Contact Center Pipeline February 2025 | Page 33

DIRECT METRIC 1 : NET PROMOTER SCORE ( NPS )

All organizations need to know not just the experiences of their customers but most critically whether they will act on it , over and beyond future purchases that may be impacted by other factors , like need and product or service availability .

The net promoter score ( NPS ) measures this attitude . It is calculated after asking customers one simple question : “ How likely are you to recommend our business / service to family , friends , or colleagues ?”

Customers give a score from 0 , meaning “ not at all likely ,” to 10 , meaning “ extremely likely ,” with scores of 9 or 10 denoting that customer as a “ promoter ,” while scores of 0-6 indicate a “ detractor .” The detractor scores are subtracted from the promoter scores to calculate the final NPS .

Two decades after its inception in the Harvard Business Review , NPS offers a brief , easily dissected overview of customer attitudes , prompting a more general reflection rather than based only on their most recent experience .

In addition , NPS divides your customers into “ promoters ” and “ detractors ,” allowing for targeted outreach to those groups depending on the score they gave .

However , the NPS sometimes overlooks the nuances of CX . For example , NPS fails to provide specific CX insights , leading to a move by CX leaders away from the metric . For such reasons it is likely that organizations will start to phase out NPS in favor of metrics which measure future CX methodologies .

DIRECT METRIC 2 : CUSTOMER EFFORT SCORE ( CES )

For actionable CX insights , you need a metric that focuses on the customer journey . Customer effort score ( CES ) measures the ease with which customers interact with your business : by asking about the effort expended to reach a solution . The lower the CES , the easier it was for your customer to resolve their query , and the more effective your CX .

As noted earlier , CES addresses one of the most important aspects of CX : the overall customer journey .

Customers who had to put in a lot of time and effort into their interactions will understandably speak negatively about your business to others .

In common also with NPS , the impact of customers ’ negative experiences is amplified when they use social media to express their displeasure . It is therefore important to address any CES issues holistically and identify any gaps between channels .

The best CES scores usually stem from well-designed omnichannel journeys that utilize intelligent automation . When the customer is able to use the channel of their choice to contact you , at a time convenient to them , effort is reduced and customer satisfaction soars .

In a similar way to NPS , this metric also fails to provide in-depth feedback on the customer journey . You can tell when your CX is lacking , but not the reasons behind it .

CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLEPERSON : INDIRECT METRICS

In the end , direct metrics are fallible . The customer ’ s memory is often inaccurate , and recollections of their total experience with your business can be undermined by a single poor one .

METRICS

Metrics can only work as well as the procedures they inform . Looking at the data from a statistical point of view can mean you lose sight of the bigger CX picture .

Instead of focusing on the granular data regarding individual customer interactions , it might be time to look at the overall view of your contact center and focus on reducing the overall volume of contact , as well as the CX metrics .

For example , Internet of Things ( IOT ) are internet-connected devices that act on behalf of consumers and organizations to provide key insights without the need for human intervention . Gartner has estimated that IOT devices will have the potential to behave as customers by 2026 , equating to one in five customer interactions .

Digital customers , enabled by IOT devices , pose new challenges to delivering customer experiences . But they also present new opportunities for revenue generation by allowing businesses to leverage data from a much broader range of sources than previously available .

Proactive strategies can also automate customer engagement and support , reducing call volumes and enabling team members to focus more of their attention on complex challenges .

This means that , as well as focusing on great experiences for your customers , you need to focus on their devices and on digital customers .

To measure their effectiveness , it is crucial that you are able to understand their data . The rise of IOT devices necessitates a shift towards more dynamic data management solutions , aggregating data across all touchpoints , and thereby enabling proactive and tailored customer interactions .

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