Customer service is the differentiating attribute that distinguishes your company from competitors who provide identical products or services. If I were to summarize the basic purpose of customer service in one word, I would say “loyalty.” This is especially true in a contact center, where first impressions are formed and loyalty begins.
Service design is an effective tool for transforming each interaction into a remarkable experience. In this post, we’ll look at the five key principles of service design that can help you build a contact center that can keep your clients loyal.
What is Service Design? A Brief History
Although the term “service design” appears to be new, its origins may be traced back to the mid-twentieth century. The term “design thinking” originated in the 1970s at the prominent Stanford University in the United States. This methodology provided a systematic approach to innovating and solving complicated challenges. When applied to the service sector, it eventually became known as “service design.”
Michael Erlhoff and Birgit Mager, professors at the Cologne International School of Design, were responsible for officially introducing the phrase “service design” in 1991. They included this field in their curriculum, signaling the start of its methodical study.
In 2011, the book This is Service Design Thinking: Basics, Tools, Cases sparked a renewed interest in service design. The authors, Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider, expanded on the substance of this notion by offering practical tools and examples of how service design might be applied to present situations.
Service Design: Definition
Service design is a discipline that focuses on developing and improving services from a user-centric perspective. It is not enough to simply create a product; it is also necessary to design a holistic experience for the customer’s contact with the company. A service designer’s goal is to understand how people interact with a product or service, what their feelings and requirements are, what they encounter along the customer journey, and how to improve that experience.
Service Design with a Focus on the Customer and the Human
User-centricity is a crucial idea in service design. This means that all decisions are made according to the customer’s needs, preferences, and expectations. Every level of development, from research to implementation, is focused on providing the greatest possible user experience.
The phrase “human-centricity” is synonymous with “User-centricity” in the context of service design. Both terms emphasize that the individual, their needs, and emotions are at the heart of all processes.
Why is Service Design Important in Contact Centers?
Service design is essential for controlling the customer experience management (CXM), particularly at contact centers where clients communicate directly. Service design can help to optimize procedures, increase customer satisfaction, and strengthen brand loyalty.
Service design helps companies to better understand their customers’ needs and create a more personalized service experience. By analyzing the “customer journey” across different communication channels, businesses can identify areas where the process breaks down and improve them. This can lead to shorter wait times, more efficient agents, and fewer customer inquiries.
The significant advantages of applying service design principles in contact centers include:
- Increased customer loyalty
- Enhanced operational efficiency
- Improved company reputation
- Discovery of new ideas and solutions.
A contact center can transform from a problem-solving platform to one that fosters happy feelings and strengthens client relationships thanks to service design.
Let’s take a deeper look at the five key service design principles that will assist you in providing an outstanding customer experience in your contact center.
1. User-Centered: Seeing the Service from the Customer’s Eyes
User-centeredness is the capacity to put oneself in the shoes of your customers and comprehend their feelings, needs, and desires. In the context of service design, it refers to looking at a product or service through the eyes of the consumer. A user-centered approach is critical for success at contact centers, as clients interact directly with agents.
When a contact center agent adopts a user-centered approach, they do more than just answer inquiries; they strive to comprehend the customer’s motivations, emotional state, concerns, and fears. This method contributes to the development of trusting connections with clients, the effective resolution of difficulties, and the creation of a positive interaction experience. A user-centered emphasis allows agents to go beyond typical scripts or recommendations and provide individualized solutions that meet the specific needs of each customer.
2. Co-Creative: Working Together to Improve Results
Co-creative procedures ensure that all stakeholders—including customers, employees, and managers—are involved in the development of contact center services. This technique collects many thoughts and ideas, resulting in a deeper understanding of client wants and expectations. By involving representatives from outsourced contact center clients, problems can be discovered faster and novel solutions to improve service quality can be developed. The co-creative approach also promotes a sense of shared responsibility for the final product, which strengthens relationships among all process participants.
Example from Global Bilgi Practice
Global Bilgi recognizes that each customer is unique, which is why we use the co-creative philosophy at all stages of project creation. We conduct rigorous research on our clients’ products and services. We create successful sales scripts, response scenarios for frequently asked questions, and phone survey forms with the help of client experts. This technique enables us to extensively immerse ourselves in the client’s business characteristics and develop personalized solutions that completely satisfy their requirements. Through co-creation, we ensure that every client who interacts with Global Bilgi’s contact center has an exceptional experience.
3. Sequencing: Introducing the Customer Journey in the Contact Center
Sequencing in service design entails dividing the customer’s relationship with a company into different, logically connected stages. This enables for a thorough examination of each stage, revealing potential issues or areas for improvement. In the context of a contact center, sequencing helps to develop a clear pattern for interactions, from the initial contact until the resolution of the problem. Service design improves the entire customer experience by enhancing interactions at each stage.
| Customer Journey in the Contact Center
|
Examples of Improvement |
| Contact: The customer selects a communication channel (phone, chat, email) and states their question or issue. | Optimizing communication channels, simplifying the contact procedure, using chat bots to quickly resolve simple inquiries. |
| Request Processing: The agent receives the request, clarifies details, and identifies the issue. | Creating intuitive scripts for agents, using CRM systems for quick access to customer information. |
| Problem Resolution: The agent provides the necessary information, resolves the issue, or directs the customer to the appropriate specialist. | Automating responses, IVR systems for self-service, chat bots for simple tasks, automatic call distribution systems (ACD). |
| Closing the Request: The agent confirms the issue is resolved and asks the customer for feedback. | Confirming problem resolution, collecting feedback, offering additional services. |
| Post-Service: The company may send a survey to gather feedback or offer additional services. | Sending personalized messages, conducting satisfaction surveys, using feedback data to improve services. |
By studying each stage of the customer journey, the organization may pinpoint “pain points” and provide more efficient solutions. This method ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience when communicating with the contact center.
4. Evidencing in Service Design: Concept to Implementation
The evidencing principle in service design focuses on developing prototypes that enable quick and easy visualization of service ideas and concepts. This can be implemented in contact centers by using customer journey maps, conversation script samples, MVP software versions, and other tools. These prototypes assist stakeholders in understanding the service’s appearance, the stages through which users will progress, and the tools that operators will employ. This procedure streamlines the identification of problems and improvements.
Gathering feedback during the prototyping stage is crucial for improving service in a contact centre. For example, by evaluating communication script prototypes, contact centers can learn which phrases or approaches resonate most with customers, resulting in increased satisfaction and more efficient service delivery.
5. Holistic: Using Proactivity and Personalization to Build Customer Loyalty
A holistic approach to service design indicates that the service provided should not only address a specific demand at a given time, but also take into account the whole context of the customer’s Lifetime Value. For an outsourced contact center, this means that every interaction with a customer should be part of a larger picture of their relationship with the organization. Operators are required to not only solve problems, but also to provide personalized recommendations, provide additional services, and build long-term connections with customers. Only then can we discuss really holistic service.
Conclusions
The implementation of service design principles transforms a standard client engagement in a contact center into an exceptional digital experience. Service design, which is based on user-centeredness, co-creativity, sequencing, evidencing, and holistic approaches, contributes to the development of a communication process that develops brand loyalty and commitment.
The primary benefits of service design for contact centers are a better understanding of client needs, enhanced operational efficiency, the provision of more personalized service, and the enhancement of the company’s reputation. Each of the five principles contributes significantly to reaching these aims. For example, user-centeredness enables operators to better understand their clients, co-creativity involves all stakeholders in the development process, and sequencing allows for the optimization of each stage of customer engagement.
Global Bilgi, a leading provider of inbound contact center services, has successfully implemented service design principles to enhance its operations. We produce bespoke solutions that fully fulfill the needs of our partners by collaborating with clients and utilizing new ways. If you want to deliver the best possible service to your consumers, contact us. We will assist you in developing a contact center that promotes your company’s favorable image.
