itSMF Bulletin itSMF Bulletin August 2018 | Page 4

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Typically, we start our search on an organisation’s website, but we might end up dealing with a long winded IVR system with long wait times, or eventually talking to a customer representative who may not be geographically co-located and thus only partially understands local nuances.

More customers are now engaging with service providers through digital devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, and I’ve often observed that they can switch devices almost three times per hour. The ‘connected’ generation of Millennials and the iGeneration prefer to interact with organisations on mobile applications and ever evolving social

media channels. Customer engagement is increasingly through text rather than voice, and the option for self-service is

becoming the favoured approach assuming it is easy to use, it works, and we get the answer to our question.

Only 36% of organisations have some visibility into multichannel data…

But why is it so hard? Why do so few companies have a viable multi-channel, customer engagement platform that allows context, intent and integration across channels providing a seamless experience?

There is nothing more annoying than being passed from one division to another and hearing the words “we are

We’ve all had our frustrations dealing with a telco, bank, utility, insurance company or other large organisation when trying to get information, complete a transaction, or request service.

By Michael Ritterman