The rise of the internet and information technology have greatly contributed to revolutionising customer experience from what we knew of it in the past. Today’s customer is quite different. He is in control of when, where and how they want to interact with a brand and brands don’t have many opportunities to get it right.

As a result of technology, a modern customer is more connected than ever before. With this one device – the smart phone – the modern customer can easily share their opinion, research alternatives products or services on the go, review products, check prices, and oddly enough, sometimes even purchase products from one retailer’s online channel as he bargains in a competitor’s outlet.

To handle the modern customer, a different approach is required when it comes to reaching out to them as well as addressing their needs. Access to the internet via mobile phones has empowered the customer and at the same time, it has also created opportunities for business owners to interact with customers more purposefully and to offer more personalised interaction.

 So who is the modern customer?  This is the customer who mainly applies to the millennials and the generation Z. However, more emphasis is given to the millennials because compared to Generation Z, they have more spending appetite.

The modern customer is not necessarily interested in the traditional advertising but they instead prefer transparency, access to the brands’ information, mission and products. As opposed to hearsay, they prefer to create their image of a brand as a result of first-hand experience.

The modern customer is spending a lot of their time online, particularly social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat. For business owners, it is important to meet the modern customer where they are to retain them.

Since a modern customer is aways online, they can order or purchase whatever they want or need any time. For business owners, there is therefore a need to understand their taste and needs or risk losing them.

When it comes to shopping, the modern consumer knows he is in control of what they want. They have ways to research, explore and share their purchase decisions.

All this is done in a very quick manner and as a business owner, you need to be in a position to respond to their needs immediately as opposed to trying to direct them. Failing to do this, you risk losing this customer and it may not be just for that particular purchase, but may be for a long time.

To succeed in the modern globalised market as a business owner, you need to meet your customers where they are. The traditional way of shopping in stores is gradually but surely being taken over by a good number of customers doing their shopping online.

Customers are now shopping via social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram, through messaging Apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram as well as online via the business’s website.

A business owner who has provided a variety of channels through which the customer can reach them, has to ensure there is uniformity in the way they engage with the customer via these different channels. It is imperative that business owners break down barriers of communication and connect with the client in the same way online as you would if they came in physically at the shop.

A customer expects personalised interaction. The shopping experience goes beyond the traditional way of selling where as a merchant you simply stock what you want to sell. The buyer shoulders the rest of the responsibility.

From experience, three out of five consumers are likely to buy from a company that has personalised interaction. Personalized service can increase the chance of your customers being loyal to your company because they feel that they are part of the brand and they trust your company.

The customer wants their product or service now! So should the customer find that what they need is not available, a majority will either switch the brand, product or the retailer altogether.

Social media influencers and online communities are reshaping how consumers form opinions, buy from brands, and get their questions answered. More and more customers, particularly the Gen Z, are increasingly turning to social media influencers and online communities to make purchasing decisions.

When it comes to handling the modern customer, you will need to redefine your customer experience strategy. The quality of the customer experience you offer as a business will affect how customers respond to your brand.

A customer experience strategy is the process of defining, planning and documenting a company-wide approach to providing a frictionless customer experience by understanding customer behaviour and exceeding customer expectations.

Against this backdrop, I suggest four best practices to consider for the retention modern ‘flippant’ customer:

 1. Customers are people with tastes and delicate emotions

A new business will mainly start small and if all goes well, it will experience growth moving from handling a handful number of customers to the hundreds and even thousands. Most of the time, the customer service agents will get overwhelmed and the focus now shifts to just getting through as many customers as possible. At this point, there may be neglect toward the quality of service and customer satisfaction.

It is therefore important to ensure that the customer service agents have the tools that they need in order for them to offer quality service. Customer service agents need to put customers at the heart of everything they do because they make the most impact due to the direct interaction with customers.

When customer service agents see not only a ticket number but the details of a customer such as their names and preferences, it creates an environment for the interaction with the customer to be personal and solution driven.

To build meaningful relationships with customers, it is important to have a customer-centric strategy. This means that the agent has more autonomy to help the customer, instead of having to transfer them to the next agent, put them on hold or having to switch communication channels.

 2. Improve personalisation

Loyal customers not only spend the more money but they are also willing to spare some time and write a raving review about your product or service making them very valuable to your business. For loyal customers you want to make them feel appreciated and valued and personalising their experience is a good way to sort of repay them for their unwavering support. To achieve this, customer service agents need access to customer profiles and past communications on all channels – all on one screen.

Implementing a fully-connected customer relationship management tool gives agents the entire history of the customer information at their fingertips, which improves the customer experience since all agents will be well aware if your customers have previously reached out to your company and in what regard.

Having information in one place means agents can become service heroes and customers will never have to repeat themselves over and over again which can be very frustrating.

With this amount of information, agents can assure customers that they know who they are, what they like and what their purchasing history is. It also allows agents to help customers quickly and efficiently and in some cases, by recommending a product that they know the customer will definitely love.

 3. Cut waiting time

Most of the time, when customers are reaching out to the customer service agents, they are pressed for time and the more time they wait the higher the chance of irritation. A customer centric approach enables the agent to transfer a customer to agents who are best-suited to solve their issue from the get-go if they themselves are not able to help. This reduces wait times and friction that would be caused by putting customers on hold as agents consult specialists.

Additionally, offering your customers an omnichannel experience enables them to reach out to your company using the channel most convenient for them. This includes modern forms of contact such as email, chat, SMS and social media channels such as Instagram direct message or Facebook Messenger to the traditional phone calls.

 4. Proactive customer service

Instead of waiting to act until a problem occurs, it is better to be always ready. They say prevention is better than cure and one of the ways that a business can be proactive is by providing a knowledge base to customers that addresses potential obstacles that may come up.

As opposed to constantly contacting a customer service agent, the modern customers are increasingly willing to find answers themselves and self-service is quickly becoming the ‘new normal.’ For this customer, providing a self-service chat widget that helps them troubleshoot common problems would be the ideal proactive solution.

• A Tell  report / Jackie Wahome, Customer Experience Trainer