customer loyalty Archives - Arise

There is no labor shortage in the gig economy

Tone Stray — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 17:51:00 +0000

While the gig economy raised its profile since the onset of the pandemic, businesses are still learning how to leverage the gig workforce to improve customer care. Tapping into the growing pool of Gig-CX workers can boost your business, bring flexibility to staffing levels, and deliver the expert attention and experience that clients expect.

We can’t return to where we were

Businesses are beginning to ask their staff to return to the office, but workers are balking. While the pandemic raged on far longer than anyone predicted or wanted, employees proved themselves successful in their roles while working remotely. Consequently, returning to lengthy commutes and working in close-contact brick and mortar call centers is not attractive to most CX workers.

But if the pandemic proved anything, it proved that Gig-CX workers can deliver exceptional customer experiences to major Brands in every vertical while working securely from home. Not only do Gig-CX workers traditionally have more work experience and affinity for the brands they serve, but because they work on their schedule, they bring the very best of their talent and capabilities to every customer interaction.

Arise has spent over a quarter-century perfecting the way of serving gig-economy entrepreneurs so they can provide exceptional service to the world’s leading Brands. With this history of innovation, customers are getting better service while Brands get better productivity, efficiency and cost savings.

Knowledge workers with skills that are easily portable across employers and geographic locations have power…The national labor market is open to [them].”

- Bryan Hancock, Partner, McKinsey & Company

New era for filling customer care roles

While companies are unable to swiftly address staff shortages or market forces beyond our control, they need to meet customer care needs today.

Leaders are faced with a variety of options:

Pursue remote and hybrid work arrangements for existing employees.
Partner with a supporting CX provider to manage demands as they ramp up and down.
Evaluate the root cause of attrition among the customer care staff, making sure to value workers and their needs.
Explore Gig-CX to meet the need, saving costs and increasing quality.

Most times, the answer will be “all of the above.”

Engaging the gig workforce

While business leaders, human resource departments, and recruiters wring their hands about unfilled jobs, 59 million American gig workers are in search of flexible, part-time work.

Instead of commuting to an office for 9-5 work, which is viewed as particularly outmoded by the youngest subset of the workforce, more workers are becoming entrepreneurs or gig workers managing their own business. Between 2019 and the onset of the pandemic in 2020, there was a 20% uptick in the formation of small businesses. This is double the growth rate of any other year in U.S. history.

The flexibility of gig model has great appeal. Individuals pursue opportunities to suit their schedule, operate freely as independent contractors, even on a project basis, and work where and when they want. In 2020, one in three U.S. workers got on board with the gig economy. Experts forecast that number will continue and that by 2023, more than half of all U.S. workers will have participated in some form of gig work during their years of work.

Inflation is increasing the size of the talent pool even more, according to a recent report in Fortune.

About 85% of independent workers have increased their gig work in the past six months.
About 45% said they have done so because of inflation.
Another 13% of independent workers surveyed say they plan to take on more gig work to combat rising prices.

No need to shop around

0 %

COVID-19 rapidly drove an increase in chat volume up an astounding 700% for the leading online grocery delivery company.

After a request to several service providers, Arise was the only platform that could meet the Company’s need by bringing online more than 2,000 certified Service Partners in a matter of weeks.

Who’s on the line?

With the rise in gig workers providing customer care, the profile has changed. On CX platforms, gig workers are highly sought after for the value they deliver.

More than half attended college and they have the maturity to operate independently. They possess more work experience and understand how to adapt their current workspace for remote business.

What’s more, they often have industry-specific knowledge or brand passion for the company they are supporting. That level of connectedness excites them about their work and drives them to excel, often delivering a higher degree of care to the clients they help.

Leveraging Gig-CX can help your organization transform its customer care delivery, ease scheduling troubles, and improve client satisfaction ratings.

Rapid response: Varying customer service demand times

The annual Black Friday period signals a high point in holiday sales where retailers add temporary staff. Customer service and sales support for the e-commerce, store and catalog divisions of a major luxury retailer needed to expand staffing 250% in less than 16 weeks, growing from 250 to 600 full-time equivalent members.

When Black Friday weekend arrived, Arise managed 48% of the retailer’s customer interactions. The retailer’s customers experienced an average speed of only 6 seconds for an answer. That far exceeded other retailers who left customers waiting for up to 12 minutes during the rush.

Knowledgeable, digitally connected, and self-starting gig workers are drawn to alternative work arrangements and innovations of flexible work. During critical periods of uncertainty over the past two years, Arise successfully leveraged its expertise for numerous clients operating across ten key sectors. Our clients benefit from 30 years of experience and a vast network of service partners on the Arise® Platform.

We stand ready with the knowledge, technology infrastructure, service partners, workforce management tools, operational excellence, and measurement models needed to support you too. Please schedule an appointment to learn more about how Arise can deliver results for your organization.

Blog Sources:

https://www.businessinsider.com/workers-opting-to-freelance-in-order-to-stay-remote-2021-8

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/07/25/working-9-to-5-is-an-antiquated-relic-from-the-past-and-should-be-stopped-right-now/?sh=33be88a140de

https://www.nber.org/books-and-chapters/entrepreneurship-and-innovation-policy-and-economy-volume-1/entrepreneurship-during-covid-19-pandemic-evidence-business-formation-statistics

https://www.zippia.com/call-center-agent-jobs/demographics

https://fortune.com/2022/04/14/inflation-americans-gig-economy-work/

The post There is no labor shortage in the gig economy appeared first on Arise.

5 Unique Ways to Show Love to Your Customers

Tone Stray — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 18:03:00 +0000

Here we are again in the season of love. When we think about our customers, Katharine Hepburn says it perfectly…”Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get–only with what you are expecting to give–which is everything.”

Here we are again in the season of love. When we think about our customers, Katharine Hepburn says it perfectly…”Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get–only with what you are expecting to give–which is everything.”

Being there for our customers seems especially important this season. Gartner predicts that “by 2026, 75% of customers who call customer service and support organizations will do so out of loneliness, not because they have a customer service issue.”

This means we can really make a big difference for people when we put in the effort! Here are five ways that you can show love to your customers all year long:

1. The Gift of Time

Without a doubt, one of the greatest gifts we can give to our customers is time back in their pocket. Stress is off the charts for the vast majority of people. When Brands can be there to make lives a bit easier, and even be proactive in thinking about future friction points, customers will be extremely grateful. To learn more about how to create an effortless experience for customers, check out Gartner’s article “Effortless Experience Explained.”

"Customer loyalty depends on how easy you make it for your customers to do business with you"

Gartner

2. The Gift of the Guidance

What customers really need is a confident and capable guide. Someone that understands their definition of success, and is committed to helping them get there. To quote Building A StoryBrand: “THE CUSTOMER IS THE HERO, NOT YOUR BRAND”. When positioning customers as the hero and Brands as the guide, Brands will be recognized as a trusted resource to help customers overcome their challenges.

A gift that symbolizes this relationship and commitment as a guide can go a long way. Depending on how deeply you know your customer and their interests, something like a figurine of Yoda, Dumbledore, Galadriel, Mr. Miyagi, or another “guide” character they love…along with a thoughtful card…could be just the ticket.

Alternatively, sending them a blank Lego base with a small kit of blocks and a note saying “excited to build something great with you” is a gift any customer would appreciate!

3. The Gift of Knowledge

One of the most powerful things we can do for another human being is to help them learn and be aware. And it’s soooo easy to do! Are you reading an amazing book that is relevant to customers? SHARE with them the book and its amazing take-aways. Suddenly, you are growing smarter together, which is one of the galvanizing, loyalty-generating, forces in the world. Learn more about the gift of knowledge by checking out our blog post “Learning Is Best Done In Community.”

"As we think about a learning strategy for customer support resources, it's time to move well beyond a focus on compliance. Customer support responsibilities have changed dramatically; it's time that our approach to learning did as well."

4. The Gift Chocolate. Or Really Anything.

I’m amazed at the power of Thnks, and how easy this tool makes it to give thoughtful, personal gifts to people we care about. It used to be that sending things in the mail was such a massive hassle (especially with people working from home these days) but Thnks truly makes it easy. All that’s needed is the recipient’s email address. I used it to buy a box of Omaha Steaks for a podcast guest and she raved about it for weeks. You will find several items here that are sure to be a wonderful surprise!

5. The Gift of Influence

Without a doubt, one of the greatest ways Brands can honor customers is by giving them a strong voice and a feeling of being essential. This is a true CX professional superpower. Providing real exposure and input regarding the future of products and services can take the partnership to the next level. With skin in the game, customers will not only be loyal but will be vocal ambassadors eager to share a Brand they were able to participate in. To quote Lisa Bodell; “Change cannot be put on people. The best way to instill change is to do it with them. Create it with them.”

“Change cannot be put on people. The best way to instill change is to do it with them.
Create it with them.”

Lisa Bodell Founder and CEO

Futurethink

However love is shown this season, designing an exceptional customer experience is a gift from which so many benefit. Customers’ lives are better and easier. Agents have better relationships and more meaningful interactions. Businesses grow in a sustainable, lasting way as happy customers bring more happy customers. It’s very exciting the impact we can have!

The post 5 Unique Ways to Show Love to Your Customers appeared first on Arise.