3 Easy Ways to Strengthen Customer Relationships with Unified Communication Tools

Darwin’s Theory is that species must adapt to their environment in order to survive. The same is true in business, and the pandemic has been a hard lesson for many companies as they battle to stay afloat. The “fittest” have embraced (and even accelerated) digital transformation, finding new and meaningful ways to engage customers remotely. Even when social distancing restrictions relax, customers have grown accustomed to digital interactions. And for good reason: they’re faster and more convenient. But people still want to feel connected, perhaps even more so than before.

So how can you strengthen ties with customers and create a personal experience in a predominantly digital world? Unified communications technology makes it possible. Here are three specific ways to leverage digital communications tools to solidify customer relationships—and business survival.

1. Know Your Customer

We’re all in need of a little extra TLC these days, and companies that can find a way to show they care are rising to the top. What better way to do that than to demonstrate how well you know your customers? CRM integration with your communications system gives staff real-time access to information that can be used to create a memorable experience. As soon as a customer contacts your business, agents can see detailed customer data, ranging from past order history and previous communications. Agents can immediately jump into action, providing updates on recent orders and answering questions the customer may have before they even ask them.

2. Make It Omnichannel

Customers have been interacting with businesses across multiple digital channels for years now, but the pandemic has forced even the most tech-resistant customers to become more digitally savvy. Consumers will be more likely to use digital wallets or cards in the future, and the use of chat and social media has seen a huge increase.

Today, customers expect to be able to communicate with businesses via multiple social media channels, web chat, SMS messages, email and messaging apps. But it’s not enough to offer multiple means of communications. They all need to play nice together, allowing customers to seamlessly move from one channel to another. The digital customer simply expects to be able to start a conversation with a chatbot and move to a live agent via chat or phone (depending on their preference) without having to repeat any of the information they already shared. Smart bots powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) make this possible by routing customers to an agent with the right level of expertise and providing them with a full history of the interaction.

3. Personalize It

Customers may be looking for ways to avoid physical interaction with your staff, but they’re craving personalization more than ever. They want to know you understand their needs and desires, that you value their time and business and that you truly care about giving them what they need. When agents have access to a full customer history, they can personalize the interaction and make customers feel appreciated and valued.

AI technology takes personalization to a new level, with virtual agents monitoring conversations and providing human agents with relevant information to resolve issues and answer questions more quickly. Integration with other internal systems such as supply chain and logistics platforms empower agents to answer just about any question a customer may have.

Powerful unified communications technology arms your business with the right tools to outperform the competition and adapt to changing customer expectations. Contact TCI today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

How Technology Enables Our New Normal… Hybrid Workplaces, Lifestyle & Healthcare

While no one has a crystal ball, life may never return to what it was before COVID-19. We’ve experienced major shifts in how we live, work, learn and communicate. The word “hybrid” best describes these changes and what the future may hold. We may not return to the past, but we won’t be in pandemic mode either.

The acceptance and use of new technology has moved at warp speed. Adoption of advanced technologies in operations, supply chains and data security has moved faster than most decision makers could have imagined. Technology has also enabled huge advances in remote work, operations, customer service, and healthcare…

Hybrid Workforce

“You want to work from home?” While some businesses offered this as a perk, most frowned upon it, citing the importance of “face time.” If there is one thing the pandemic has proved is that working remotely has not hurt productivity. Cloud communications enabled teams to interact and collaborate, using tools like video conferences, file sharing, shared workspaces and messaging. Without this operational support, productivity and team interactions would suffer. Many workers in highly skilled, non-customer facing jobs (e.g., finance, insurance, IT) can work remotely very effectively. Advances in cloud communications have made this possible. What’s more, many employees like the flexibility and report less stress.

Hybrid Lifestyle

Online shopping, already gaining in popularity before the pandemic, has soared. Home delivery of goods and food, curbside pickup and other hybrid shopping habits are here to stay. Customers like the convenience, wide product selection and speed. Businesses have responded to this demand by adding digital customer channels like chatbots, mobile apps and other ecommerce tools.

Contactless payment methods and digital workflows are two examples. Using document automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and other automation tools, banks have quickly moved away from in-person interactions, enabling customers to upload all pertinent documents including image files and PDFs. Need to see a driver’s license? The customer takes a picture using their smart phone and uploads it to their online application. The bank representative facilitating the application is probably sitting at home, not the branch.

Hybrid Healthcare

One of the most dramatic changes is the adoption of telehealth. The technology was available before the pandemic, but both providers and patients were reluctant to use it. The pandemic has helped everyone recognize the value of telehealth. A follow-up appointment, often just a conversation with the healthcare provider, is more efficient and convenient done virtually. When a patient comes down with a bad cold that is “going around”, the provider can diagnose the problem with a video call, keeping the sick patient at home. Going forward, expect to see a blend of in-person and virtual care.

All These Innovations Reside in the Cloud…

Businesses don’t have to worry about buying hardware or software to quickly expand their capacity. That capital can be used to transform operations, hire new talent or introduce new products.

Cloud communications can give your businesses more flexibility and options than ever before. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

The TCI Advantage of All-in-One Communications, Networking, Infrastructure, Security and Support

There are a lot of companies out there selling standalone communications solutions. What sets our approach apart is TCI Advantage, a holistic suite of capabilities combined with a fully-trained, customer-focused and experienced staff of professionals. We bundle all that with a Discovery and Assessment Process that ensures EVERY engagement exceeds your expectations.

A Comprehensive Portfolio

The comprehensive portfolio of TCI Advantage is designed to cover every aspect of Business Communications, Networking, Support, Infrastructure, and Security…

  • TCI Host – This enterprise-class cloud communications solution provides UCaaS, which brings together feature-rich software into a high-availability Cloud environment, delivering the flexibility, reliability and advanced UC features you need to connect your business. Learn more
  • TCI Connect – Provides a multi-pronged approach that combines our comprehensive Net360 Network Assessment, Remediation & Onboarding Process, plus SLA-based Maintenance and Network Monitoring, to ensure your network infrastructure is not only ready for deployment but will operate as expected for years to come. Learn more
  • TCI Secure – We manage a broad array of Next-Generation Firewall and Management products from Cisco Maraki, SonicWall, and Watchguard as well as Patch Management, Wireless Security, and Backup/Recovery from industry leaders. Learn more
  • TCI Manage – We release you and your overburdened teams from day-to-day network monitoring, backup, reporting, and management tasks. We’ll also increase the performance of your network while uncovering savings too. Learn more

Find out how TCI Advantage breaks down tech silos and brings everything together to simplify your life and empower your teams. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

 

Best Practices… Taking it Step-by-Step to Your Smooth, Resilient Cloud Migration

With more companies moving to the cloud to support remote work requirements, due diligence is essential. Moving to the cloud is a major undertaking, but it has to happen. There’s not only a pandemic to deal with, but legacy systems are expensive to maintain. To ensure your cloud migration is smooth and resilient keep these three principles in mind…

1. Plan for Now, Plan for the Future

Doing your homework pays off in the long run. First, identify all the relevant stakeholders – those who will be most impacted by changes in applications and accessibility – and discover what’s most important to them. What are their key workflows? What applications and tools are essential for them to do their work? What’s most likely to be impacted by the migration? After completing this process, you will be better able to develop a detailed deployment plan that takes each stakeholder’s unique needs into account.

Next, decide what will go to the cloud. Examine each application and determine if it makes more sense to migrate it, keep it local, or upgrade it to a native cloud application or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application. Evaluate how each decision will impact your overall infrastructure. The discovery and evaluation process may also help you to project future needs.

2. Actively Manage Change

When designing your cloud migration, identify each significant moving part that could create problems, and develop a plan to mitigate the issues.

When you shift applications to the cloud, will you have the IT personnel with the skill set you need? If not, you might have to hire new team members or retrain current employees. Workflows will change. Responsibilities and roles may change. Think ahead and assemble the players you need. Consider forming a dedicated team just to manage the migration.

3. Test for Resilience before Migration

Because resilience is so crucial to the business, it pays to prepare and test your systems before deployment…

Ask your vendors for demonstrations before you go live. They should be able to walk you through every step in the process.

Because there will be bumps along the way, make sure you’ll have access to real-time data in case you want to step back and change your plan.

Preparing for cloud migration is a good time to reevaluate your back-up and recovery solutions to make sure they’re strong and aligned with the company’s business strategy.

Moving your communications to the cloud shouldn’t be intimidating. With a strong partner like TCI on your side, you and your stakeholders can rest assured that the migration will go smoothly. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.