Accenture Next Generation Customer Service

ARE YOUFUNDAMENTALLYRETHINKINGyour customer serviceexperience?

Your customer is changing, and theirexpectations are changing with them.They want issues resolved on-demand,interactions tailored specifically tothem and access to more knowledgeacross digital platforms than ever before.Remarkable customer experiences arenow about more than just your product.Technology is increasingly making itpossible for companies to meet thoseexpectations. You have to move now,and fast, if you are going to not justmeet them—but exceed them.THE NEWCUSTOMER REALITYWhat do customers care about more than thepurchase of a product? The experience.Today’s customer has become much more comfortable and proficient with digitaltechnologies. Most now prefer to interact with each other and with the companiesthey do business with via digital channels, and they expect the same level–if notgreater–of personal touch when they have a problem.2

In the last year, 47 percent of consumers globally havequit doing business with a company as a result of a badcustomer service or support experience. Customers arebecoming much more demanding and they want to beable to engage with companies in real time. They havelittle patience for long wait times—issue resolution hasto be almost instantaneous, and tailored to them andtheir specific needs.DIGITALLYNATIVE73%of customers prefer tovisit a company websitebefore contactingcustomer service66%of customers use asearch engine likeGoogle to findsolutions to issuesNEW WAYSTO CONNECT70%of consumers prefermessaging over voicewhen contactingcustomer care67%of consumers haveincreased their usageof messaging in thepast two years47%LEAD WITHAI AND AR90%of people worldwide willhave interacted with AI- andmachine learning-drivencustomer support botswithout knowing it by 202025%of businesses will betesting or running ARaugmented socialsupport by 20203

ORGANIZATIONALCHALLENGES IN THEDIGITAL CUSTOMER AGEThe explosive growth of customer interaction channelshas exposed operational challenges and made relevance,automation and seamless engagement key to survival.Organizations are struggling to address these four keyareas in the digital era.TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEMOrganizations want to build their technology ecosystem with“best of breed” capabilities across multiple vendors, and expectthis all to work together in a seamless and frictionless manner.PARTNER COLLABORATIONOrganizations want to “own” the customer experience and arefrustrated with lack of visibility into outsourced partner systems.They want full visibility into the end-to-end service deliverylifecycle so they can truly understand their customer’s journey.INCREASED CLIENT DEMANDSCompanies want an efficient way to collect and maintain customerspecific information for differentiated treatment and to presentcustomers with service agents in a consistent and contextual manner.BALANCING GLOBAL WITH LOCALOrganizations are still struggling with maintaining global standardization.In addition, accommodating local processes and procedures due toregulatory and cultural requirements poses a challenge.4

BUILDINGTHE SERVICEORGANIZATIONOF THE FUTURE,TODAYCapitalize on the latest technologyto deliver remarkable customerservice and build the customerservice organization of the futureright now. By getting these thingsright, you can lay the foundation forthe next generation of customerservice.Prioritize the brilliant basics now more than ever .to achieve world-class satisfactionUnleash the unique power of AI .to enable proactive service capabilitiesAssemble the workforce of the future to attain operational excellenceBuild tailored and personalized interactions to earn customer trust5

INNOVATING SERVICEDELIVERY TO EXCEEDCUSTOMER EXPECTATIONSAccenture’s Next Gen Service Offering consists of sixpillars for building your future service organization.123456SMARTSELF-SERVICE,RECOVERY ANDOUTREACHPERSONALIZEDEXPERIENCE FORCUSTOMER ANDREPRESENTATIVEDIGITALLYENABLEDAGENT IZATIONAI-POWEREDWORKFORCEMANAGEMENTBy delivering remarkable customer service, companiescan reduce customer complaints, increase their shareof customers’ wallets and loyalty, build advocacyfor their offerings and brand, and create a pricepremium—while reducing the operational costs oftheir service organization. As organizations pivot tobecome more digitally relevant, Accenture’s Next GenService Offering provides a framework for our clientsto build the service organization of the future today.6

1TODAYSMARTSELF-SERVICE,RECOVERY ANDOUTREACHOrganizations wait for a service event to occur, engaging withcustomers to resolve issues in a reactive service motion.TOMORROWOrganizations leverage IoT, AI and third-party data to proactivelyidentify a service event before it happens and resolve it throughdigitally enabled channels. Customers are empowered with a360-degree view of service activity for self-service supportand automated monitoring for proactive assistance.Channel mixSelf-serviced deflectionElimination before occurrenceCustomer effort score2TODAYPERSONALIZEDEXPERIENCE FORCUSTOMER ANDREPRESENTATIVEAgents have access to basic customer information, IVR, customervalidation and authentication at the point of engagement.TOMORROWAgents can predict customer intent at the point of engagement,understand their sentiment and urgency, and determine whois the best available representative to solve for that intent.Creating a holistic view of the customer based on aggregateddata and providing representatives a matching engine increasesbrand affinity and drives more personalized connections withcustomers.Customer churnNet Promoter Score (NPS)Transactional NPSTransfer rate7

3TODAYDIGITALLYENABLEDAGENT ASSISTAgents gather information in multiple systems to close a case, withthe emergence of basic RPA capabilities helping to solve issues.TOMORROWDigitally enabled assistants provide guidance and knowledge tosolve the customer’s request. They offer seamless, single-paneof-glass information that is dynamically rendered and supportedby Natural Language Processing and advanced automation.Assistants enable a unified experience for issue resolution,augmenting agents with AI digital assist and advanced remotetroubleshooting capabilities.Employee utilizationAverage handle timeFirst contact resolutionKnowledge bilities include basic quoting and lead passing incustomer service organizations.TOMORROWCapabilities include leveraging a service event to have anopportunity to drive higher-value conversations. Theseconverge sales, service and marketing, unlocking newcross-sell/upsell and retention opportunities in the future.Lead generation rateCross-sell/upsell rateRevenue per customer8

5TODAYFIELDSERVICEOPTIMIZATIONField workers are highly reliant on manual processes withlimited mobility and analytics-driven field service offerings.TOMORROWContact centers address ad-hoc repairs in the field in amore optimized way that is time-sensitive to customersand beneficial to customer satisfaction. This optimizationopportunity reduces complexity and effort in the field andwill be driven by AI and workforce analytics, unlocking moreefficient hand-offs, greater visibility for field agents anddiagnostic capabilities through unified channel strategyavailable online and on mobile.Customer interactionProductivityInternal user signment of work to support agents is based off of manualreports, volumes and queues. This system runs the risk of underor overstaffing for current customer service organizations.TOMORROWAI-powered workforce management unlocks a liquid workforce,allowing open shift employees to self-select in an Uber-likemodel. AI and machine learning intelligently predict shiftvolume needs, while human analytics identifies trainingand skill needs.Routing capabilitiesWork plan capabilitiesCost structure9

Contact the AuthorsAbout AccentureCasey SolisManaging Director, Accenture CMTcasey.solis@accenture.comAccenture is a leading global professionalservices company, providing a broadrange of services and solutions instrategy, consulting, digital, technologyand operations. Combining unmatchedexperience and specialized skills acrossmore than 40 industries and all businessfunctions—underpinned by the world’slargest delivery network—Accentureworks at the intersection of business andtechnology to help clients improve theirperformance and create sustainable valuefor their stakeholders. With 482,000 peopleserving clients in more than 120 countries,Accenture drives innovation to improve theway the world works and lives. Visit us atwww.accenture.com.Mick MaleyManagement Consultant, Accenture CMTmichael.maley@accenture.comCopyright 2019 AccentureAll rights reserved.Accenture and its logoare trademarks of Accenture.This document makes descriptive reference to trademarks thatmay be owned by others. The use of such trademarks herein is notan assertion of ownership of such trademarks by Accenture and isnot intended to represent or imply the existence of an associationbetween Accenture and the lawful owners of such trademarks.

Accenture Subject: Accenture's report explains how our Next Generation Services help to build your future service organization in the digital era. Read more. Keywords: next generation services, machine learning, accenture consulting, customer service experience, technology ecosystem, customer service in the digital age, ai in workforce management