Utility Week

28 | 5TH - 11TH JULY 2019 | UTILITY WEEK Customers Market view I n a recent survey by moneysupermarket. com, it was determined that price was the primary factor that would convince people to switch energy supplier (58 per cent of respondents). However, interestingly the joint third reason was poor customer service, stated by 18 per cent of respondents. So, in a crowded utility mar- ket driven by price, where switch- ing tariffs is the norm, how can the contact centre be leveraged to drive customer loyalty? The contact centre is much more than a complaint and query resolution function. It should be seen as a source of rich business insight and powerful customer conversations. From artificial intel- ligence (AI) to human interaction, the contact centre has a genuine opportunity to delight customers and strongly impact loyalty. Cutting-edge technology AI so„ware such as chatbots allow customers to effectively self-serve, because straightforward queries can be resolved in a simple sen- tence, without the need for human interaction. This form of commu- nication is easy and quick and puts the cus- tomer in control, which is great for driving loyalty. More complicated queries that reach the chatbot, such as an answer which requires justification or explanation, will be taken over by a human webchat operative. The cus- tomer still doesn't have to pick up the phone if they don't want to. AI so„ware can also be used to generate valuable data to give call handlers informa- tion to resolve more complicated enquiries. AI can be used to predict customer behaviour on the phone and pro- vide recommendations on how best to deal with an enquiry. So„ware is currently being developed to listen to calls and interpret the impact on the cus- tomer. These include whether the customer's loyalty will increase in the future, and, if the customer is dissatisfied, what could have been done differently to resolve the situation. Empowering call handlers to resolve issues and delight customers Where AI cannot resolve a customer query, or where a customer decides they want to speak to a real person, the contact centre has a real oppor- tunity to delight customers and cre- ate genuine loyalty. Gone are the days when call handlers could just read from a script, customers are too savvy. Some want genuine human interaction and empathy. They want first contact resolution where the first person they speak to is able to solve their issue in one phone call. But how does a contact centre make this happen? It is critically important to build a culture where agents are empowered to resolve issues and delight customers. CEB (now Gartner) research has found that the best type of customer service representative for handling complex customer issues is some- one who can take control of the conversa- tion and proactively lead that customer to a mutually agreed solution. In order to achieve this, a contact centre needs to empower its agents with the skills, tools and processes to make the best deci- sion for each individual customer. An empowered agent is genuinely curi- ous. Powered by a culture of organisational transparency, call handlers are bought into the wider company's vision and strategy. They can empathise with the customer and use their initiative to solve the issue. This type of culture empowers its employ- ees to make the difference between resolving an issue and delighting a customer, which can ultimately have an impact on loyalty. Outsource for flexibility and experience If 18 per cent of people say they would con- sider switching utility suppliers because of bad customer service, then the customer con- tact centre should absolutely be considered as part of the strategy for driving customer loyalty. Outsourcing the customer contact centre combines the flexibility of a start-up with the experience of an established player, leaving space to focus on the core business function of delivering great utility services at a great price. Diana Bourke, managing director, Echo-U Contact centres can drive loyalty The contact centre should be much more than a place to mechanically process queries, it should be at the heart of a utility's efforts to drive customer loyalty in a crowded market, says Diana Bourke. "Call handlers should be able to empathise with the customer and use their initiative to solve the issue"

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