping experience. This approach boosts sales and forges lasting relationships with customers, reinforcing brand loyalty and differentiating your retail brand from competitors. 

Technology plays a transformative role in this pursuit of exceptional customer service, and generative artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of this revolution. By harnessing AI capabilities, you can create an irresistible culture that elevates both employee and customer experiences. At iQor, we offer our AI-driven proprietary interaction analytics platform, VALDI, to analyze customer data for trends and behaviors. These insights can be leveraged to personalize interactions, offer tailored recommendations, and anticipate needs for higher customer satisfaction levels. 

As a result, generative AI empowers brands to craft an immersive and personalized shopping journey that drives successful outcomes while nurturing a loyal customer base. Here we discuss how retailers are thriving by embracing a customer-centric culture backed by AI capabilities to unlock contact center optimization and build the future of customer satisfaction in retail. 

How the Rise of AI in Retail Facilitates Great CX Across the Customer Journey  

In today’s fast-paced and digitally driven world, customer expectations have evolved beyond completing a transaction to experience-based shopping that captivates their senses and emotions. In response to these evolving expectations, retailers are harnessing the power of intelligent automation to cultivate immersive customer experiences.  

In today’s fast-paced and digitally driven world, customer expectations have evolved beyond completing a transaction to experience-based shopping that captivates their senses and emotions. In response to these evolving expectations, retailers are harnessing the power of intelligent automation to cultivate immersive customer experiences.  

Phygital retail and experiential concept stores are becoming increasingly popular, where cutting-edge technologies converge to create unforgettable moments that ultimately boost sales. Innovations that were once the realm of science fiction are now real, such as augmented reality (AR) technology that allows customers to try on clothing items virtually without having to step into a fitting room and virtual reality (VR) simulators for testing out new shoes in an immersive, exciting way. 

At the heart of this retail revolution, the rise of generative AI has emerged as a critical facilitator of the modern shopping experience. Many retailers are developing innovative strategies for integrating AI software into each touchpoint of the customer journey, revolutionizing how customers find relevant products, access information, make purchases, and resolve inquiries. Through AI-driven personalized recommendations, customers can discover products that align precisely with their preferences and needs. AI tools allow retail brands to analyze vast amounts of customer data, enabling them to predict buying behavior accurately, tailor promotions accordingly, and boost upsell and cross-sell performance.

AI tools are especially effective in the realm of customer service. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants provide real-time assistance, guiding shoppers through their purchasing journey and promptly addressing any concerns they may have. Integrating AI software into various omnichannel customer service options has proven instrumental in providing instant support that maintains a frictionless customer experience (CX). 

As technology continues to evolve, the retail industry stands at the cusp of a transformative era where AI-driven experiences will redefine the customer journey. Retailers embracing these innovations are positioning themselves to exceed customer expectations, forging lasting connections with their audience and creating opportunities for growth in an ever-competitive market. The future of retail belongs to those who can effectively leverage AI at every step of the customer journey to deliver seamless, personalized, and captivating experiences that leave shoppers coming back for more. 

AI Tools Boost Loyalty by Delivering on 4 Priorities Most Important to Today’s Shoppers  

Today’s discerning customers expect retailers to go above and beyond by providing efficient, helpful, and secure shopping journeys facilitated by cutting-edge technology in both physical retail and eTail spaces. Here’s what matters to modern shoppers and how AI software empowers retailers to meet these needs with irresistible customer service. 

1. Freedom 

Modern shoppers want the freedom to choose from a variety of seamless omnichannel support access points, ranging from self-service options to direct interactions with live agents. By providing a seamless transition between these channels, retailers ensure that customers can access support at their convenience. AI integrations play a crucial role in optimizing these interactions, offering personalized recommendations and assistance through each customer’s preferred touchpoint. 

2. Efficiency 

In today’s fast-paced world, time is of the essence. Shoppers expect support inquiries to be quick and easy. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants enable swift resolutions that create smiles. These AI-driven solutions continuously learn from each interaction to deliver efficient customer service for frictionless CX. 

3. Efficacy 

Resolving customer concerns effectively is vital for trust-building and loyalty. AI-powered systems are equipped to handle a vast range of inquiries, providing prompt, accurate, and relevant information to customers. By tailoring responses to individual needs, AI ensures that customers feel heard and understood, leaving them satisfied and more likely to return for future purchases. 

4. Security 

In an era of data-breach risk and privacy concerns, shoppers are cautious about sharing their personal information. Retailers that prioritize data privacy and implement robust security measures can gain a competitive advantage by winning customers’ trust. AI plays a significant role in data security, assisting retailers in identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities while safeguarding customer information. According to a McKinsey survey referenced in a 2020 article, only 18% of consumers trust that the retail industry adequately protects their data privacy. This statistic underscores the importance of investing in AI-driven solutions to soothe customer concerns, build trust, and earn customer loyalty.  

By integrating AI at every touchpoint of the customer journey, retailers can significantly elevate customer engagement, drive sales, and foster lasting loyalty. From product recommendations to customer support, AI enables retailers to craft seamless and personalized experiences that resonate with today’s tech-savvy shoppers. 

Unlocking the Potential of Customer Lifetime Value: Why Retailers Are Betting on AI Tools in Contact Center Operations to Drive Loyalty and Revenue  

In looking to the future, forward-thinking retailers recognize that making a sale is just the beginning of the customer relationship. To truly unlock the potential of customer lifetime value (CLV), retailers are striving to improve the entire customer journey by investing in contact center operations that provide irresistible support that boosts customer satisfaction.  

AI has emerged as a game-changing tool for retailers to create a seamless omnichannel customer experience to drive loyalty and maximize CLV. Chatbots and virtual assistants are examples of AI-driven self-service options that provide customers with accessible and convenient resolutions while freeing up frontline agents to address more complex inquiries.  

Retailers are betting big on AI tools in their contact center operations because they understand that customer loyalty and CLV go hand in hand. AI is ushering in a new era of how retailers conduct operations in a competitive market, with one study anticipating an explosive 30.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of AI in the global retail market from 2023 to 2033. By prioritizing the entire customer journey and leveraging AI technology, you can provide exceptional service and support that create smiles with your valued customers. As a result, you stand to gain a competitive advantage while cultivating a loyal customer base that continues to generate revenue and contributes significantly to long-term brand loyalty. 

How Contact Center AI Software Is Rewiring Customer Service in the Retail Industry  

In the ever-evolving landscape of the retail industry, customer service stands as a critical differentiator for success. The future of contact center optimization is here, driven by AI, and it’s transforming how retailers interact with customers in unprecedented ways. 

AI-Powered Interaction Analytics for Real-Time Insights 

AI-driven interaction analytics, like iQor’s proprietary VALDI platform and T-DSL search language, enable retailers to gain valuable voice of the customer insights from customer interactions. VALDI offers enormous potential to drive success in retail contact center operations by mining recorded conversations and data from various touchpoints. It helps retailers quickly uncover conversations where customers mention specific products and analyzes customer sentiment toward those products. This information is used to coach agents on how to respond to customer comments in a way that satisfies customers and supports the brand. VALDI can also monitor agent compliance with KPIs and recommend additional coaching to agents who could benefit from it the most. 

One retailer partnered with iQor for customized inbound sales agent training and coaching facilitated by VALDI’s innovative capabilities. VALDI mined all interactions for trends and hot topics to uncover customer sentiment, inform coaching, and develop a more personalized customer service strategy. By trusting iQor to leverage these insights into their operations, the retailer succeeded in boosting cross-sells and upsells, maintaining high customer satisfaction, and lowering order entry costs. The result? iQor helped the retailer save $5 million in order entry costs in the first year alone, creating smiles for our retail client and their customers. 

One retailer partnered with iQor for customized inbound sales agent training and coaching facilitated by VALDI’s innovative capabilities. VALDI mined all interactions for trends and hot topics to uncover customer sentiment, inform coaching, and develop a more personalized customer service strategy. By trusting iQor to leverage these insights into their operations, the retailer succeeded in boosting cross-sells and upsells, maintaining high customer satisfaction, and lowering order entry costs. The result? iQor helped the retailer save $5 million in order entry costs in the first year alone, creating smiles for our retail client and their customers. 

AI Software for Optimizing Workforce Management 

AI software is streamlining workforce management in retail customer service departments. Through predictive analysis, AI helps you anticipate call volumes and customer demands, enabling you to allocate resources more efficiently and improve the employee experience for both in-office and work-at-home (WAH) team members. This optimization ensures you have the right number of agents available at the right time, leading to reduced wait times and improved customer satisfaction. It also guides opportunities to improve training and coaching strategies. 

Intelligent Call Routing and Prioritization Using AI Algorithms 

AI algorithms are transforming call routing and prioritization. By understanding the context of customer inquiries, AI can intelligently route calls to the most appropriate agents based on their expertise, reducing the need for customers to be transferred between departments. Additionally, AI can prioritize urgent inquiries, ensuring that critical issues are addressed promptly and effectively. 

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants for Self-Service Support 

Chatbots and virtual assistants have become indispensable tools for providing self-service support to customers. AI-powered chatbots can handle routine inquiries, offer product recommendations, and process orders, freeing up human agents to handle more complex issues. These virtual assistants are available 24/7, providing instant assistance to customers at their convenience. 

Natural Language Processing, Sentiment Analysis, and Emotion Detection 

AI’s natural language processing (NLP) capabilities enable retailers to understand and interpret what customers need despite the many ambiguities and nuances of human language. Sentiment analysis allows retailers to gauge customer satisfaction levels and identify potential pain points, while emotion detection helps agents tailor their responses and provide empathetic support. 

Predictive Analytics for Proactive Customer Service Strategies 

AI-driven predictive analytics empower retailers to adopt proactive customer service strategies. By analyzing customer behavior and historical data, retailers can anticipate customer needs and preferences. This foresight enables you to proactively reach out to customers with personalized offers, recommendations, or assistance. 

As AI continues to evolve, it will become increasingly essential for contact center optimization, driving retail success and ensuring lasting customer loyalty. The future is now, and the possibilities are endless with AI at the forefront of retail customer service transformation. 

4 Essential Indicators That Prove the Success of AI-Powered Customer Service for Retailers 

As many retailers embrace the power of AI in their contact center operations, they are witnessing significant transformations that directly impact key performance indicators (KPIs). Here are four essential indicators that prove the success of integrating AI tools into call center operations. 

1. Productivity 

AI-powered customer service solutions have a direct impact on KPIs like call resolution time (CRT) and average handle time (AHT). By leveraging AI, retailers can automate routine inquiries, enabling faster issue resolution and reducing the time human agents spend on repetitive tasks. This leads to improved CRT and AHT metrics, boosting employee productivity. Moreover, AI has the potential to redefine retailers’ most prioritized KPIs by introducing new metrics that align with the personalized and efficient nature of AI-driven interactions. 

2. Performance 

Maximizing the employee experience is a crucial aspect of successful AI-powered customer service. By automating repetitive tasks, AI software frees up agents to focus on more complex inquiries that require human touch and expertise. This performance optimization results in improved job satisfaction among agents, as they can now spend more time addressing customers’ unique needs and concerns. Reduced redundancy leads to increased efficiency and concurrency, ensuring that agents can handle multiple interactions simultaneously, further boosting performance. 

3. Personalization 

AI-driven customer service is all about providing personalized experiences to customers. Through advanced natural language processing and sentiment analysis, AI can understand each individual customer’s needs and preferences. This enables retailers to tailor interactions and resolutions based on the specific requirements of each customer, making them feel valued and understood. Personalization fosters stronger connections with customers, driving brand loyalty and repeat business. 

4. Profitability 

AI’s impact on customer service extends beyond customer satisfaction; it also leads to increased operational efficiency and cost savings. By automating routine tasks and streamlining workflows, retailers can optimize their resources, ensuring that agents are utilized efficiently. This leads to cost savings and boosts profitability. Additionally, by delivering exceptional personalized experiences, AI-powered customer service drives customer loyalty and retention, translating to higher customer lifetime value and increased revenue over the long term. 

AI Tools in Empowered Employee Hands: Best Practices for Success in Your Retail Brand’s Contact Center Optimization Strategy 

As the retail industry continues to embrace the transformative potential of AI in customer service, a successful contact center optimization strategy is crucial for delivering exceptional customer experiences. Empowering your employees with the right tools and practices ensures that AI becomes a catalyst for improved performance and customer satisfaction that yields the best return on investment (ROI). Here are some best practices to guide your retail brand’s journey toward an AI-driven contact center optimization strategy. 

Invest in the Right Tools. 

Choosing the right AI tools requires a crystal-clear understanding of your retail brand’s needs and objectives. For some brands, point solutions are suitable to address specific tasks or processes, offering streamlined implementations at a lower initial cost and with quicker results. For others, enterprise platform solutions are best suited for offering scalability, centralized control, and adaptability through a comprehensive ecosystem that integrates multiple automation functionalities under one roof. Consider beginning your search with your incumbent enterprise platform solution providers to explore their current capabilities and gain insight into their product roadmap. While investing in new AI solutions always involves an initial cost, the return on investment for integrations tailored to your retail brand will be significant as streamlined operations elevate your level of customer service and contribute to customer lifetime value. 

Empower Your Teams Through Training. 

Empowering your employees to effectively utilize AI tools goes beyond investing in software and equipment. It’s essential to provide comprehensive training to your teams, enabling them to harness the full potential of AI platforms. Ongoing training ensures that your staff stays updated with the latest functionalities, allowing them to provide exceptional service and support to customers. 

You can also harness AI to help inform and power employee training and coaching sessions. AmplifAI is an AI-driven software as a service (SaaS) platform that enables iQor to improve the performance of frontline associates for a number of our clients by optimizing coaching strategies. It saves supervisors significant time by analyzing data and providing actionable insights, empowering them to manage agent performance at scale through personalized recommendations for coaching for individual agents as well as leadership. With AmplifAI’s intelligent automation, our teams can focus on creating human-to-human interactions that drive irresistible customer service. 

Integrate AI Into Existing Processes. 

A successful implementation of AI in your contact center requires a balanced approach. Instead of reinventing the wheel, focus on integrating AI into your existing processes and operations. Foster open communication between teams, allowing IT and operations to provide valuable input on the optimal implementation of AI technology that provides a seamless customer experience. 

Update Your Customer Service Strategy. 

AI technology offers the opportunity to evolve your customer service strategy to align with the expectations of today’s digital age shoppers. Consider personalization, omnichannel support, and quick issue resolution as key components of your updated strategy. Tailor your approach to cater to the preferences and needs of your target consumer, strengthening your brand-customer relationship. 

Monitor Performance and Results. 

To continually improve your AI-powered customer service, monitoring performance and results is crucial. Regularly evaluate key performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of your AI software. Analyze customer feedback and interactions to gain valuable insights and identify areas for improvement. By doing so, you can refine your AI strategy to remain relevant and impactful. 

Follow AI Into the Future to Unlock the Secrets of Customer Satisfaction and Drive Your Retail Brand’s Success 

As we forge ahead into the future, the fusion of AI and contact center optimization promises to deliver exceptional customer experiences, foster brand loyalty, and drive revenue growth for retailers. Investing in AI-enabled tools and training is the key to transforming your retail brand’s contact center operations to meet the demands of digital shoppers and guide continuous improvements. Embrace the power of AI to unlock the full potential of your contact center, and let it be the cornerstone of your journey toward unparalleled customer satisfaction. 

Connect With Us at This Year’s CX Retail Exchange 

Discover more insights on cracking the code to customer satisfaction and other hot topics in the experiential, hybrid age of retail with top industry thought leaders at this year’s CX Retail Exchange. Book time with us on our events page to learn how iQor is creating smiles in the retail industry.  

Experience the iQor Difference    

iQor’s omnichannel support experience helps retailers connect with customers on their terms. Our CX experts partner with retailers to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they align with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, we apply automation where it matters most to exceed customer expectations for hyper-personalized, seamless omnichannel support.  

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help retailers create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.   

Our award-winning CX services include:    

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.    
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.    
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.    
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.    
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.    
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.    
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business. 

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.    

Susan Halvorsen is vice president of business development at iQor. Connect with Susan on LinkedIn.  

Today’s Online Shoppers Crave Authentic Connections With the eTail Brands They Support 

The retail landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation in the digital age. With the convenience of online shopping, customers can purchase almost everything with the click of a mouse or a tap on a screen. Customer expectations have evolved along with their online shopping habits. In today’s hyper-connected digital world, consumers seek more than just a transaction; they crave personalized interactions and a human touch even in their online experiences. For exclusively online eTail brands, this places humanized customer service at the forefront of their CX strategy.  

Brand storytelling plays a pivotal role in humanizing eTail to maximize online customer engagement. By crafting a compelling narrative that resonates with their audience and is consistent across all channels, retailers can humanize their online presence and establish a deep emotional connection with their customers, boosting customer loyalty.  

In this ever-evolving frontier of online retail, contact center agents emerge as an often-underutilized resource for elevating a brand’s storytelling efforts as they engage with online shoppers at each touchpoint of the customer journey. Empowered frontline agents can become compelling enablers of eTail brand storytelling, harnessing the tools of authenticity, empathy, active listening, and emotional connections to boost customer engagement and loyalty. 

Empowered frontline agents can become compelling enablers of eTail brand storytelling, harnessing the tools of authenticity, empathy, active listening, and emotional connections to boost customer engagement and loyalty.

In this blog post, we explore the key elements that contribute to humanizing the customer support experience in online retail. From leveraging brand storytelling for consistent and authentic interactions to empowering customer service agents as frontline ambassadors of the brand’s narrative, we delve into strategies for fostering long-lasting customer loyalty in the eTail industry. 

Crafting a Compelling Brand Story to Forge Stronger Customer Relationships  

Brand storytelling is a powerful strategy for your modern eTail business to succeed in establishing meaningful connections with your customers. An effective brand story encapsulates the essence of your company’s history, mission, purpose, and core values, weaving them together into a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience. By aligning brand stories with their business objectives, eTailers can inspire action and foster a sense of loyalty among their customer base. 

Today’s customers are increasingly conscious of the brands they support, viewing their purchases as reflections of their own identities and values. By bringing the brand story to life online, eTailers can reinforce shared values with their customer base to encourage support of their brand.   

As e-commerce continues to grow and online interactions become central to customer experiences, you have a unique opportunity to leverage your eTail brand’s digital presence to craft narratives that leave a lasting impression. With a well-crafted brand story, you can forge genuine connections, tap into the values of your audience, and ultimately stand out in a crowded market. By using the internet as the canvas for your storytelling efforts, your eTail brand can meet customers where they already spend much of their time, ensuring that your stories resonate and leave a lasting impact, strengthening the bond between brand and consumer. 

“Brand storytelling is a popular term, but it misses the mark. Brand conversation is more accurate. Retail is a relationship between a brand and the customer, not a monologue from one side or the other. Contact center agents are the human face of that conversation. When they are able to feel and communicate a brand’s purpose, they make that conversation positive for everyone.” 

Dan Hoffman 
Digital creative director
Five Below   

Empowering Call Center Agents as Enablers of Brand Storytelling  

An essential aspect of brand storytelling lies in the art of crafting personalized experiences for customers. Customer service agents are well-positioned to accomplish this. Through their interactions, they have the chance to understand the customer’s journey, preferences, and pain points. By tailoring their responses to address these specific aspects, agents can weave a narrative that aligns seamlessly with the customer’s needs and aspirations. This personalized approach fosters a sense of individual attention and showcases the eTailer’s commitment to cultivating customer satisfaction (CSAT).  

Moreover, customer service agents can turn challenging situations into powerful opportunities for brand storytelling. When faced with complaints or issues, agents who handle these scenarios with empathy and resolve can transform negative experiences into positive ones. By taking ownership of problems and finding creative solutions, agents can leave customers with a lasting impression of the brand’s dedication to an exceptional customer experience (CX).  

These anecdotes of exceptional service become part of your brand’s larger narrative, solidifying your reputation as a brand that genuinely cares about its customers. In this way, customer service agents become indispensable enablers of brand storytelling, leaving a trail of satisfied customers who, in turn, become brand advocates, sharing their positive experiences online and amplifying your brand’s message. 

Best Practices for Integrating Storytelling Into Call Center Operations

Prioritize open communication and consistent messaging in all channels. 

Breaking down the silo mentality and fostering collaboration between internal teams and call center agents is key to delivering exceptional customer support and building a cohesive brand narrative. By encouraging open communication and knowledge-sharing between departments, your eTail brand can leverage valuable insights from all sides to craft a holistic approach to customer service. Ensuring consistent brand messages and sentiment across all customer touchpoints reinforces your brand identity and fosters a sense of reliability and familiarity. From website content to social media posts to contact center interactions, a unified brand narrative improves the customer’s perception of your eTail brand and reinforces your values and mission at every turn. 

Leverage the value of agent feedback for success stories to guide storytelling strategies.  

Call center agents, being at the forefront of customer interactions, possess a treasure trove of customer anecdotes and success stories. By incorporating these anecdotes into training materials and support protocols, eTailers can equip customer service agents with the ability to provide tailored and empathetic support and truly connect with customers. These stories also serve as powerful social proof, a critical asset for today’s eTailers, providing testimonials that strengthen the eTailer’s reputation and influence customer purchasing decisions. Furthermore, success stories offer retail brands an opportunity to engage with customers through two-way communication in customer service interactions. This interactive approach fosters a sense of community and belonging, creating brand advocates who are more likely to share their positive experiences and promote your brand organically.  

Leverage AI to optimize and personalize agent coaching to align with your brand story. 

AI-enabled coaching can further optimize and personalize the employee and customer experience. At iQor, we utilize AmplifiAI’s AI-driven software as a service (SaaS) platform to direct coaching and training strategies for a number of clients. AmplifiAI’s intelligent automation analyzes data to provide actionable insights that empower supervisors to more effectively coach agents at scale through personalized recommendations for each individual agent. This empowers our teams to focus on creating human-to-human interactions that drive irresistible customer service.  

From Scripts to Stories: Humanizing the Customer Experience With a 6-Step Approach to Employee Training 

In today’s customer-centric landscape, many eTail businesses are moving away from traditional scripted interactions and embracing a more humanized approach to customer service. This six-step approach to employee training fosters more storytelling and personal connections with customers. 

1. Provide ongoing brand education through training and coaching. 

Effective customer service starts with a deep understanding of your eTail brand’s values, mission, and culture. By providing ongoing brand education through training and coaching strategies, employees stay informed about the latest developments and changes, ensuring they can confidently represent your brand story in every customer interaction. 

2. Embrace active learning strategies. 

Active learning strategies, such as role-playing and practice sessions, play a crucial role in developing essential customer service skills. By immersing employees in real-life scenarios, they gain practical experience, strengthening their ability to think on their feet and adapt to various customer needs. 

3. Create engaging opening statements. 

The first moments of a customer interaction are crucial in setting the tone for the entire experience. Crafting engaging and personalized opening statements helps create an immediate connection with customers, making them feel valued and heard. 

4. Recognize and reward exceptional storytelling efforts. 

Recognizing and rewarding exceptional storytelling by employees reinforces the importance of the human touch in customer interactions. By acknowledging these efforts, eTailers inspire employees to build authentic connections and provide meaningful customer experiences. 

Recognizing and rewarding exceptional storytelling by employees reinforces the importance of the human touch in customer interactions. By acknowledging these efforts, eTailers inspire employees to build authentic connections and provide meaningful customer experiences. 

5. Address challenges and provide solutions. 

Employee training should also address challenges that might arise when humanizing the customer experience. These challenges may include overcoming resistance to change, addressing language barriers and cultural nuances, and creating opportunities for customers to provide feedback for continuous improvement. 

6. Offer resources for storytelling techniques. 

To empower employees beyond rote scripts, eTailers can offer resources and training on effective storytelling techniques. By encouraging creativity and individuality in customer interactions, employees can shape their narratives to resonate with customers and leave a lasting impact. 

By embracing this six-step approach to employee training, you can humanize the customer experience for your eTail brand, foster genuine connections, and set your company apart in the competitive market by integrating brand storytelling into the delivery of exceptional customer service. 

Measuring Your eTail Brand’s Storytelling Success 

In the world of e-commerce, where brands strive to connect with their customers on a deeper level, mastering the art of storytelling is essential. How can you effectively measure the success of your eTail brand’s storytelling efforts? The answer lies in a combination of data-driven insights and qualitative feedback. 

Harness interaction analytics for valuable insights. 

To gauge the effectiveness of your eTail brand’s storytelling through call center interactions, leverage interaction analytics. Monitor call center performance metrics, customer queries, and sentiment to gain valuable insights into how customers respond to your brand’s narrative. Are they engaged and emotionally connected? Are their inquiries resolved quickly and effectively? Analyzing this data helps identify areas of improvement and highlights the impact of storytelling on customer experiences. 

At iQor, we leverage our proprietary interaction analytics platform VALDI across a number of industries that we support to help our clients mine every customer interaction for this type of valuable data. VALDI uses cloud computing, machine learning, and AI to provide fully customizable real-time analytics guided by each client’s individual and evolving needs. This data is essential for guiding brand storytelling efforts that succeed with your eTail customer base. 

Gather qualitative customer feedback and analyze loyalty metrics. 

Direct customer feedback is a goldmine for understanding how your brand’s storytelling resonates with its audience. Conduct surveys and pay attention to reviews to gather insights into how customers perceive your eTail narrative. Additionally, closely analyze customer loyalty and retention rates. Are customers returning to your eTail website or social media pages, demonstrating a sense of loyalty to your brand? Positive trends in these metrics may indicate that your storytelling efforts are striking a chord with your target audience. 

Lastly, monitor social media engagement to gauge customer sentiment and identify potential storytelling opportunities. Are customers sharing their positive experiences and stories related to your eTail brand? Social media platforms provide a rich environment for organic storytelling, and creating opportunities for engagement can give you a sense of how customers are receiving your brand’s narrative. 

Social media platforms provide a rich environment for organic storytelling, and creating opportunities for engagement can give you a sense of how customers are receiving your brand’s narrative.

Reassess KPIs to align with your target customer base. 

As your brand’s narrative evolves, so should your key performance indicators (KPIs). Reassess and fine-tune your KPIs to align with your target customer base and the desired emotional responses you aim to evoke through storytelling. Adjusting KPIs ensures that your metrics align with your brand’s narrative goals and provides a more accurate reflection of storytelling success. 

The Human Connection: Why Call Center Agents Are Crucial Characters in the Customer Journey 

Looking ahead, brand storytelling and customer engagement are forecasted to continue evolving in eTail. As technology advances, we can expect more immersive and interactive online storytelling experiences that leverage augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI) to create personalized journeys for customers. Social media will remain a critical platform for organic brand storytelling, where customers share their experiences and eTail brands curate narratives to align with the evolving interests and values of their target audience. As the e-commerce landscape becomes more saturated, eTailers will likely rely more heavily on human connections and authentic storytelling to stand out and create a lasting impact on the customer journey. 

In the fast-paced digital world of eTail, now is the time to unleash the potential of brand storytelling in call center operations. Empower your call center agents with the tools to tell compelling stories that align with your brand’s narrative and elevate routine customer interactions into memorable experiences. Though your customers will always be the main character in your eTail brand story, your frontline employees play a mission-critical supporting role for customer service that can set you apart from the competition.

Though your customers will always be the main character in your eTail brand story, your frontline employees play a mission-critical supporting role for customer service that can set you apart from the competition.

By equipping them to excel in this role, you can create an authentic and emotionally resonant customer experience that fosters loyalty and builds lasting relationships with your audience.  

Moreover, these meaningful connections enable your frontline agents to turn customers into brand ambassadors as well. Exceptional CX can inspire these customers to share their positive experiences, acting as brand storytellers. This word-of-mouth promotion not only boosts sales but also strengthens customer retention. Embrace the power of human connection in call center operations to unlock your potential for brand storytelling success and pave the way for a compelling and customer-centric eTail future. 

Book Time With Us at eTail East 

For more on the power of brand storytelling in eTail, join in the discussion with leading industry executives and thought leaders at eTail East 2023. Book time with us on our events page to learn how iQor is creating smiles in the eTail industry.  

Experience the iQor Difference   

iQor’s omnichannel support experience helps retailers and eTailers connect with customers on their terms. Our CX experts partner with brands in the retail and e-commerce industry to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they align with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, we apply automation where it matters most to exceed customer expectations for hyper-personalized, seamless omnichannel support. 

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help retailers create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.  

Our award-winning CX services include:   

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.   
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.   
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.   
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.   
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.   
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.   
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.   

John Swain is vice president of account management at iQor. Connect with John on LinkedIn. 

The Changing Face of Retail: How the Digital Era Has Transformed an Entire Industry 

The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the retail industry at every juncture, from supply chains to inventory management to staffing. With fewer in-person shopping experiences, retailers turned to digital for creative strategies to meet customer demand. The cultural shift of the pandemic converged with the Digital Era to forever change the face of retail and create opportunities for retailers to thrive in a new world. 

Though eTail is far from new to consumers, the digital transformation has merged traditional brick-and-mortar with digital eTail in groundbreaking ways. As new advances in technology continually redefine what is possible, retailers benefit from considering how their brand can integrate digital solutions to meet shifting customer expectations. 

Customer Service Is Key for Retailers to Stand Out in a Competitive Market 

Customers expect the convenience, speed, and efficiency of digitally empowered customer service–and brands across all industries are paying attention. According to research by Metrigy, customer experience (CX) is the number one priority for companies increasing their technology spending in 2023.  

The retail industry is no exception. To stand out in a competitive market, retailers are turning to digital tools to provide experiences that keep customers coming back. Though digital integration is critical at every step of the customer journey, customer service has significant power to boost customer confidence and encourage loyalty over competitors. For 92% of customers, a positive customer service experience factors into their decision to make future purchases with a brand. In other words, delivering on expectations for exceptional customer service will create smile-worthy experiences for customers and generate strong returns for your bottom line.

For 92% of customers, a positive customer service experience factors into their decision to make future purchases with a brand. In other words, delivering on expectations for exceptional customer service will create smile-worthy experiences for customers and generate strong returns for your bottom line.  

The Secret to Delivering Exceptional Retail Customer Experiences: Understand Your Customers’ Needs 

Retailers that excel at understanding their customers’ unique needs and expectations can go beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to customer service that delivers share-of-wallet results. Though data mining can provide brand-specific insights, there are broad trends that define the behaviors and preferences of today’s shoppers. These trends form the foundation for a customer service strategy that meets customer needs at every touchpoint. 

High-Tech, Hyper-Personalized, and Hands-On: How Evolving Customer Expectations Ignited the Phygital Retail Revolution  

Customer behaviors and preferences have always changed over time. Technology has accelerated the speed and frequency of trend-shifting to an unprecedented degree. Providing a quality product isn’t enough. Today’s customers expect retailers to provide an experience that makes their brand selection stand out from the crowd. From the moment they walk through the door or open an app to the quality of the service they receive when seeking resolutions, here’s how modern customers differ from customers of days past:  

The Top 5 Things Customers Value Most in a Retail Experience 

1. Blurred lines between digital and brick-and-mortar.  

It’s time to get phygital: today’s customers don’t want digital shopping to replace physical brick-and-mortar storefronts; they want the best of both worlds. “Phygital” retail strives to provide a seamless shopping journey across online and offline channels. Some phygital experiences that retailers have adopted to blur the lines between digital and brick-and-mortar include: 

• Curbside pickup. 
• Scan-to-pay app features. 
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).  
• Metaverse platforms. 
• Experiential retail concept stores. 

These innovations in the retail industry offer customers the flexibility and convenience to engage with stores on their terms. Tech enablement shifts the focus from product to experience, generating high levels of customer engagement that create tangible returns in sales and customer loyalty.  

2. Hyper-personalized service.  

According to Kiran Mani, managing director of retail at Google, “Personalization is nothing but translating information into assistance.” Big Data is a cornerstone of the Digital Age and can be leveraged to provide customers with the best assistance possible. Data about customer demographics, behaviors, preferences, and needs empowers retailers to provide hyper-personalized service and relatable experiences to customers. Hyper-personalization sends the message that retailers value each customer and significantly improves the convenience, accuracy, and efficiency of the retail experience. 

3. Effective automation and technology.  

Though human employees are essential for resolving many complex customer service issues, most customers prefer automation for simple tasks such as tracking an order, checking order status or balance, modifying an order, returning and exchanging items, and more. In-store robots, intelligent virtual assistants, and intuitively navigable websites and apps are tech enablement options that can increase customer interactions and grow revenue. The caveat? It’s not enough to provide options for automation and tech enablement; these options need to work effectively and consistently. Inconsistent experiences across channels lead to churn for 60% of retail customers. When exploring new technological capabilities, retailers who set a high standard for quality will reap the most rewards.  

4. Brand integrity and transparency.  

Customers value brand integrity and transparency more than ever, with 81% of buyers saying they need to trust a brand to buy from them. Continuity, identity, and community define core values of the post-pandemic customer experience. From honest advertising and pricing to transparent conversations about businesses and their history–including sourcing, product development, diversity hiring, and more–customers choose to buy from credible retailers.  

5. Shared values.  

Conscious consumerism is the name of the game for shoppers in the modern marketplace, a trend that has fueled the rise of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Today’s customers expect retailers to take a stance on social responsibility, sustainability, and other issues that matter to customers on a personal level. From making statements of solidarity on social media to revamping operations and sourcing to be more ethical and sustainable, customers hold retailers accountable and leverage their purchasing power to support brands whose values align with their own.  

Understanding Customer Experience Trends Can Help You Reduce Friction and Boost Your Bottom Line 

As retailers strive to remain competitive in today’s digital landscape, understanding customer experience trends is crucial for success. By paying attention to the changing needs and preferences of customers, retailers can reduce and even prevent friction in their customer interactions and ultimately boost their bottom line.  

Effective customer service strategies play a critical role in eliminating friction by reducing gaps and inconsistency throughout the customer experience. Here are five ways you can leverage customer expectations to build a customer service strategy that delivers a seamless omnichannel customer journey, builds stronger customer relationships, and drives long-term growth.  

5 Proven Ways Retailers Can Optimize Their Customer Service Strategy for the Modern Era 

1. Start with the data. 

Using data analytics to identify your customers’ expectations and behaviors can help you predict the most common issues that could lead them to contact customer service. This data can guide the development of proactive solutions to reduce the volume of inquiries and improve customer satisfaction (CSAT). By accurately gauging customer intent, retailers can provide the type of personalized support that creates smiles for shoppers in the Digital Age.

Data analytics can also guide the development of machine learning models that inform specific operational improvements based on your brand’s needs. At iQor, we provide our proprietary interaction analytics platform VALDI as a service to help our clients mine every customer interaction for this type of valuable data. VALDI uses cloud computing, machine learning, and AI to provide fully customizable analytics guided by each client’s individual and evolving needs. Our tailored approach makes VALDI powerfully effective in meeting the needs of the modern-day retailer for flexibility, personalization, effectiveness, and consistency. 

2. Leverage a full suite of omnichannel support with self-service options. 

Today’s customers are independent, with 69% saying they prefer to solve simple issues on their own rather than relying on traditional customer support channels. The most successful retailers offer comprehensive omnichannel support with self-service options such as chatbots, virtual assistants, FAQs, and other knowledge base resources. These options enable customers to quickly find solutions to their problems without having to wait for a support representative to respond. Effective omnichannel customer service improves customer satisfaction, reduces support costs, and improves the overall customer experience. 

Today’s customers are independent, with 69% saying they prefer to solve simple issues on their own rather than relying on traditional customer support channels. 

3. Prioritize data privacy and security. 

While Big Data and cloud computing are important for providing personalized service, this data must be kept secure. Here are some reasons why security is especially important for the retail industry:  

• 44% of retailers were attacked globally by ransomware in 2021, the hardest hit of any industry. 
• 74% of consumers say data privacy influences their decision to do business with a brand. 
• The rapid evolution of new financial technology (FinTech) such as third-party peer-to-peer (P2P) payment options enables brands to provide flexible, convenient payment alternatives. Customers expect retailers to verify the legitimacy and security of these platforms before offering their services to guarantee that their money and data are transferred securely. 

At iQor, we leverage a multi-layered security approach to guarantee that our client’s data is always thoroughly insulated from security risks. Our dynamic approach to zero trust allows for unparalleled control and real-time endpoint protection. We leverage endpoint security that ensures compliance with all regulatory requirements and provides comprehensive safeguards to secure client data.  

4. Empower frontline agents to resolve customer service requests without escalations. 

Empowering customer service agents to resolve customer requests without escalations can bring multiple benefits to retailers. Empowered frontline agents can: 

• Build trust and loyalty with customers by providing a consistent, convenient, and satisfactory experience. 
• Reduce the workload of management and escalation teams so they can focus on other important tasks. 
• Demonstrate that retailers value their employees by trusting them to handle customer inquiries professionally. 
• Boost agent job satisfaction, increasing the pool of tenured employees who provide the best quality service. 
• Improve customer resolution times (CRT) and other key performance indicators (KPIs).  

The rewards of equipping your agents with the tools to succeed are plentiful when the risks are well managed. In addition to creating a better experience for both your employees and your customers, the investment can result in quantifiable growth for your bottom line. 

5. End with the data. 

Trends and data are continually evolving. Retailers can gain a better understanding of what customers need over time by leveraging data analytics and asking customers directly what they want in a customer service experience. Regular surveys provide data to help inform strategic email marketing campaigns that offer additional opportunities for cultivating deeper customer relationships. By understanding the broader consumer culture and trends to gauge customer behaviors relevant to a brand, retailers can add more smiles to their customer service experience.  

Unlock the Potential of the Digital Age by Harnessing Cutting-Edge Tech and Human Solutions That Represent the Future of Retail 

The digital age has transformed the way people shop and interact with retail brands. Those retailers who responded to these transformations with adaptability and innovation are thriving. By embracing cutting-edge CX technology, retailers can provide a seamless and personalized experience that meets the needs and preferences of their customers. Additionally, excellent customer service and employee training can make a significant impact on the success of retail businesses. Engaging these new opportunities with a flexible, strategic approach provides retailers unlimited potential for unlocking future growth.  

Experience the iQor Difference   

iQor’s omnichannel support experience helps retailers connect with customers on their terms. Our CX experts partner with retailers to design intelligent channel optimization strategies to ensure they align with customer needs. From AI-powered agents to in-app messaging, we apply automation where it matters most to exceed customer expectations for hyper-personalized, seamless omnichannel support. 

iQor is a business process outsourcing company (BPO) ideally suited to help retailers create amazing customer experiences. iQor provides a comprehensive suite of full-service and self-service scalable offerings that are purpose-built to deliver enterprise-quality CX.  

Our award-winning CX services include:   

• A global presence with 40+ contact centers across 10 countries.   
• A CX private cloud that maximizes performance and scales rapidly across multiple geographies on short notice.   
• A partnership approach where we deploy agents and C-level executives to help maximize your ROI.   
• The perfect blend of intelligent automation for scale and performance coupled with an irresistible culture comprised of people who love to delight your customers.   
• Virtual and hybrid customer support options to connect with customers seamlessly, when and where they want.   
• The ability to launch a customer support program quickly, even when you need thousands of agents ready to support your customers.   
• A best-in-class workforce management team and supporting technology to create a centralized organization that can better serve your entire business.  

iQor helps brands deliver the world’s most sought-after customer experiences. Interested in learning more about the iQor difference? If you’re ready to start a conversation with a customer experience expert, contact us to learn about how we can help you create more smiles.  

John Swain is vice president of account management at iQor. Connect with John on LinkedIn.