Many people consider the phrase “this is the way we’ve always done it” to be one of the most damaging, and it isn’t hard to see why. Businesses who stay where they are, refusing to grow and develop, are unlikely to survive for long, particularly in this fast-paced modern society.
Industries everywhere are shaking things up, using technological innovation to transform the way they operate, all in the name of providing a tremendous service to their customers.
As a brand that’s always made customer service one of their top priorities, Love Energy Savings has gathered together three industries where ground-breaking changes in customer service are being made. From retail and property to energy itself, take a look at those who are putting their best foot forward for their customers.
The Retail Sector
Customer service is an essential part of the retail industry. In fact, the whole sector thrives on it, and businesses everywhere are always looking for new and better ways to help their customers. But it’s not always about attracting new customers, and with competition hotter than ever, more are searching for ways to build a loyal customer base to retain existing shoppers.
One example of a company using innovative technology to improve customer service is Burberry. In an effort to boost loyalty, the luxury fashion brand has brought a truly personalised experience to its 300 stores. All sales associates now carry iPads loaded with an individual’s shopping data, should they choose to opt in, allowing staff to recommend products they would like based on their purchase history.
Elsewhere in the industry, retailers are investing more in understanding how their customers behave and which products they choose to buy. Detego, intelligent article management technology, gives real-time insight to retailers on what items are selling the best, and which aren’t. This ensures that there are no delays in processes such as shelf stocking, same-day delivery or click and collect as retailers know when they are running low on particular items.
Staying ahead of the curve is not only key to business, but also to keeping both new and returning customers happy.
The Energy Sector
One sector that has certainly been in the spotlight lately, but isn’t always celebrated for its cutting-edge developments, is the energy industry.
Predictive marketing has proven to be taking the lead for the business-to-consumer sector, but for the business-to-business market, Love Energy Savings are proving their ongoing commitment to excellent customer service by using technology.
In an industry first, Love Energy Savings has introduced Track My Switch. When a home or business owner decides to compare and switch their energy supplier, often they will receive no update on their progress until it is complete. Track My Switch puts the control back into the customer’s hands, allowing them to keep tabs on where their switch is up to, and where their money will ultimately end up.
Track My Switch takes inspiration from the Domino’s pizza tracking application, which has been a huge success, and proves that the B2B sector can learn from B2C from a customer service point of view.
Phil Foster, MD of Love Energy Savings, says that customer service is always at the top of their priority list, and Track My Switch is the next step in their journey towards improvement:
“Despite the bad press that the energy industry has received lately in regards to customer service, Love Energy have always prided ourselves on delivering excellent, transparent service 100% of the time. Track My Switch gives people more power, allowing them to know exactly what stage the switch process is at, and when they can expect completion.
“Even with the huge amount of competition out there, what customers really want is more value and personal relevance. We understand that customers want so much more than a traditional energy service, and we strive to provide something brand new and innovative with Track My Switch.”
The Property Sector
Renting a property isn’t always an easy task, particularly when viewing a potential apartment. But a brand new technology called 3D Entity could be used to revolutionise the property industry, allowing people to virtually view apartments in their own time before committing to viewing in person.
The idea is currently being trialled by Apartments.com, and uses space capture technology to create a perfect virtual replica of an apartment. Renting hopefuls can explore rooms without leaving their current home or office, before the need to physically view the room is ever needed. More than anything, technology such as this is all about making the process more convenient for the customer again, giving them control over the whole process.
Not just restricted to the property industry, with further development this space-capture technology could also be used in hospitality, public spaces and retail.
For more information on the full report, please contact Emily Clark on [email protected].
