Top 5 Trends in Customer Service/Success for 2018

“The Customer’s Perception is your Reality.” – Kate Zabriskie

Why would you care to give this a thought? It’s a no-brainer! Service drives Sales. Sales drive the organization. Customer Service/Success goes above and beyond the traditional process of Sales & Marketing. 2018 hints at being the year of Customer Success. Read on to know how you can crack the code to Customer Success Encryption.

1. Personalization is Key

Wouldn’t you prefer to be referred to by your name as opposed to a generic ‘Dear Valued Customer’? We all want to stand out in a crowd and it begins with our name. The quote “What’s in a name?” too was undersigned William Shakespeare. According to a Salesforce Study in December, 2016, it was found that 70% of consumers expected brands to understand and anticipate their needs.

2. Data is the Mantra

Consumer Data is the Holy Grail of every business. 2018 will lay all the cards on the table which would reveal how Consumer Data can make or break you. Data Analytics will still be the sure shot trick of the trade for personalization and customer engagement. Organizations would need to leverage all possible channels and platforms to gather consumer information within the Data Protection Guidelines before chalking out their Customer Experience/Engagement Strategies.

3. The Bridge between Sales, Marketing and Customer Success Teams is far from a dream

The synergy between these three departments is more imperative than ever. According to a 2016 survey, 21% of the companies said that their Marketing, Sales and Customer Success Teams are closely aligned and 61% gave an indication of “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Well, the bridge is here, it’s real and it’s here to stay!

4. IoT is Yin & Yang Adjacent

The Internet of Things has more layers than we could begin to comprehend. The gist of it is the increasing number of devices connected to communicating with each other over shared network. So, ‘yin’ because it resolves issues like long wait/hold times, inflexibility, etc and because of features like self-monitor, predicting malfunctions, potential breakdowns and identifying opportunities to upsell. ‘Yang’ because GDPR guidelines create compliance red flags. Therefore, Marketing Gurus need to really determine the fine line between the yin & yang of IoT and tread carefully.

5. An Effective Technology Stack is your Wizard

By now, it’s evident that CS Teams need to bid adieu to generic communication and basic information gathering tools like emails and spreadsheets. Companies need to get help of some brilliant technology platforms for seamless CRM Integrations, targeted engagements and customer satisfaction. Automation would become as indispensable as it has ever been to kill the trifecta of cost, effort and time.

Customer Support is going to experience a tectonic shift in the years to come. 2018 is just the dawn of it, and it sure is breaking!

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