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6-steps-for-Conversational-Bot-success-A-primer 

Make the most of your conversational bot investment with our easy-to-follow guide featuring best practices that can be applied to your digital transformation journey.

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Six steps for conversational bot success: A helpful primer for chatbot implementation

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Driving efficiency with digital automation for a financial services brand

Discover how TELUS International implemented a comprehensive intelligent automation
solution for a financial services client that enabled operational efficiency, a
reduction in employee effort and an overall increase in customer satisfaction.

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Learn the importance of content moderation, how to choose the right method and the various ways to measure your success.

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Content moderation best practices: Maintaining brand trust in a digital world

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In this IDC Info Snapshot, discover the benefits of engaging an experienced CX partner for content moderation to safeguard your online communities.

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Expanding content moderation capabilities helps fast-growing brands earn customer trust 

Artificial intelligence is set to define the future of banking. Learn about how banks are using machine learning, RPA and other AI-powered tech.

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Six AI technologies set to define the future of banking

Protecting your company's reputation in an evolving digital world isn't always easy. Between cyberattacks, phishing, fraud and other harmful behaviors, companies have a lot of ground to cover when it comes to preserving their brand.

These concerns are often compounded when working with a customer experience (CX) provider. Not only do you need to ensure that your brand promise is met in an outsourced environment, but also that your customer and company data is protected.

When selecting a customer experience provider, risk mitigation should be a top consideration. The right partner will make sure you're covering every angle to care for the security of both your brand and your customers — at every touchpoint.

What should you look for in an outsourcing provider?

When it comes to customer experience outsourcing, brands typically have two primary concerns: preserving customer data, and keeping all systems that might compromise operations tight as a drum, says Steve Jablonski, vice-president of information security at TELUS International. These concerns are often driven by an idea that outsourcing some aspects of your business means giving up control — but that's not the case when the right checks and balances are in place.

Companies and their outsourcing partners need to set clear parameters about how to proactively prevent harm, and how to respond if it ever occurs. Setting a strong communication foundation in your outsourcing relationship enables your brand to work in concert with your partner to avoid and mitigate risk. With that at the core, here are three additional factors to consider when assessing an outsourcing partner.

Training: Team members are the first line of defense

With both online reputation management and protecting customer data, organizations frequently wonder where to begin. The answer is: start with employees. Team members are often the first line of defense against security breaches and ever-present bad actors. "Think of your CX team as a human firewall," says Jablonski. "You have to prepare your customer care representatives for battle by providing them with comprehensive training."

Rather than taking a one-and-done approach to customer service training, partners should treat it as an ongoing process, every part of which can strengthen and enhance the customer care team. As threats become more sophisticated and ill-intentioned parties find new ways to infiltrate your defenses, it's important that your team's knowledge base has comparably advanced documentation.

That said, it isn't just outsiders that are cause for concern. When assessing a CX outsourcing partner, businesses often want to know what's being done to mitigate insider risk and to keep employees from jeopardizing the system. While it's smart to ask questions related to brand loyalty and engagement, you should also consider whether teams are being sufficiently trained to prevent all manner of attacks and breaches, adds Jablonski.

Outsourcing partners must have processes in place to mitigate risk from internal and external individuals intent on committing a crime and innocent insiders who fall victim to phishing links. Phishing simulations and security awareness training are useful protocols in a world where threats are subtle and ever-changing. Team members should also know what to do if they suspect a colleague is acting nefariously. Training employees to recognize patterns is crucial, Jablonski says, "because you can't always get ahead of the threat."

Technology: Taking advantage of economies of scale

According to recent research conducted by TELUS International and Statista, leaders named data security and compliance as the number one challenge impeding their digital customer experience goals in 2023. The same research found that transparency and data security were considered the most important qualities for an outsourcing provider.

Collaborating with the right digital CX partner can provide brands with access to best-in-class software with the proper security checks. "There needs to be solid due diligence when buying secure software," Jablonski says of outsourcing partners. "Robust patching, internal scans and penetration testing should occur on a regular basis." A good outsourcing partner not only does everything in its power to safeguard your company; it also takes the pressure off brands to identify and invest in the new technologies needed to deliver a secure and scalable CX.

Put security management processes under the microscope

Outsourcing providers should be investing in market intelligence to stay on top of potential threats. Jablonski suggests that the right partner will "leverage paid and public intelligence to stay current. Your provider should always be collecting information and taking action." They should also have a strong network in place for sharing brand and industry information, he adds.

Look for a partner that prioritizes security at all levels and makes a point of obtaining their third-party certifications demonstrating their commitment to protecting brands like yours. Regulatory compliance and certifications like ISO27001 offer a solid foundation for cybersecurity. NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce, is a good resource for publications, reports and other information about the standardization process, while the NIST 800-53 framework serves as a comprehensive guide to strategies, systems and controls that businesses should employ based on risk, cost and an organization's capabilities. Other options include industry-specific certifications, like HITRUST in the healthcare space.

Regardless of the approach your outsourcing partner opts to take, key controls like multi-factor authentication and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) should be standard. Consider your potential partner's stance on working from home and bring your own device (BYOD) management, too. From data leakage to loss and infection, related policies should be treated with the utmost caution and care.

Above all else, when selecting an outsourcing partner you should aim to find a company that values your brand and customers as much as you do. "Your customers are our customers," says Jablonski of TELUS International's mindset. A quality outsourcing partner should share your commitment to defending against threats, while also working to improve your customer experience.

Risk mitigation should be a top consideration when selecting an outsourcing partner. Learn what to look for to ensure your brand is protected.

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Protecting your customers and brand in an outsourced environment

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TELUS International, in partnership with Statista, surveyed 250 enterprise leaders to explore where they plan to invest in digital customer experience (CX) technology in 2023. Uncover the results.

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Survey results: Digital customer experience priorities for leaders in 2023

The digital world continues to shift rapidly. Discover what's next for content moderation to help you navigate the changes in this evolving industry.

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What's next for content moderation in 2023 and beyond?

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Discover some of the top outsourcing destinations for consideration and the factors to keep in mind as you make your decision.

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Selecting the best outsourcing destination for your business

Three reasons why great CX is your best pull marketing tactic

The digital space has never held more potential for retailers — or been more competitive.

Businesses are flocking to eCommerce in record numbers, propelling global online sales to exceed $8.1 trillion by 2026, according to Shopify. But it's not all profit. According to Internet Retailing, over the past five years, there's also been a 60% increase in customer acquisition costs, and more than half of retailers surveyed in Commerce Next's 2022 Digital Trends & Investment Priorities report said those costs are a top risk to achieving their sales objectives.

Given the state of the market, it's easy to see why brands are turning to pull marketing — the process of drawing customers to a company's products and services by building and refining a marketable brand — to differentiate themselves from competitors.

Common pull marketing strategies include advertising, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), blog posts and pursuing media coverage. The most essential pull marketing tactic, however, is also the most understated: a great customer experience (CX).

Three reasons why top-notch CX is the best pull marketing tactic for eCommerce brands

While costly targeted advertising campaigns can create short-term wins for brands, the reality is that these types of tactics aren't long-term profit drivers. Investing in a robust eCommerce customer experience strategy, however, is an integral part of building a brand that is capable of retaining customers, offering seamless buying experiences and encouraging word-of-mouth advertising. All of which can provide significant long-term benefits.

Here is a look at why focusing on creating an excellent customer experience is the best marketing tactic for eCommerce brands.

1. A team of all-star CX agents helps to build lasting relationships with customers

According to Shopify's 2023 Future of Commerce Trend report, at least 60% of consumers purchase from specific brands because of excellent customer service in the past.

And when you consider that 44% of consumers surveyed by TELUS International said that nothing — not even price, convenience or if it's a brand they truly like — excuses poor customer service, it is easy to understand why choosing the right people to support your customers can mean the difference between fostering loyalty and having your customers flock to a competitor.

Plus, given that it's up to seven times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain a current one, according to American Express, it's smart to fill your CX agent roster with proficient, patient and empathetic individuals with the tech know-how and soft skills to deliver the kind of service that keeps customers coming back.

2. Digital automation tools help ensure a smooth buying experience

Customer experience is more than just after-sales support. Rather, it's about making the full journey — browsing, research, comparison, selection, payment, delivery and, if necessary, return — as friction-free and connected across channels as possible.

Driving customers to your online platforms is one thing, optimizing them to make a sale is another, and it's a practice that can often be overlooked. Being smart about what you automate, and creating solid parameters around when a live agent should step in, can be a difference-maker for brands.

For example, chatbots can be leveraged to handle simple customer queries around the clock, freeing up your support team to address more nuanced requests. Additionally, proactive live chat prompts can positively nudge customers through the sales funnel. The tool has been known to reduce cart abandonment, which represents $18 billion in lost sales revenue every year, according to Shopify.

3. Elite customer support enhances word-of-mouth advertising

Strong brands attract more organic acquisition — and what's a more effective form of organic acquisition than word-of-mouth?

Word-of-mouth is a big part of pull marketing, and these days, it's driven by customer review sites and social media. One of the best ways to strengthen your brand in the eyes of your target audience is by enhancing your CX so customers will sing your praises and ultimately send others your way.

But if positive customer experiences generate good word-of-mouth, the inverse is true when it comes to negative experiences. For this reason, it's important to mitigate common customer support pet peeves, which, according to the aforementioned survey by TELUS International, include long wait times, numerous transfers to different agents and an inability to speak with a human agent at will (further proving that human connection is always key).

Marketing is all about telling your brand story, differentiating your product and inciting action. Customer service isn't so different. Investing in stand-out CX can enhance your existing pull marketing strategy and go a long way toward creating loyal customers for a better bottom line.

Discover why investing in your customer experience is an integral part of implementing a successful eCommerce pull marketing strategy.

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Keep up with the latest in digital customer experience in 2023. Check out this list of important stats to kick-start your CX planning for the year ahead.

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23 digital customer experience stats to know for 2023

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Uncover how TELUS International’s business process consultants helped a leading financial services brand optimize its operations, enhance its customer experience (CX) and begin its digital transformation journey.

Streamlining operations and kickstarting the digital transformation journey of a leading financial services brand

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Player support outsourcing isn't just for Triple-A studios. Learn about the benefits of outsourcing for growing games companies.

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What growing games companies can gain from outsourcing

Germany's diverse and talented workforce make the European nation an ideal CX outsourcing destination. Read up on all the benefits.

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Don't overlook Germany as a CX outsourcing destination

If words like "amortization" get your customers feeling anything but amore, you're not alone.

Many would-be customers grapple with the complexities of financial decision-making. It's easy for them to become paralyzed by choice: should they save? Invest? Pay down debt?

These anxieties are compounded by an increasing sense of financial vulnerability amid rising inflation and costs of living. According to the American Psychological Association's 2022 Stress in America™ survey, 65% of respondents say money is the most significant stressor in their life — a steady rise from the previous survey results from 2021.

For banks and fintechs, consumers' rising financial stress and decision fatigue present an opportunity to ease tensions through digital customer experience (CX). By looking after your customers' best interests and helping them make better decisions, industry brands can demonstrate that they understand the challenges of the day. As Forrester's report The Top Emerging Technologies In Banking In 2022, points out, this is where predictive analytics can play a critical role.

Predictive analytics is an artificial intelligence-backed technology that captures data from diverse sources and uses computer models to create insights for a range of practical applications.

In the financial services industry, the technology is used to score client's creditworthiness, identify fraud and much more. In fact, while industry brands have leveraged the power of predictive analytics for some time, the use cases are evolving — so much so that the aforementioned Forrester report lists predictive analytics as a "hot" technology. The research firm explains that the label reflects "both interest and planned spend in the coming 12 months," and adds that it will "shape the future of the banking industry and customer experience."

Companies in the financial services industry are rapidly adopting predictive analytics as a way to gain a competitive edge, and to deliver higher-end customer experiences. As per the Forrester report, 89% of global data and analytics technology decision-makers in the financial services industry placed real-time/predictive analytics in the high-priority category. They said they either already implemented the technology, have begun the implementation process or are planning to introduce it imminently.

The sheer amount of sophisticated data collected by banks and fintechs has led to further development of a wide suite of internal and client-facing tools that target specific customer needs.

Despite the many personal finance tools and resources available, an understanding of finance fundamentals is still a gap for many customers. The 2022 Investopedia Financial Literacy Survey found that only around half of Americans have a strong grasp of financial literacy basics like budgeting, saving and spending. Even fewer felt confident in their knowledge of investing and digital currency.

A lack of confidence and trust can lead to poor decision-making, and sometimes deter customers from making decisions at all. This underlines the importance of looking to your data for signs of customer indecision or low confidence. When natural language processing and other AI applications are considered, speech and text analytics can be of great value for industry brands. Mining unstructured data from voice- and text-based interactions (email, chat, social media, SMS, etc.) with customer support teams can yield untold customer experience insights.

In the ideal situation, insights unearthed by customer analytics and AI can help banks to develop comfort levels among their customers. This is not only true on the level of the individual customer, but also at a higher level that enables banks to pick up on trends and create solutions that help customers make sound financial decisions.

The benefits of predictive analytics in banking

From a customer experience perspective, predictive analytics are the gateway to data-driven personalization. Many financial institutions have the data at their disposal, but can miss the mark when creating personalized experiences that resonate with their customers, notes a J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study.

"It's no longer predominately about being fast, efficient or convenient," says Jennifer White, senior consultant of banking intelligence at J.D. Power, in a press release alongside the survey data. "The preeminent performance metric with the biggest influence on customer satisfaction is 'supporting customers during challenging times,' and that means customers are expecting a personalized mix of financial advice, hands-on help with problem resolution and guidance on how to grow their money."

According to the J.D. Power survey, 46% of respondents feel the most critical part of personalization is getting help avoiding fees for things like overdrafts, while 37% say they want to receive account alerts. Predictive and real-time analytics can help make both those wishes come true because of how adept the technologies are at identifying anomalies and predicting outcomes. Being able to alert customers of potential overdrafts, detect odd and potentially fraudulent spending and propose debt management solutions are examples of analytics in action.

These solutions are low-hanging fruit for banks and other financial services providers. More sophisticated and bigger-picture ideas include AI-powered modeling in customer product design and uptake, and determining creditworthiness more equitably by looking beyond past borrowing history and instead including a broader set of data points to determine eligibility. They can also more accurately predict (and lower the cost of) credit risk.

Internally, your contact centers can benefit from analytics technologies that predict client issues and supply support agents with the exact information they need to solve issues quickly — a powerful tool that helps improve critical KPIs like average handle time and first call resolution.

eCommerce

Three reasons why great CX is your best pull marketing tactic

Three reasons why great CX is your best pull marketing tactic

Delivering online safety management for a global eCommerce brand

Delivering online safety management for a global eCommerce brand

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