The unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has shaken the world to the core.
Many organisations managed to carry through by shifting online while many others had to stop with their business entirely.
Regardless of the position companies found themselves in due to the current circumstances, a plan for the next phase is on everyone’s agenda. With restrictions easing and the economy slowly recovering, staying connected not only with the needs of your customers and employees but with the partners as well will be key in regaining trust and resolving issues effectively.
Staying connected fundamentally means listening – listening to what matters the most to your customers, employees and partners.
In pre-COVID era, the consistent rise in customer expectations, dynamic brand cycles and shorter product life cycles required organisations to continually learn about people’s thoughts and feelings, deal with an increased flow of insights and adapt accordingly, all under the name of Experience Management.
The crisis has made abrupt changes in customers behaviour, therefore keeping up with a shift in focus should be one of the top priorities for organisations as they should strive to sense rather than rely on trends in the market, to be able to understand that behind the statistics there is a human being.
Three core attributes of sensing in line with the capability of adjusting to sudden changes are:
- Less asking and more listening
- Smaller-scale insights
- Multi-channel feedback
To assist you in staying connected with your customers and adopt a mindful approach to return to business, Qualtrics has developed a set of flexible CX solutions:
- Frontline Connect – when customer insights fall short from their end, frontline is your second most reliable source. Acquire all the important details about your customers and take action to have them coming back. Keep an eye on customers response as the situation develops.
- Customer Confidence Pulse – building confidence and trust in conditions like these is twice as difficult. Make sure to act on customer feedback quickly and meet customers’ expectations.
- Digital Open Door – putting more effort into digital channels of your organisation and keeping the communication doors open is a way to make customers feel like they can always rely on help or response from any channel
The impact of the pandemic is immense and it continues to shape the world. While many have faced difficulties and isolation, there is room for creating meaningful interactions even in times like these. Empathy, compassion and patience to listen to your customers (and employees) voice are the means of restoring the connection that was there before. Getting back to business in a new era will require new approaches and increased effort but it may pay off more than expected.