future customer service trends

Jared Goodman-Philip (2015-0624)

FUTURE CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDSCUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT

“When 1,620 consumers were tested under laboratory conditions, 63% said they felt their heart rate increase when they thought about receiving great

customer service.

For 53% of those tested, receiving great service triggered the same cerebral reactions as feeling loved.”

The takeaway? When it comes to customer service, it's not about what consumers think. Great service is about feelings - being recognized, listened to, valued and

cared for.*American Express Service Study, September 2013

*Accenture Global Consumer Pulse Survey, November 2013

1) PLAN B – Products that come with their own “back up plan” → didn’t work the first time? Broke it? Lost it? A handful of well-known power companies are diving in and taking advantage of the consumer’s newism that is driving an intensifying thirst for immediate access to new products. Why allow yourself the opportunity to lose a customer to another brand or service when you have the solution ready and waiting for them?

NEWSIM - THE ‘NEW’ HAS NEVER BEEN HOTTER, AS THE ENTIRE WORLD, FROM EMERGING TO MATURE ECONOMIES, IS NOW CREATING NEW PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND EXPERIENCES ON A DAILY, IF NOT HOURLY BASIS, IN EVERY B2C INDUSTRY. WHICH MOVES ‘NEW’ FROM

1 | C R M ASSIGNMENT


BEING A TIRED MARKETING PLOY BY ‘OLD’ BRANDS (‘NEW AND IMPROVED!’), TO A GENUINE, EXCITING PROPOSITION FOR CONSUMERS

But what does a PLAN B actually look like? How does it allow innovators to renew their brand relationships with existing customers? A PLAN B will allow the consumer access when and only when needed to an alternative or back up product which will rectify the limitations of the old one, corrects an emergency situation (I’ve run out! I need it NOW!), and addresses a common issue everyone is having. PLAN B also prevents customers from venturing out to try new and more importantly unfamiliar products allowing customers to indulge in worry free newism!

Companies like BMW have already started feeding into this idea with the owners of their “BMW i3”, an electric vehicle that also comes access to a reduced rate petrol powered car to reduce the anxiety of ‘range’ for new electric drivers. The i3 has a range of 160km and when a driver needs to go further, BMW’s partnership with ‘Sixt’, a rental car company, they are offered a 20% off discount.

Costa Rican fashion retailer, Forever 21 has also come up with their own PLAN B, offering a mobile truck service filled with last minute garments and accessories. Spilled your lunch, coffee, etc all over yourself before the big meeting? Did you wear gold earrings and a silver belt? Ripped a whole? Broke a heel? The issue for the consumer is endless, and with this closet S.O.S. Forever 21 brings the solution to the customer.

2) Video Valets – face time, any time → so I can Skype with my Grandparents but why isn’t there a sales associate helping pick the perfect outfit when I shop online? Everyone and their dog has been complaining about the ineffective customer service they’ve received via internet chat and automated phone conversations. We’ve seen firsthand already that interpersonal customer service triggers feelings of being loved. Why not bridge the gap? A few companies have been playing catch up recently with the ever growing popularity of ‘FaceTime’ the video chat option Apple has been offering to iPhone users for years now, and bringing this option to the customer service playing field offering face to face assistance online when needed.

* The Amazon Mayday button connects ‘Kindle Fire HDX’ tablet owners to an Amazon customer service representative



via webcam. Among tablet owners, 75% of customer service interactions now come via the button.

* Amazon, June 2014

The Amazon Fire Phone was the first smartphone launched by the online retailer and came with a “Mayday button” offering immediate customer service via video chat. This feature was first seen on the Fire HDX tablet and response time was under ten seconds!

As a student who is looking to pursue a specialized career in marketing with fashion, ASOS & Nike has taken this service to a very relatable level when they teamed up with Google+ and MTV two summers ago and hosted an online “Hangout” where stylist, Natasha Wray, and Zeba Lowe, an ASOS fashion editor offered fashion and styling advise to customers who were shopping Nike online through an ad provided by exclusively through Google

Fiat has also been gaining some recognition for their live store option offered via their website. Customers shopping for cars online were able to access the live feed streaming from sales associates mounted head cams, allowing them to have personal tours of selected vehicles and were able to ask questions relating to the vehicle and pricing options

3) DELIVER (more than) THE GOODS - delivery, and then some! → With Uber gaining increasing popularity, it’s not hard to imagine how the future of delivery is going to be unrecognizable in the next few years (and no, it’s not all about drones). Uber allows you to just tap and order your ride, so why should the consumer not expect the same service elsewhere? Pizza hut is already taking advantage of our smartphone driven worlds, but why should other companies be doing the same? Let’s take a look at the numbers…



“Global B2C e-commerce sales are expected to total USD 1.5 trillion in 2014.”

* EMarketer, February 2014

OKAY, so that’s a pretty big number… Which is exactly why “JeansOnline”, a Dutch retailer has brought out a brand new extremely innovative service called ‘Easy Fit & Return’ that allows consumers to order their products online, and when the courier brings them to their door they’re offered 15 minutes to try on garments and return any unwanted items. Completely jumping over the customer’s unease with ordering online due to sizing concerns, a massive hole in the online retail industry. An even greater feature of this new service is companies like Lamoda that’s been joining in on this service, offering fashion tips as well! Now you have your own personal stylist at your front door!

Volvo also recently launched their Roam Delivery mobile app, allowing consumers to use their cars as a delivery location. From general shopping to groceries consumers can place orders and offer a digital key and can track with their vehicle has been opened and locked again, with the key obviously being terminated after delivery.

Other delivery services have been changing such as pizza hut, offering a service that cooks your pizza while it’s being delivered. The North American condom company, L. also provided a one hour delivery service, although you may think as we discussed in class previously the heat might die down after sixty minutes, success has brought the service to full function via their website and for every package purchased condoms are donated to developing countries.

BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN???

As a consumer and a prospective employee…



As a consumer who is heavily involved with social interaction, very on top of new innovating ways to change and improve my daily living and how it ties into social media and other platforms, all of this is very exciting! I would happily hop on the band wagon of any of these new and exciting ideas! As a marketing student it’s also very encouraging to know that I’m about to enter an ever changing field and to be included on some of these innovations is going to be more than rewarding.


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future customer service trends