Five Innovative Strategies to Elevate Retail Contact Centers

The nexus of retail is shifting at an unprecedented rate, with over 20% of all retail sales now conducted through digital channels. This revolutionary shift is underlined by the advent of AI-driven personalization, social commerce integration, and immersive XR experiences, all converging to redefine customer experience excellence.

What does this mean for retail contact centers? How can they deliver on new-age customer expectations to build loyalty, increase conversions, and deepen engagement while lowering costs?

Delivering Exceptional CX: The New Frontier for Online Retail Contact Centers

1. 1. Orchestrate Intelligent, Omnichannel Customer Journeys - In the vibrant world of online shopping, customers crave the immediacy and personalization that only intelligent omnichannel strategies can provide. Retailers need to orchestrate customer engagement journeys for speed and convenience using a mix of AI, chatbots, and human agents. This will also help build more efficient operations. For instance, an American Department Store Chain leveraged [24]7.ai’s Journey Analytics to improve their online e-ordering journey. They were able to identify 15 actionable items, including upgrades in agent training, cart adjustments, order confirmations, delivery communications, real time tracking, and exchange/ refund processes – that could eliminate almost 600K calls a year.
2. 2. Create Frictionless Experiences - Friction kills customer experience. Whether it is the purchase journey or post-sales service, if a customer doesn’t get the answer or information they need at the right time, they will take their business elsewhere. Intelligent systems that can offer lightning-fast, contextual resolutions can have customers walking away feeling like they've been truly understood and assisted.
3. 3. Make Self-service Effortless – Gone are the days of static, one-size-fits-all chatbots; the future lies in intent-driven conversational AI. These sophisticated virtual agents are transforming contact centers by efficiently managing peak traffic with personalized self-service and near-human conversations, offering the right information at the pivotal moments of customer decision-making. It’s a win-win where retailers enjoy high containment rates, and customers gain outstanding experience. For instance, a Global E-commerce Company optimized their interactive voice response (IVR) system with [24]7 Voices, increasing call containment by 10,000+ per month and improving call routing by 6.5%, which saved 11% in customer support costs.
4. 4. Amplify Agent Capabilities with AI Co-pilots - Imagine agents supercharged by AI, and capable of understanding and acting on customer intent in real time. This powerful synergy not only enhances the customer experience but also drives operational efficiency, propelling both brand trust and loyalty to new heights.
5. 5. Invest in Ironclad Data Privacy and Security - While customers love new experiences, the ethical use of data must safeguard customer sensitivities and expectations. Contact centers must invest in data security as well as privacy to placate customer concerns and ensure customer loyalty to their brands. With the use of AI, retailers must communicate with their customers about how their data is used while safeguarding individual privacy.

The Decisive Moment for Retail Contact Centers

The future of online retail hinges on a seamless, secure, and personalized customer experience. Retailers who proactively adapt their contact centers to the new digital paradigm will not only thrive but also define the future of retail success. The question for retail CEOs is not if but how quickly they can transform their customer contact strategies to meet and exceed these emergent benchmarks.