How mobile messaging can enhance customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction

At CXN Live: Contact Centers 2020, Mathias Mühlfelder, senior director of product management at global telecommunications service provider, Syniverse, spoke to attendees about the power of mobile messaging for enhancing customer satisfaction in a channel rich environment.

Interactive voice recognition is harming your customer satisfaction

Mühlfelder began by detailing the significant issues that are present in traditional phone channels that utilize interactive voice recognition (IVR). He noted that, according to Forbes, 39 per cent of customers would rather clean a toilet than interact with an IVR system, with 35 per cent of those who do persevere ending the call within one minute. Ignoring the frustrations of this problematic channel can cause serious problems, with Mühlfelder reminding that 89 per cent of customers will change to a competitor after a poor customer service experience.

Mühlfelder believed that instead of relying on poor IVR for handling customer service, a switch to mobile messaging could be a better option.

Mobile messaging makes sense

Mühlfelder noted that alongside the benefits of real-time capabilities for mobile messaging, 90 per cent of customers prefer to engage with a brand through a text conversation rather than a phone call.

“It makes sense to enable messaging for your customers as it enables interaction in real-time, and that is something that around 65 per cent of customers really enjoy,” explained Mühlfelder.

Driving customer service efficiency

Aside from being a preferred channel for customers, Mühlfelder explained that mobile messaging can drive efficiency in many areas. By hosting customer engagement conversations outside of phone call channels, not only do you have the opportunity to decrease inbound call volume, but also to automate text conversations with chatbots, thus taking strain away from contact center agents and freeing them up for more important tasks.

Mobile messaging also enables speedy resolution for customer queries, noted Mühlfelder, as research shows that 90 per cent of text messages are read within 15 minutes, with the average customer responding within 90 seconds. In today’s world, most of us are rarely more than an arm’s length from our mobile phones, meaning that customers are often ready to engage through mobile messaging at a moment’s notice. This presents a unique opportunity to reach out to customers proactively through notifications and text alerts, demonstrating a desire to communicate with them and ensure that their concerns are resolved.

“Mobile messaging gives you an opportunity to make your customer feel empowered by keeping them proactively informed, allowing them to tailor their own experiences and giving them a voice,” remarked Mühlfelder.

To hear the full range of Mühlfelder’s insights and observations regarding mobile messaging and how it drives enhanced customer satisfaction, watch Mühlfelder’s full session from CXN Live: Contact Centers 2020 above.