The expertise your prospects have together with your product, service, and group will make or break your backside line. Each touchpoint all through the shopper journey issues. Be sure you have the appropriate instruments, processes, and other people in place to measure buyer sentiment and implement the most important alternatives for enchancment.

Right here, we’ll cowl the principle kinds of buyer expertise (CX) software program, which options are important, and customary situations the place a centralized platform is likely to be useful.

What Is a CX Platform?

A buyer expertise platform is a software program resolution that helps you ship constant, high-quality experiences irrespective of the place and the way prospects work together together with your model. Buyer expertise software program presents a collection of options and functionalities, together with customer support instruments, advertising automation, and analytics, for managing the shopper expertise to enhance interactions throughout the complete buyer lifecycle — and your groups. 

Implementing a buyer expertise platform empowers you to ship customized experiences at scale and meet buyer expectations, boosting buyer loyalty, retention, and advocacy. 

CX Platform Parts

Buyer expertise platforms vary in options, however there are a couple of frequent capabilities that any good buyer expertise software program ought to have.

Omnichannel assist

A key characteristic of a buyer expertise platform is offering omnichannel assist. You may observe all of your buyer conversations in a single place as a substitute of attempting to maintain tabs on separate channels. 

For instance, you may need a name heart dealing with inbound and outbound cellphone calls, energetic social accounts, SMS, and a number of e-mail addresses. Buyer interactions occur throughout these channels concurrently, and it’s onerous to trace them individually. 

Omnichannel assist means that you can streamline buyer interactions and reply to points shortly. If a buyer sends a message on Instagram and picks up the dialog by way of e-mail later, they gained’t must repeat the knowledge they shared earlier. All the pieces they share seems as one steady dialog. 

Information analytics and insights

Buyer expertise platforms have in-built analytics instruments that analyze and extract actionable insights from buyer journey information. 

Nextiva has a sturdy enterprise intelligence operate that mechanically analyzes name heart interactions and creates dashboards and reviews in your name efficiency, which saves the time you’ll have spent analyzing the info from scratch. It additionally helps you make data-driven choices with out guesswork. Say you uncover that sure brokers are overworked; you’ll be able to plan to rent new employees or enhance name routing to higher distribute name volumes throughout your group members. 

Associated: Buyer Expertise Analytics: Find out how to Observe and Enhance CX

Personalization at scale

In Section’s State of Personalization Survey, 56% of individuals stated they might turn out to be repeat consumers after a customized buyer expertise:

A buyer expertise platform personalizes buyer interactions by accumulating and analyzing information from numerous touchpoints and channels. You’ll get insights throughout buyer demographics, preferences, buy historical past, and way more. You need to use this info to personalize your advertising campaigns, product suggestions, and common assist. 

For instance, in case your web site analytics instrument reveals {that a} buyer checked out a gross sales web page however didn’t make a purchase order, you’ll be able to e-mail them with a particular provide to immediate them to rethink buying the sale product. 

Associated: Find out how to Construct a Buyer Expertise Dashboard (+ Greatest Practices)

Automation and AI

Many buyer expertise platforms incorporate automation and AI to streamline time-consuming handbook processes, present real-time assist, and personalize buyer interactions. For instance, Nextiva not too long ago acquired Thrio, an AI-powered buyer expertise administration software program, to increase its buyer expertise capabilities. Because of this growth, our platform now has superior course of automation for name routing and workflows.

Suggestions and surveys

Buyer expertise platforms have built-in survey instruments for accumulating and analyzing real-time buyer suggestions. For instance, you’ll be able to create post-call surveys to be taught if a buyer is happy with the way you resolved a difficulty. 

Web promoter rating and buyer satisfaction surveys enable you measure buyer sentiment. Prospects with optimistic sentiments often turn out to be repeat prospects and even suggest your enterprise to others of their community. 

Associated: Find out how to Create a Unified Buyer Expertise (CX) at Scale in 4 Steps

7 Varieties of CX Administration Platforms

There are various kinds of buyer expertise platforms, and relying on the use case, some choices is likely to be higher suited to your wants than others.

1. Contact heart platforms

A contact heart is a centralized hub for managing all incoming and outgoing buyer communications. It’s like a nerve heart for buyer assist, gross sales inquiries, and different interactions. You may observe buyer emails, cellphone calls, social media messages, cellular and web site stay chats, and extra.

High contact heart options embrace: 

• Automated name distribution: Routinely route incoming calls to essentially the most applicable agent or division based mostly on predetermined standards.
• Interactive voice response (IVR): Enable callers to work together with an automatic phone system via voice or touch-tone keypad inputs earlier than routing them to the appropriate agent. 
• Agent administration: Monitor agent exercise in actual time. Observe the standing of agent queues, eavesdrop on calls, and supply assist as wanted. 
• Omnichannel routing: Routinely assign buyer conversations to the appropriate agent throughout all channels. For example, if a buyer sends a direct message on social media and follows up with an e-mail, you’ll be able to route the e-mail to the agent who dealt with their preliminary message.

Contact heart platform examples: Nextiva, Five9, NICE, and Talkdesk

2. Buyer relationship administration (CRM) programs

A CRM system is the one supply of fact for all of your buyer interactions. It’s the place you retailer demographic information — together with title and get in touch with info — handle buyer relationships, and observe folks concerned with your services or products as they transfer via the completely different buyer journey phases. 

High CRM software program options embrace: 

• Advertising automation: Automate e-mail campaigns, social media posts, and promoting to assist higher interact together with your prospects.
• Buyer success administration: Combine your CRM together with your contact heart to handle buyer inquiries, complaints, and suggestions in a single place.
• Lead administration: Observe and handle leads all through the gross sales funnel, from preliminary contact to conversion.

CRM software program examples: Copper, HubSpot, and Zoho

Associated: What Is Unified Buyer Expertise Administration (CXM)?

3. Helpdesk and assist platforms

A helpdesk manages all of your ongoing assist efforts to assist prospects benefit from your services or products. Right here, you’ll be able to streamline your buyer assist processes, handle tickets, and resolve buyer points promptly.

High helpdesk options embrace: 

• Ticketing programs: Routinely assign tickets to buyer inquiries and assist requests to prepare, prioritize, and reply to buyer points on time.
• Information bases: Create a buyer schooling library the place prospects can discover solutions to questions on utilizing your product. 
• Self-service portals: Empower prospects with the appropriate info and instruments for resolving points independently. 

Helpdesk examples: Zendesk, HappyFox, and HelpScout

4. Buyer suggestions and survey instruments

These instruments enable you accumulate and analyze real-time buyer suggestions to find worthwhile insights. You may create and administer these suggestions surveys at completely different buyer journey phases. For instance, if a buyer has simply completed onboarding, you’ll be able to ask them to attain their expertise on an emoji score scale. 

High survey instrument options embrace: 

• Response administration: Observe survey response charges and observe up with prospects as wanted. 
• Survey distribution: Administer surveys throughout a number of channels concurrently. You may ship surveys by way of e-mail, embed them into stay net chats, or ship them within the app to gather suggestions. 
• Suggestions administration: Routinely analyze survey outcomes, extract buyer insights, and manage them into helpful info to assist enterprise use instances and choices. 

Buyer survey instrument examples: SurveyMonkey, Medallia, Qualtrics

5. Advertising automation platforms

A advertising automation platform handles tedious duties to your advertising campaigns throughout completely different channels. This instrument frees up time so that you can give attention to the extra strategic elements of your advertising course of. 

High advertising automation platform options embrace: 

• Personalization: Tailor advertising messages and campaigns based mostly on buyer information and conduct.
• A/B testing: Check completely different advertising messages and campaigns to see which performs greatest.
• Behavioral triggers: Create automated campaigns triggered by particular buyer behaviors, akin to deserted carts or web site visits.

Advertising automation platform: Brevo, Keap, and ActiveCampaign

6. Digital expertise platforms (DXP)

A DXP presents instruments for creating, managing, and optimizing digital experiences throughout net, cellular, and different digital channels. It additionally integrates with backend programs to personalize buyer interactions and experiences. 

High DXP options embrace: 

• Content material administration: Create, handle, and publish digital content material throughout numerous channels and gadgets, together with web site pages, emails, social media content material, and in-app push notifications.
• Buyer information administration: Accumulate, retailer, and analyze buyer information from numerous sources in a centralized location. This consists of demographic info, buy historical past, and behavioral information, which may help you ship extra customized buyer experiences.
• Digital asset administration: Set up and deploy visible property like photos and movies simply. 

DXP examples: Contentstack, Adobe Expertise Cloud, and Sitecore 

7. E-commerce platforms

An e-commerce platform gives the infrastructure for getting and promoting on-line. Its primary kind features a backend the place you’ll be able to add product catalog photos and a checkout web page the place prospects pays for chosen objects. 

However that’s not all. Superior e-commerce platforms have options like:

• Information analytics: Observe buyer conduct in your on-line retailer to establish traits and personalize future suggestions. 
• Buyer assist: Use stay chats and assist desks to reply to buyer requests and resolve points promptly. 
• Product catalog administration: Create and handle your on-line retailer’s product catalog, together with product descriptions, photos, pricing, and stock ranges.

E-commerce platform examples: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce

Examples of When You Want a Buyer Expertise Platform

You need to think about investing in a buyer expertise platform should you’re experiencing a number of of those situations.

You’ve a excessive quantity of buyer calls

Your name heart is drowning beneath excessive name volumes, and prospects are always experiencing lengthy wait instances. These are indicators that it’s time to combine a contact heart platform into your present setup as a substitute of spending cash on a brand new CRM software program instrument. 

A contact heart platform with ACD, IVR, and real-time analytics, like Nextiva, will enable you handle and route a big quantity of calls effectively — providing higher customer support and decreased wait instances in comparison with a brand new CRM system.

You’re creating customized advertising campaigns

When you’re launching large-scale customized advertising campaigns, you’ll want a advertising automation platform that can assist you handle the method successfully. 

In contrast to primary e-mail advertising instruments, a advertising automation platform helps you to create multi-channel campaigns concurrently. It additionally presents extra superior segmentation and personalization capabilities. For instance, you’ll be able to section your viewers based mostly on demographics, conduct, and pursuits and ship extremely customized content material to completely different segments.

You’ve complicated buyer journeys

Managing buyer interactions throughout a number of digital channels may be difficult.

A DXP or omnichannel platform can streamline these interactions, permitting you to energy all digital interactions from a central platform. This ensures constant, customized experiences throughout all touchpoints, surpassing standalone e-commerce or social media administration instruments.

You require in-depth buyer insights

A buyer suggestions and survey instrument that collects and analyzes suggestions from numerous channels is more practical than generic analytics instruments for understanding buyer wants and driving services or products enhancements.

You want environment friendly buyer assist administration

A assist desk and assist platform with a complete ticketing system, data base, and self-service choices considerably enhances assist effectivity for companies coping with quite a few assist tickets in comparison with primary e-mail administration programs.

What to Preserve in Thoughts When Selecting a Buyer Expertise Platform

There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy to choosing the proper buyer expertise platform. You’ll want to think about a number of elements like: 

Enterprise aims

Strictly outline your enterprise priorities and select a buyer expertise platform that helps you accomplish them. If you wish to streamline buyer communication throughout a number of channels, you’ll want a cloud contact heart that powers your whole enterprise communication from a single platform. 

Integration capabilities

Select a buyer expertise platform that seamlessly syncs with the opposite functions that handle your general buyer expertise technique. Your buyer expertise software program ought to combine together with your buyer information platform for easy information stream and unified buyer profiles. 

Study extra about Nextiva’s integrations with buyer expertise apps

Scalability and adaptability

The very last thing you need is to endure a complete buyer expertise system overhaul each time your enterprise hits a brand new milestone. To keep away from this, spend money on a buyer expertise system that retains up with your enterprise’s development tempo. It ought to be versatile sufficient to scale up or down when your enterprise wants change — with out costing a lot cash or time.

Compliance and safety

Be sure that the platform satisfies related information safety necessities to maintain first- and third-party info secure. Totally scrutinize its privateness coverage to know the way it collects, makes use of, and protects your enterprise and buyer information.

Buyer assist and coaching

Take into account the extent of assist and coaching offered for easy implementation and utilization. Getting a brief time-to-value ensures the perfect ROI out of your buyer expertise platform. 

Nextiva: The Most popular Buyer Expertise Platform for Contact Facilities

Selecting the best buyer expertise platform is essential. Prospects are the guts of each enterprise. Any subpar expertise can result in churn and income loss and decelerate buyer acquisition. 

When selecting a buyer expertise platform to your contact heart, Nextiva stands out because the instrument of selection. With its omnichannel assist, in depth integration library, and superior name options, Nextiva is a worthwhile buyer expertise instrument for contact heart operators trying to empower their brokers, enhance buyer experiences, and get issues carried out sooner.

Associated: Omnichannel Buyer Expertise: The Full Information