The UK is now on lockdown, for an initial period of 3 weeks (but it may be longer).
We’ve rapidly entered a world that very few could have previously imagined.
The consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak are going to be severe and long lasting.
Millions of businesses have closed indefinitely. For those still operating, basic continuity now is the biggest challenge they’ve ever faced.
For the public at large, it is understandably a time of intense emotions. And people have more spare time than ever before. Time to observe, judge, brood and comment. Not every reaction will be rational or fair.
Reputations are being made and broken for the long term right now, and not just based on customer service: they also hinge on public perceptions around employee welfare and social responsibility.
Many businesses are in emergency response mode. But if any time can be spent planning and thinking about lasting customer and public perceptions, it could be time very well spent.
In the post-Coronavirus world, survival and recovery are going to require determination, adaptability and creativity
Some businesses currently have far more demand than they can cope with. This might not be demand for goods and services – it could be demand for information, or just attention. There are lots of disappointed and frustrated customers out there, and they are going to create some long-term reputational damage.
New services
Ultimately, the only way to move is forward. We all need to “do our bit”, in our own way, to provide value to others in whatever ways we can.
Customerwise therefore is adapting and expanding what we do. There is currently very little demand for our existing services. So, we are now offering a number of different support services, to provide businesses with help in the areas where they currently need it, making the best use of what we have to offer.
One of the most valuable things that we can offer, aside from the capabilities of the management team, is immediate access to the most skilled, intelligent and reliable home-based workers in the UK.
Below, we have listed some of our new services. Some of these have been taken up by clients already, and we’re are likely to add more. We’re very adaptable and happy to do anything we can to help businesses through this difficult time.
If you think that we might be able to help you in any of the areas below (or in any other way), please get in touch by calling 01392 984224 or using connect@customerwise.co.uk.
Virtual Contact Centre Services
Our team of outstanding home-based workers can help businesses that are struggling with capacity. By assisting with communication between business and customer, we can help save the time of core staff and help them to be more efficient in their tasks. We can provide the “human touch” to rescue brand loyalty, and protect reputations.
In all cases, we will follow agreed systems and protocols as designated by the client.
Inbound customer service / overflow calls
This service will be similar to those offered elsewhere, but delivered to a higher standard, with better people. Our call handlers will:
- Create a great first impression.
- Understand the needs of the caller, listening and empathise where appropriate.
- Field, priortise and “triage” inbound calls.
- Capture caller and other key data.
Outbound Customer Service calls
The focus here will be to defuse anger and frustration, rebuild the bond between brand and customer, and win back loyalty.
- Make that all important-human connection. Listen and empathise.
- Provide information, updates, choices.
- Achieve solutions or move towards them.
Live Chat Handling
Support with handling of Live Chat enquiries. In these situations, our people will
- Increase capacity,
- Ease delays and backlogs,
- reduce customer / public frustration.
Review site response management
(e.g. trustpilot, feefo, google reviews, etc)
With this service, we help clients show that they care about customers and about customer satisfaction. Well written and timely responses communicate with those who wrote reviews (and perhaps and needed to “vent”), but they also speak on behalf of a brand to the whole world.
Consulting Services
Consulting – extreme high demand
We can provide speedy delivery of projects to help clients to understand how they can protect and improve customer perceptions and minimise damage to their brand during periods of extreme high demand and overwhelm of their current infrastructure.
Market Intelligence via Telephone Mystery Shopping
Another service that may be valuable to some businesses, post-lockdown, is Telephone Mystery Shopping as a means of gathering accurate, detailed and up-to-date market intelligence.
This is particularly relevant useful where businesses need detailed information about a market (which might include large numbers of competitors) before making a move into or within that market (e.g. investments, acquisitions and disposals, strategic change of direction, etc.).
We already manage several studies of this type each year. This sort of study often involves a desk research element. Features and pricing are always key data points, usually combined with availability, lead times, options, USPs and many others.
After lockdown
When the current lockdown ends, many businesses that reopen are likely to have much less demand than before the crisis (in terms of custom, sales, bookings, etc.).
Where demand has shrunk, many businesses will be forced to cut staff and other resources as an early step. But they must do everything possible to convert prospects into new customers, and to earn loyalty. Markets will become more competitive in a general or traditional sense.
To help customers in this situation, we will be offering affordable consultancy packages to a broad range of businesses to help them to find ways to truly stand out from the crowd.
We also look forward, in due course, to resuming existing services for clients once the acute stage of the Covid-19 crisis has passed. E.g.
- Telephone Mystery Shopping
- In-person / report-based Mystery Shopping
- Online Mystery Shopping
- Video Mystery Shopping
- B2B Mystery Shopping
- B2B Competitor Mystery Shopping
- B2B Customer In-Depth Interviews
- Competitor Research and Analysis
