Why Does Multi-Channel Retail Customer Service Matter So Much These Days?

Customer service is one of the most important factors in the multi-channel retail industry and starts with a customer's first impression of the business. A staggering amount of companies, however, have no customer service at all and stumble during the earliest opportunities to build a positive customer relationship.

Let's think about this for a moment. Have you been in a restaurant or out shopping with friends and noticed the conspicuous lack of customer service? Did you find yourself wandering the aisles looking for someone to help you find a particular item or a price only to find no one able to assist? Was there a lack of shoppers in that store? Next time you're out shopping, take a look around and pay close attention to your surroundings. You may be shocked at what you see...or in some cases, don't see.

In today's anemic economy, most business owners ask, "why is customer service important?", not realizing that it is vital to their company's reputation and that it is customer satisfaction levels that either build or break a business.

Meeting customer expectations

Research and advisory firm Forrester states: "Lead the customer-obsessed transformation". This statement reflects on how empowered customers are shaping business strategy. Simply put, customers expect consistent and high-value in-person and digital experiences. They don't care if building these experiences is hard or requires a complex, multifunction approach from across your business. They demand immediate value and will go elsewhere if you can't provide it.

Yet getting everyone within your organisation on the same page is not so simple. It requires common insights so that various functions ...