Smart servicing – the experience every customer deserves

Achieving a high level of efficiency and service that customers demand.

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It’s no secret that in today's digital-centric landscape, customers expect smart, efficient service from the organisations they interact with. But without the proper tools and technology in place, organisations can struggle to keep pace with this while scaling, or simply do not have the mechanisms and automation in place to allow for that to be their reality.

So, what do you do? How does an organisation achieve the level of efficiency and service customers demand without breaking the bank on out-the-box solutions or increased hires? Streicher Stegmann, executive and principal architect at international software solutions company BBD, offers an answer. But first, let’s unpack the challenges.

Looking at it from the customer’s point of view, there are myriad challenges customers face, primarily driven by the rapid pace of technological advancements and the growing expectation for seamless, personalised service.

• Fragmented service experiences: Customers often encounter fragmented service due to disjointed systems and processes within organisations. This results in a lack of continuity, forcing customers to repeat their issues to multiple representatives, leading to frustration and decreased satisfaction.
• Slow response times: In an era of instant gratification, slow response times can be detrimental. Customers expect quick resolutions to their queries and issues, and any delays can lead to dissatisfaction and a loss of loyalty.
• Lack of personalisation: Generic service interactions fail to meet the personalised needs of customers, making them feel undervalued. Modern customers expect interactions that are tailored to their preferences and history with the company.
• Security concerns: With increasing cyber threats, customers are more concerned than ever about the security of their personal and financial information. Trust is paramount, and any breach, or perceived lack of security concerns, can have severe consequences in terms of brand loyalty, repeat business and overarching customer experience.

From the business’s point of view, hurdles encountered often revolve around processes, automation (or rather the lack thereof), integration, orchestration and workflow. Beyond customer-facing challenges such as slow response times and fragmented experiences, these hurdles can create unnecessary chaos and stagnate service.

• Integration complexities: Many organisations operate with a mix of legacy systems and modern applications. This often leads to integration challenges. Seamlessly connecting disparate systems to ensure smooth data flow and interoperability can be complex and time-consuming.
• Scalability: As businesses grow, their automation and workflow systems need to scale accordingly. Many traditional systems struggle to handle increased loads, leading to performance bottlenecks.
• Lack of customisation: Off-the-shelf solutions often fail to meet the unique needs of different organisations. A lack of customisation options can hinder the effectiveness of automation and workflow systems.
• Process optimisation: Automating inefficient process can lead to sub-optimal outcomes. Identifying and optimising the right workflows before automating them is crucial for achieving the desired outcomes.
• Change management: Implementing new automation and orchestration solutions requires significant change management efforts. Employees need to be trained, and processes adapted to new systems as they are deployed.
• Maintaining compliance: Regulatory requirements vary across industries and regions, making it challenging to maintain compliance while automating processes.

Looking at the depth and breadth of these challenges, organisations require smart solutions that fit into their unique environment, align to organisational strategies and meet the clients at the level they’re expecting.

“Understanding these challenges faced by our clients across industries, we set out to create a flexible, customisable solution that easily integrates into existing ecosystems,” explains Stegmann. The result of this process is BBD’s Client Servicing Platform (CSP) accelerator that provides a rapid solution for CRM and servicing workflows.

Stegmann notes that CSP offers a set of predefined service blueprints that integrate into existing systems seamlessly. The solution is built on open standards and requires no licence fees, delivering a flexible application that can be rapidly integrated and adapted to suit each client environment.

Here’s a look at how CSP is addressing the challenges.

To help ease the reality of fragmented experiences and integration complexities, CSP provides a unified view of customer interactions across various channels, aiding organisations in providing a consistent and seamless experience. When combined with optimised, automated microservice orchestrations and real-time data processing capabilities, the solution allows for streamlined operations and enables faster response times. These automated workflows enable for easier scaling as transaction volumes and user interactions grow – without compromising performance or customer experiences. With personalisation a goal for many organisations, the unified view of every customer additionally helps with tailored recommendations and customised communications.

Speaking of automation, the BBD team embedding CSP uses advanced analytics and reporting tools to help organisations analyse their processes, identify bottlenecks and implement improvements for more efficient operations. They also support any necessary change management transitions with training, user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive resources to ensure a smooth and successful implementation.

And lastly, to ensure robust security protocols, CSP includes authorisation, authentication, role-based access control (RBAC) and compliance with industry standards such as OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0. When coupled with the robust compliance features such as full audit trails, meeting regulatory standards is easier, without compromising efficiency.

Stegmann explains: “The foundation of our solution is in how it functions as a workflow and service management engine. It streamlines case-based work through necessary organisational process from inception through to completion, providing that 360° view of each customer. Having all relevant CRM, transaction and case-specific data displayed in a single easy-to-use interface means that agents and client staff aren’t having to switch between multiple systems.” He adds that the beauty of the solution is that it can coexist with existing monolithic and legacy systems, providing a flexible, customisable layer that makes every customer interaction and process just that much easier.

An often-encountered use-case is using CSP to modernise existing legacy environments. By deploying CSP’s modern web front-end, integrating it into the existing systems and leveraging its workflow and orchestration capabilities, a business can digitise, optimise and automate their business processes.

In this era of instant gratification, where customer demands are high and staff efficiency is key, equipping your organisation with the tools to deliver smart, innovative and effective servicing doesn’t have to be complicated. Leveraging technology solutions such as BBD’s CSP can help your business provide exceptional customer experiences while rapidly adapting to market demands.