To be heard or become protected from intrusive suggestions? What channels of communication with the service are chosen by Ukrainians and for what purposes?

Consumers give priority to the quality of the service provided, the speed of delivery and the responsiveness of the staff. The buyer evaluates the assistance they receive during all stages of the purchase: before, during and after. He/She is also more inclined to trust the seller of the product or service if they have been helpful and responsive.

Clients and Service — points of interaction

As confirmed by research conducted by 4Service Group customers value loyalty programs, promotions and discounts. According to communication preferences, consumers are generally divided into two groups:

• those who appreciate live communication with the seller or consultants;

• fans of the advantages of digital technologies.

Some 86% of respondents prefer to receive only information and/or advertising messages that they have subscribed to or use and through only one convenient communication channel. Around 7% of respondents did not wish for companies to get in touch with them via any platform.

Loyal customers prefer an individual approach to advertising information. In their opinion, personalized advertising increases their likelihood of buying.

To study consumer expectations from the service, 4Service Group experts used a sample of 5,200 interviews and IVR survey statistics based on their database containing information on more than 300,000 respondents.

Communication channel

Among the many available channels of communication with sellers, mobile communication is considered to be the fastest and the most convenient and, above all, the most effective. Chats, feedback on the seller’s website and QR codes have become a part of the everyday life of the average buyer.

Electronic platforms also provide an opportunity to express your opinion. They are used more often as a free zone for those both in favor and against additional advertising and advertising in general. One Fifth of those surveyed agree with the opinions left on Google reviews.

The second, in terms of speed and convenience, is oral communication and hotline phones. Not surprisingly, consumers consider the complaint book to be the most effective form of feedback and put it in the same position as email.

Constant information delivery through any convenient communication channels is justified when the customer makes a purchase. The customer wants to be notified and be able to track every step of the product’s journey, from when the courier took the order until the very moment of delivery.

Ukrainian consumers have prioritized the choice of tools for communication with the service in the following way:

We can select the three most effective:

• Services available via mobile devices: QR codes, SMS messages, chats, social networks, company website, etc.
• Call center: live communication, emotional influence on making a purchase decision.
• Email is the most effective and reliable channel for receiving feedback.

The QR code should be singled out from the first position of the main rating as a separate and most relevant communication channel for advanced clients.

The choice of QR code as the main one among many communication services is influenced by:

• for the consumer-the ability to mark a location on the map;
• for the company-getting the largest number of mobile responses from customers in real-time.

Situations that require feedback

In order to track the feedback channels used by service sellers, it is important to find out what problems are causing requests from service recipients. The experts set themselves the task of finding out why and what prevents Ukrainian consumers from apply with complaints to solve problem situations?

The statistics obtained as a result of the survey were very interesting for specialists, but more so for the respondents themselves and a large number of ordinary customers.

Another interesting conclusion, that is especially useful for companies providing goods and services, helped to make this simple survey of customers. Survey respondents actively responded on details and preferences.

Interviewing 547 respondents who submitted complaints or feedback in case of conflict situations, they gave detailed segmental indicators ( % ) for companies in Ukraine that need customer feedback:

According to 13% of respondents, supermarkets and stores need to increase loyalty and establish relevant feedback with customers.

The choice of communication channels

The choice of companies is determined by availability, necessity, convenience, and application of modern methods and technologies.

When choosing effective channels for contacting consumers, companies take into account current negative trends and first of all, the client’s expectation of unobtrusive service. This parameter is most often referred to as the driver for selecting a service company, product, goods, or service.

The second important indicator of successful sales is communication with the client in a convenient mode. At convenient times, customers respond better to messenger messages, phone calls and SMS messages.

In the B2B format, according to the observations of 4Service Group experts, specialists prefer e-mail for primary communication with the client and for maintaining communication. The parties respond better to information received at more convenient times. During the active stage of working on projects, live communication via messengers is most justified. They are convenient for 80% of clients for both messages and conversation.

A ROBOT is calling you!

To indicate the attitude of Ukrainians to robotic calls, the experts conducted interviews with 220 pre-selected candidates.

Unexpected statistics:

• 54% of Ukrainians respond to calls received from unknown numbers;

• 3% ignore calls from unknown numbers and do not answer;

• 72% immediately detect that a robot is calling;

• 65% get annoyed with robot calls and subscribers always consider it spam;

• 48% are patient to robotic calls if they relate to a personal need (event reminder, order, etc);

• 26% leave feedback about the company’s work.

Live communication is preferred to communication from robots:

Advertising or feedback?

Viber and SMS mailing lists are believed to be the most intrusive. Restaurants and cafes, retailers and stores spam everyone for no reason and respondents delete the correspondence without even reading it.

An SMS message always attracts attention. The subscriber intuitively reacts to important information. Taxi advertising is the most intrusive and annoying segment. Consumers’ phone numbers are included in the mailing list without their knowledge. In order not to alienate the client, communication via SMS must be very thoughtful.

SMS messages about promotions and new products from cosmetics stores also irritate consumers. The most intrusive for a certain category of clients are phone calls from beauty salons with invitations to “free” procedures.

Research by 4Service Group confirms that 60% of consumers are discouraged by frequent advertising from making a purchase or getting a service. Intrusive advertising can turn a brand’s communication channel into a toxic one for the user.

In the presence of intrusive advertising, customers stop buying the offered product and after short consideration prefer to forget about the brand. The more intruded on they feel, the less desire they have to buy from that brand.

The service deemed intrusive when a lot of services offered are not related to the customer’s need and do not meet their expectations of a brand.

Steps for communication

Effective building of marketing communication channels to increase the customer loyalty index will require 4 steps:

• Step 1. Feedback. Building a Customer Journey Map. Connecting all possible channels for quick feedback collection services, with a single platform for online statistics for your customers. This helps to measure NPS and identify detractors. Providing quick feedback (hotline, QR code, etc.). Reducing data processing time is the basis for business promotion.

• Step 2. Segmentation. It is important to segment customers and update data regularly and to communicate with them by collecting feedback. Getting good service, neutrals and promoters do not leave reviews. Ask in the location after the purchase, initiate communication with the site, connect with them via social networks or SMS.

• Step 3. Problem-solving. After receiving a complaint, you must contact the customer and let the customer know that you have received and appreciate their feedback and are working to fix the problem. Inform the customer about the solution to the problem. Understanding customer needs increases customer loyalty. Approximately 86% of respondents are ready to leave their contact details if they feel like their complaint has been heard.

• Step 4. Working out positive feedback. You always need to give an answer, even on positive reviews. Having information about the client’s reaction works for a positive image of the company and, as a result, for the financial result.

A fine line between need and obsessive service

Understanding the possible needs of the client as a result of professionalism in a particular area allows you to generate timely technologies for competent service. A company that anticipates a customer’s wishes even when their need for something has not yet arisen will always be ahead of the competition in terms of sales.

The level of service can be estimated by four key features:

1. Equal attention to all customers. VIP, PREMIUM or regular must be served the same way, at the same level.
2. Providing customer feedback, speed of staff response, guaranteed compensation, including financial compensation, in case of errors by the staff or the manufacturer.
3. Studying the needs of your potential client, well thought-out steps for communication. Maintenance on the way to getting the service. Ability to anticipate customer needs.
4. Development of the company in the vector of using the latest technologies. One of the leading banks caused a mixed reaction from competitors when it decided to reduce the number of its offices. As it turned out, the decision was made on the basis of research on working with individuals. Of these, 80% use online banking services through the app. The company reallocated the saved funds for the development of mobile applications, VIP and premium service.

Spectra — optimal digital 360֯

The optimal solution to the client’s question is the non-standard Spectra platform. The 4Service Group team has created tools for companies of any size.

It provides an overview of the used communication channels with the possible gradual connection of new ones, as well as an overview of 360֯, taking into account the specifics of the business and the volume of turnover of the company. In the section of the 1st screen, you can see up to 10 channels of feedback from the client.

Spectra 24/7 helps to neutralize negative experiences, since deceived expectations kill loyalty. The NPS (Net Promoter Score) of the detractor may be greater than the neutral. CSI (consumer satisfaction index) shows the real state of affairs and allows for a quick response,

— recommends Aliona Kokina, 4Service Project Manager.

The platform provides the possibility of escalation in the system — this means that within a few days, if the application is not processed, it goes to the main office. The system provides post-service, SMS or E-mail notification. Understanding the needs and desires of customers means following trends. Investments in modern technologies are justified.

The “Spectra” tracking system is a digital solution for helping with relationships with clients and employees. The platform helps to balance the optimal unobtrusive service and improve the company’s Customer Service based on objective data.

The “B2B” format by definition assumes mutual responsibility of the parties for the result.

Whatever channels Ukrainians choose for various purposes of communication with the service, Spectra will always hear your client and provide the desired result.

4Service Group audits the client’s communication channels and works with data until the final point of the project, providing insider analytics. Timely reliance on the partner’s professionalism enables the task to be solved.