The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unprecedented set of challenges for even the most successful companies. Stay-at-home measures shuttered storefronts and office buildings while cutting the ceremonial ribbon on home offices and new online experiences. The era of a “gradual rollout” ended, forcing businesses to adapt overnight to a world fully reliant on digital. While some businesses lagged behind, a staggering 97% of executives say COVID-19 has sped up their digital transformation. The digital call to action debuted a new focus on the customer. Hardware chain Lowe’s anticipates that quarantine will limit foot traffic, so they built out new digital infrastructure to offer free delivery of Christmas trees this holiday season. Popular video service Zoom removed pay-to-play time limits for online learning. Businesses are moving away from “what can our business offer?” to “what does our customer need and how can we make it happen?” Here’s how your organization can take advantage of industry disruptions to create memorable, innovative experiences for your customers.
Launch or renovate your online self-service suite
Businesses like credit unions and local insurance companies revolve around in-person, white glove customer service. Quarantine measures forced them to find online ways to offer their customer base the same caliber of service. Stay-at-home measures reduced foot traffic inside brick-and-mortar locations, limiting the valuable in-person interaction that drives many local businesses. , after being hit hard by quarantine, with many of their key services requiring an in-branch visit. “Waiting it out” is not an option—only in visiting a bank branch in the near future. To combat these changes, they’ve sped up the transition of their full support suite into the handheld, at-home realm. Process management platforms have enabled banks to create powerful apps that replicate the exceptional experience of in-person customer appointment. A dynamic conversation gives rise to many more business opportunities than a static app with a single goal, and banks are using the latest technology to mimic this prime level of interaction. World-class phone and tablet apps offer the complete suite of services from simple balance inquiries to complex account openings and loan applications. Artificial intelligence furthers the customer relationship by identifying opportunities for upsells and teaching users about new features or products.
