Each year, customer service, support and experience experts predict trends that will shape best practices for delivering shareworthy service. 2021 is no exception!
How do these CX projections apply to your staffing or recruiting firm?
Here are four trends that will have a major impact on your staffing firm this year:
Rising customer expectations are outpacing support teams.
Employers’ and job seekers’ expectations for immediacy, personalization and convenience have been increasing for years (I first wrote about it back in 2017). But there’s a problem. Research from Intercom shows that, while 73% of support leaders agree that customer expectations for their team are rising, less than half (42%) are confident they’re meeting those expectations. In this post, I share tips on how to close the gap – and keep clients and candidates happy.
Digital customer service excellence is table stakes.
The events of 2020 forced many staffing firms to scramble, hastily putting digital support and service capabilities into place. The truth? In 2021, superior digital customer service (provided via chat, bots, texting, social messaging, etc.) isn’t nice to have; it’s essential to survival. If you’re struggling to catch up, now is the time to build out these channels and beef up human intervention to out-service your competitors.
Staffing firms must take an adaptive approach to customer experience.
You undoubtedly realize how important customer experience is for differentiating your brand from the competition – and how unique each customer journey can be. As the customer journey becomes increasingly important to your firm’s success, you will need to become more flexible in your approach to customer service. This year, stay open to trying new marketing and sales strategies that guide your employers and candidates along their journey and better support their goals.
Support evolves from reactive to proactive.
For decades, staffing customer service has been reactive: When a problem comes up, address it. But if all you’re doing is reacting to problem after problem, you’re putting your firm at a disadvantage – because as we all know, unhappy customers may never say a word to you! They may go directly online to vent and trash your reputation, or they may quietly take their business elsewhere.
In 2021, be more proactive about uncovering and solving customers’ problems. Actively solicit feedback on your service and placements. Check in with clients, even when they don’t have active job orders with you. And never mistake silence for satisfaction. Do these things, and you’ll have ample opportunities to turn disgruntled customers into your biggest fans – ultimately retaining more business and improving your reputation in the industry.
How do these 2021 trends compare to years past?
If you’d like to take a quick walk down memory lane, here are two CX trend posts from earlier years:
Staffing CX: 5 Customer Experience Trends (2018)
What’s Next in Staffing Customer Experience? (2016)
Need help improving customer experience in 2021?
Give our marketing educators a call. We’ll provide the expert advice, solutions and automation you need to raise the bar in your staffing firm’s customer experience – by delivering shareworthy service, every time.
