Harnessing the Power of Customer Experience in BPO

The following article was originally published on LinkedIn as part of our Beyond BPO newsletter and has been edited for publication on this platform.

A crucial component of the BPO industry is Customer Experience (CX), an area in which Rewardsco has excelled since opening its doors way back in 1996.

CX is very prevalent in the modern BPO lexicon, being the sum of all the interactions a customer has with a business, from the first time they hear about the company to the last time they interact with it.

But, why is it so important? Julia Ahlfeldt, a renowned customer experience consultant, noted: “Consumers live in a perpetual state of abundance of choice and communications. For the modern consumer, reality is congested, noisy and relentless”. Regardless of channel, you have to cut through the noise to stand out and win the hearts of consumers by delivering unforgettable customer service.

Real World Business Impacts

Rewardsco’s partners entrust us with their brands and their customers, so we have a responsibility to deliver exceptional experiences to ensure a return on investment. A study by research firm McKinsey backed up these assumptions, finding that companies excelling in CX can expect to see an increase by as much as 15% in customer lifetime value.

Dennis Wakabayashi, a certified CX consultant and well-known industry keynote speaker says: “We need to focus on the two most important moments in the customer journey: the moment they consider us and the moment they commit to us… The consideration stage of the customer journey is where reputation and reach overlap. This includes touchpoints such as social media, search and traditional channels. The commitment stage is where reach and relationship overlap and includes touchpoints like landing pages, customer care interactions and mobile apps”. In other words, not only is your omni-channel strategy important but it must fire on all cylinders. 

Our omni-channel CX strategies at Rewardsco have been forged over time, continually being measured and refined to deliver exceptional rewards for our partners, not just for finding and winning customers, but for retaining and growing them as well.

Through effective CX strategies largely developed in house, we have increased customer advocacy, reduced churn and enhanced the brand reputation of our partners whilst also improving employee morale and motivation, because our people are proud of the work they do and feel like they are making a difference. And, speaking of people, it is crucial to remember the relationship between CX and employee experience, or EX.

CX + EX = Magic

Customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) are closely related and are being seen as essential to business success. EX is the overall experience that an employee has while working for a company and includes factors like the company culture, the work environment, opportunities for growth and development, as well as the feeling of being valued by the business. With such a young and vibrant workforce as seen across the BPO industry, these are key differentiators to any organisation looking to attract, retain and grow talent from a grass-roots level.

Positive CX leads to positive EX. When customers have a good experience with a company, they are more likely to become advocates and recommend the company to others. This can boost employee morale and motivation, as employees feel proud to work for a successful company. On the other hand, a positive EX also leads to a positive CX. If your employees are happy and engaged, they are more likely to provide excellent service that delights customers.

This is why it’s so important to us that Rewardsco’s values and culture align with our people, not just to drive them forward with passion, pride and dedication, but to reward them for their part in driving our mission and overall vision for the business. 

Technology and CX in BPO

In a world dominated by technology, people crave human connection, so it’s imperative to ensure that we are still human-centric by maintaining a good balance.

Putting the customer at the heart of everything you do is the best way to understand their needs and wants so you can then design services and interactions around those needs. It’s also crucial to listen and collect feedback to identify areas where you can improve.

There are many tools and technologies available to achieve your CX goals, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software, chatbots and social media monitoring tools, but the one on everyone’s minds right now is, of course, AI.

“An AI-empowered consumer is our next frontier. They will be super informed, super empowered and will demand so much more from the brands they engage with. We could even see consumer bots engaging with brand bots”, says Julia Ahlfeldt. Although AI will play an important role in improving CX, she notes that it is only a part of the solution. “Organisations need to prepare to embrace the technology, break down silos, and become more agile and adaptive”.

Rewardsco is already testing various forms of AI in our CX and EX strategies and are committed to developing this technology to work in tandem with our people, because we view AI as an enhancement instead of a replacement for human employees. Furthering this point, Yugeshree Frylinck (CXPA), customer experience officer and managing consultant at The CX Group, recently remarked: “It is a mistake to think the same old approach to CX will keep working in a changing environment. Organisations cannot wrap the customer around the technology – it needs to be the other way around. They need to understand their customers and their expectations and add value for them”.

That’s a Wrap

Remember, CX is an ongoing journey, but it’s one that is worth taking. By investing in CX, you can improve your bottom line and build a stronger business. It’s an imperative.

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