By Michael Mueller, CEO, Form3 

At the end of every year there’s a natural tendency within every industry to assess how far it has come in the past 12 months and where the next 12 might lead. However, 2021 was far from being a typical year, and there is a great deal of uncertainty as to what lies ahead for us in 2022. Making predictions is a risky business when there are so many unknown and unknowable factors involved. We are living through unprecedented times, and this is something that has been felt especially keenly in the financial sector as a whole, and in payments in particular.

At this stage, it should be emphasised that there isn’t one, homogenous payments market; it’s a complex ecosystem with many different interested parties and processes. But in general, payments is not an area where change happens very quickly. Many of the developing trends involve shifts that have been taking place over several years, and will take some time to be fully realised. As well as the COVID-19 pandemic, though, there have been some catalytic forces at work — many of them innovations driven by developments in fintech. As a result, 2022 will see progress that will ultimately benefit end users in many different ways. Here are five things that observers should keep an eye on in the year ahead.

Contactless payment limits and payment volumes to keep rising

The ‘death’ of cash has been a commonly-covered topic in the media for several years now, but the pandemic may prove to be one of the final nails in the coffin. An increasing number of retailers and hospitality venues won’t handle physical money due to transmission issues, as they don’t want to put their staff or customers at unnecessary risk. This is why we saw contactless payments limits increase more than once in the UK in the past few years.

While the sharp decline in the use of cash has been great news for card providers as transaction volumes have significantly increased, it should also be noted that the number of payments being made is rising exponentially. According to research by Capgemini, global economies have seen a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for non-cash payments of more than 12% between 2016 and 2020, and this is expected to grow to more than 17% in the next 5 years. This is something you may have noticed when looking at your bank statements — they’re much longer than they used to be, generally speaking.

The phasing out of notes and coins is happening in a way that will be irreversible — like with many other trends in payments, progress might not happen overnight but things always move forwards and not backwards. The merchants that have taken the decision to reject cash will not go back. Similarly, contactless payment limits won’t suddenly be slashed once COVID-19 ceases to be a problem. So the use of contactless and mobile wallets is certainly going to continue to grow in 2022, and we’ll see more and more people leaving their physical wallets at home.

Increased demand for real-time payments

As the number of transactions we make increases rapidly, we need to provide consumers with a better way of keeping track of their money. While card networks operate on a real-time basis, where transactions made show up in your account instantly, this isn’t the case for all types of transaction. In a world where we can send a WhatsApp message to someone in a matter of milliseconds, people want to be able to do the same thing with money as well, especially where domestic payments are concerned.

The need to move to real-time payment processing should be a priority for banks. Upgrades will have to be made so banks can not only process payments in real-time, but so their systems operate on an ‘always-on’ principle as well, as customers will want to make transfers outside of standard office hours. However, there will need to be a certain amount of industry agreement for this change to happen, as a real-time payment system requires all banks to be reachable for it to work. So without a broad consensus across the industry, this particular trend could stall. But it is worth noting that central banks and clearing bodies globally are already upgrading their technology to respond to the significant demand for more real time settlement.

Payment initiation and authentication to improve

One of the key considerations in the effort to roll out real-time payments is security. Keeping payments safe is going to be one of the most significant points of debate in 2022 with payment processing times getting shorter, but many controls still needing to be in place. While it is comparatively simple to stop fraudulent parties initiating payments by using methods such as two-factor authentication, for example, it’s more difficult to stop fraudsters manipulating account numbers and details, with payments that have been made in good faith being redirected to the wrong accounts. In these cases it can be very difficult to recover funds, so there will have to be significant investment in technologies that allow the beneficiaries to be checked quickly in order to make sure the payments go to the right place and that there are no delays.

So in terms of payment security, authentication is not the biggest issue anymore — indeed, authentication is becoming more and more of an inconvenience. In response to this, in 2022 we will see a growth in more ingenious and safer ways in which payments can be initiated, and there will be an acceleration in the use of new biometrics for payment security, taking the inconvenience out of the process. Increasingly, payment initiation is something that will disappear as a customer experience, through methods such as face recognition. Payments will be initiated in a matter of moments, then real-time processing will effectively make the customer experience immediate.

Cross-border payments to be faster and cheaper

Cross-border payments are more complex than domestic transactions due to the number of different institutions involved and the greater regulatory scrutiny required. However, the underlying technology is becoming ever more efficient, and waiting times are much shorter than they used to be. Alongside the push for real-time payment processing for domestic transactions, there will be progress in cross-border payments in 2022 as well.

There are three reasons for this. Firstly, there is an increasing amount of competition in this area now, with fintech innovators such as Wise and Revolut driving improvements in services and lowering fees. Secondly, there will be increased consumer demand for cross-border payments — these types of payments are often made by travellers so with increased movement of people expected in 2022, as restrictions are relaxed, transaction volumes will increase. Finally, there is a concerted effort guided by the G20 to improve cross-border payments, as they are fundamental to boosting economic growth and global development. While the G20’s roadmap for making these types of transactions cheaper, faster and safe stretches out into the future well beyond 2022, we expect to see steady progress over the next 12 months.

Banks to invest in back-end technology

There are still systems being used in the financial services industry today that were built in the late 1990s. Because of the costs involved in developing and implementing proprietary technology across their entire business — as well as a high degree of risk — there has been a reluctance to modernise in many financial institutions.

But we’ve begun to see a shift in the past five years, with many banks taking a much more pragmatic approach. Rather than trying to build everything themselves, they focus on the components that differentiate them from competitors such as their front end and the customer journey. When it comes to the backend components that the customers don’t see, though, financial institutions are much more prepared to buy in technology rather than go to the time and expense of building it all themselves. In 2022, we’ll see more investment in technologies that enable banks to deal with things like real-time payment processing, beneficiary checks and biometric payment initiation and authentication. This will also allow them to allocate more resources to creating great customer experiences.

Paradigm shifts don’t really happen in payments; change in this industry is more of a gradual process. However, things are always moving forwards, and the changes we do see don’t get undone. So while 2022 might not see seismic changes in payments, there will certainly be developing trends that will ultimately be highly beneficial to end users. Some, such as investment in back-end technology will be laying the foundations for longer term advancement, while others like real-time payment processing and improved cross-border payments will be in response to more immediate consumer demand.

Originally Appeared Here

Having the right cloud strategy can promote more innovation, growth, productivity and digital agility. It’s a proven framework for future success.

No one likes being treated like a number.

A great customer experience with real people showing they care feels good. Sometimes, it can even create a customer for life. In the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry, this becomes even more poignant for customers reaching out in their greatest moment of need.

At the same time, it’s challenging for P&C insurance carriers to handle large batches of claims with immediacy and personal attention. Using on-premises-based systems can lengthen claims processing times. A sound cloud strategy boosts digital agility and customer experience. To me, this is where insurance companies want to be operating: at the crossroad of technology and humanity where customers are the reason why.

The Challenge for Insurance Carriers: Change

Source: PWC 

What got insurance companies to this point will not move them forward. The world has changed. 

Aging infrastructure, the rise of remote work, latency issues, rising customer expectations for immediacy and online access, and more distributed endpoints demand a cloud strategy that gives P&C insurance companies a scalable network architecture.

At the center of the conversation is the customer experience. Financial services organizations using cloud technology are positioned to deliver faster response times for policyholders and get new products to market faster. 

A Cloud Strategy for All Size Companies

Cloud strategy is a concise point of view on the role of cloud within the organization. It is a living document, designed to bridge between a high-level corporate strategy and a cloud implementation/adoption/migration plan.

Source: Avenga

I saw the power of cloud transformation for smaller insurance carriers during a recent visit to Panhandle Farmers Mutual Insurance, located in West Virginia. 

The company sat on a hill with beautiful, hundred-year-old trees bordering the street. Inside the modest red brick office building, inefficiency and an excessive amount of paperwork plagued the company. As Panhandle’s President Art Meadows gave me a tour, I saw stacked boxes of paper, ledger books, paper claims and agency maps in the basement. Until they partnered up with BriteCore to implement a cloud-based core platform, employees manually processed claims. 

Now Panhandle’s work is digitalized and there’s greater uptime. The company has increased revenues 200% since automating processes. 

Can Cloud Lead to Greater Engagement?

As the use of artificial Intelligence (AI) grows, the need for human interaction becomes even more important. This means using the right balance of automation and empathy. In a blog written by Nusrat Atta, Industry Solutions Specialist, AT&T Business, entitled “6 ways insurers can use technology to scale human empathy,” Atta says that depending on automation “too much can undercut the trust and peace-of-mind benefits that fuel demand for insurance products in the first place.” 

Source: Microsoft

A cloud strategy allows faster response time for policyholders and streamlines services. The article suggests having a deeper understanding of the customer journey so the right balance of technology and interaction is achieved. I predict that a cloud strategy will actually free people to add a greater human touch to customer relationships. 

Case in Point: Citizens Bank

Let’s take a look at a global enterprise who has been there, done that. Citizens Bank, in partnership with AT&T, elevated its operations and delivered a better customer experience with cloud.

I set aside time to attend the AT&T Business Summit where AT&T Business Associate Director Jason Levisee talked with Stephen White, Citizens Bank’s senior vice president of network services. 

Citizens Bank, with $187 billion in total assets, wanted to deliver more agile capabilities for its customers and internal team. AT&T provided a custom solution that White says helped his organization deliver strategically on outcomes and “transformed 900 branches on this model” in less than 18 months (about 80 branches per month). 

The financial institution was plagued by aging network infrastructure, no Wi-Fi, T1 support or 4G backup. It could not meet the demands of a digital experience. They’ve since moved from an outsourced operating model to an insourced operating model leveraging a custom, co-managed operations model with AT&T. Of top importance to White’s team: to control the service levels of the business. To meet that demand, AT&T also built a custom, onshore Integrated Service Desk (ISD). 

My biggest takeaway was how Citizens Bank made its tech part of the company’s business strategy. White said it well when mentioning that transitioning to the cloud meant better access through direct access. His initial expectation was to replace the equipment and deliver Wi-Fi, and position the company for DIA around its cloud strategy. Instead, the company went much further.

Considerations for Your Cloud Strategy 

If you’re thinking about adopting a distributed infrastructure using multi-cloud solutions, here are a few things to consider: use a highly secure data infrastructure for storing near real-time client data, get all the necessary compliance certificates and provide training before starting the migration process. AT&T SD-WAN solutions integrate security mechanisms in-line, parallel to, and in-cloud.

Beyond the tactics, perhaps the best path to cloud is to be open to possibilities. A lot of people might view AT&T as a major provider of mobile and Wi-Fi services to people’s homes. But the nearly 40-year-old company is actually the largest telecommunications company in the world, working alongside global enterprises to get them where they need to be. For Citizens Bank, White commented that AT&T’s efforts “fundamentally changed our ability to support our business.” That’s the kind of transformational change and impact having the right cloud partner can make.

The place to look for answers? Your customer’s world. In an article by PwC, author Ellen Walsh summarizes where insurance companies have been and the shifting sands they face. “For decades,” she writes, “we’ve watched insurers emphasize dependability — often correlated with size. But as attitudes change, flexibility and responsiveness is growing in importance to your wholesale and retail customers just as it is to your employees.” 

This means making it easy for consumers to access information, buy insurance products and get the personal service they need and want. The days of “this is how we do things” doesn’t fly in an era of demanding consumer expectations. A sound cloud strategy is the path to digital agility and, with that, a more dynamic customer experience. 

Originally Appeared Here

Trainer Tina Calder of Excalibur Press

Is it time to get your social media strategy and plan under control?

Poster for Tina Calder of Excalibur Press webinar How To Set Up Your Social Media Content Strategy & Plan For 2022

New training session set to help business owners and social media managers create an actionable social media content strategy and plan.

In this session we’re going to focus on helping people understand the practical steps they need to take in order to create a basic social media strategy for the year ahead.”

— Trainer Tina Calder of Excalibur Press

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND, COUNTY ANTRIM, UNITED KINGDOM, January 1, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — As many business owners work on their 2022 marketing and communications strategies and plans many will struggle to figure out what to do with their social media in the year ahead.

A new training session by UK company Excalibur Press is set to help business owners, social media managers and staff responsible for looking after social platforms create an actionable social media content strategy and plan.

Delivered by trainer and content strategist Tina Calder, the session How To Set Up Your Social Media Content Strategy & Plan For 2022, which takes place on Friday January 7, will take attendees through the basics of what they need to know in order to maximise their social media use in the year ahead.

Speaking ahead of the session Tina Calder said: “For many businesses social media can be the headache that just won’t go away. Everything from lack of time, resources and finances to a lack of technical skills and content ideas can turn managing social media into a nightmare for many people.

“As the number of platforms increase in number and audience expectations change it’s not easy to keep on top of your social platforms in a streamlined way that is beneficial for your business.

“In this session we’re going to focus on helping people understand the practical steps they need to take in order to create a basic social media strategy for the year ahead and show attendees how to make a plan, where to get ideas and how to execute good infrastructure social media content creation in bulk.”

The 90 minute session will also take attendees through each of the platforms and the most important features as well as helping develop ways to brainstorm content, get their staff and colleagues involved and how to fit social media into a wider marketing and communications strategy.

Tina added: “Throughout this session I will be revealing all the tools we use at Excalibur Press to create good quality content for our clients as well as lift the lid on the secrets other social media professionals don’t want you to know.

“By demystifying how to optimise your social media content creation and showing attendees how to integrate social content into all aspects of the customer journey I hope that businesses and individuals will be much more confident about creating great social media content throughout 2022.”

For more information and booking details for How To Set Up Your Social Media Content Strategy & Plan For 2022 on Friday January 7, go to https://excaliburpress.co.uk/social-webinar-2022

Tina Calder
Excalibur Press
+44 7305354209
tina@excaliburpress.co.uk
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Originally Appeared Here

Healthwire, a health-tech startup and operator of one of the largest horizontally integrated ecosystems of healthcare service providers in Pakistan, has closed $3.3 Million in funding. The round drew participation from 47 Ventures, Habib Bank Limited, Dilsons Private Limited, and angel investors from Silicon Valley.  

Healthwire was founded by Hamza Iqbal, a LUMS graduate, with a vision to make access to quality healthcare accessible and affordable for every citizen of Pakistan. Since its inception, Healthwire has been singularly focused on digitizing the operations of doctors, clinics, hospitals, labs, and pharmacies and now boasts the largest and most widely integrated platform of thousands of health care service providers in over 60 cities of Pakistan.

In a statement, co-founder and CTO of Healthwire, Muhammad Nabeel said “The patient-doctor interaction is the point where the whole healthcare ecosystem converges. By having this interaction on our health-tech platform, we can ensure that quality healthcare is accessible to patients in the remotest areas of the country. The economies of scale of the tech platform allow us to ensure that this access is affordable and inclusive. 

Khurram Zafar, Managing Director of 47 Ventures, and a seed investor in Healthwire said,

“We are excited to be doubling down on one of the stars in our portfolio. The growth and momentum that Healthwire has built even during the tough COVID period is a testament to the strength and resilience of the team. It is destined to become the health tech leader of Pakistan.” 

Sagheer Mufti, COO at HBL, commenting on the occasion said:

“HBL is excited to invest in Healthwire, as it is an integrated healthcare digital platform. It will ease the customer journey and improve quality of healthcare, particularly multiple healthcare providers. Through provision of embedded banking services, to providers like hospitals, clinics, labs, health insurance providers and pharmacies will be able to serve, patients more effectively. HBL and Healthwire partnership seeks to expand access to quality and convenient healthcare in Pakistan. With the Healthwire investment. and collaboration, digital financial inclusion will be widened, reaffirming HBL’s commitment to be a technology company with a banking license.”

Healthwire, building upon its strong presence in the healthcare service provider ecosystem, has now deployed a web and mobile application for patients to connect with those service providers. The platform is already connecting over 10,000 patients with doctors every single day.  The startup intends to use the funding to further fuel its growth and become the healthcare super app of Pakistan.

Hassan Sheikh, Director at Dilsons Private Limited while commenting on their investment in Healthwire said:

“Dilsons strategy to invest in Digital Healthcare fits well with integrated solution provider Healthwire. This gives us an opportunity to be part of Digital Health ecosystem which will shape the future of health tech. This partnership will enable us to be a part of Pakistan’s leading digital healthcare platform for disease management with strong capabilities and eventually leading to better healthcare outcomes for patients.”

Originally Appeared Here

A typical contact center is usually buzzing with noise, activity, and excitement. Agents are interacting with customers, trying to help them find a solution to their problems. It can be quite easy for a contact center’s operational efficiency to get sidelined as the calls, emails, and text messages keep coming in.

Does that sound like a familiar situation to you? In order to provide a positive customer journey, learn how a quality contact center operates and the common issues they encounter so you can avoid those pitfalls.

We’re on a mission to end the tyranny of alt-tab in the contact center. Here is a list of do’s and don’ts to make that task easier.

Do take a single pane of glass approach

The most efficient contact centers place the customer experience at the forefront of their mission. They use the latest technology strategies to provide a seamless process for customers to find support.

Agents can quickly lookup a customer’s history and access different data. They do not have to sift through a dozen applications. Agents are able to provide support through each customer’s preferred channel. Through a single “windowpane,” they can see multiple sets of customer data. This saves the contact center both time and money by improving customer retention rates.

Do integrate with external and third-party systems

In order to create a well-oiled customer service machine, you need to embrace your mission of delivering frictionless customer service for both end-users (customers) as well as behind the scenes for agents and managers. Without all the “parts” working in sync, your end goal of smooth and speedy support will be diminished.

Your contact center systems should be integrated and able to push and pull information to and from third-party systems. To optimize internal operations and create true efficiency that leads to customer-centricity, all of these touchpoints need to be connected and measured within the context of the complete customer journey. Successful companies know how to connect the dots with the help of CRM.

Do incorporate AI & automation

When you have seamless system connections you can easily tap AI for greater efficiency. An important component that makes AI strategies really sing is ready and easy access to data.

Contact centers can incorporate AI-powered knowledge bases as well as leverage their CRM to improve customer interactions, enhance the agent experience, and support automation.

As a CRM is a repository for customer data, a knowledge base is a centralized location to store information about processes and service tasks that can help customers fulfill support needs on their own. AI can leverage the information housed in your CRM and knowledge base to benefit your business.

Don’t work in silos

When an agent does not have the ability to look up all the relevant details of a customer’s history, the risk of customer dissatisfaction increases. A survey at Plainview found that over 20 hours a month of time are spent when trying to work through communication problems caused by siloed data.

Siloed data often happens because different software programs used across different channels or departments may not communicate effectively with each other. Other times the information needed is stored in a program that the agent does not have access to. Agents can also find themselves accidentally locked out of one program of many after forgetting their password.

A solution for this common problem is an efficient CRM that can store a variety of customer data. It should also provide easy access to other programs that perform different functions. This integration of software makes the agent’s job much easier. You can expect a positive customer experience when calls are quick and easy.

Don’t force agents to work across too many applications

Have you ever had a million tabs open on your computer at once? It can be really stressful to see that while trying to focus on a customer who is talking to you. Although applications can be extremely useful, having too many of them also poses a risk.

Looking through thirty different programs can be very time-consuming. When working at a contact center, time is one of the most valuable assets an agent and manager can have.

Your company must find a CRM that can perform a good portion of essential functions. The CRM should also be able to communicate effectively with other software programs you use.

Don’t fall into the poor cross-channel interaction gap

How well can your agents handle customer requests and questions coming from different sources like email, chat, and voice? An efficient workflow must be set in place so that agents are not overwhelmed by incoming queries from different channels. Dealing with an upset customer on the phone at the same time can be stressful.

Social media is another channel that gets ignored. These days, tweets can go viral within hours. An unhappy client who posts something negative about your company could cost you in the long run.

Large companies usually have marketing professionals dedicated only to customer inquiries on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This can be very costly.

An omnichannel solution allows contact center agents to receive and send out communications with customers through many channels from one platform. An agent can efficiently answer emails, take calls, and reply to texts in an organized way. They can even answer social media questions using only one program.

Accordin g to researchers at Invesp, companies that use omnichannel solutions retain 89% of their customers. That is a very large percentage of people who stay loyal to a business. The customer journey improves when different channel options to connect with your company are available. The right solution will provide smooth workflows for your agents and allow them to provide top-notch service.

Don’t rely on outdated technology

Is your contact center’s technology capable of supporting agents when they can’t get to a phone call in time or can’t return a customer’s text right away? Nothing will frustrate a customer more than feeling unheard and ignored when attempting to reach out to your company.

Invest in quality technology for your center such as AI virtual agents to truly meet your customers’ needs. AI virtual agents can help address a customer’s questions and eliminate the need for them to have to pick up the phone. They can also let a customer know an agent will help them soon.

Providing top-of-the-line customer service is easier when you have the best technology at your fingertips.

Don’t “make do” with unmet staffing needs

Staffing needs should always be a top priority for contact center managers. Too little staff on a busy day could be disastrous for agent performance. Workflows must be adjusted accordingly so that no single agent is spread too thin.

Many times an unexpected heavy volume of calls can come in with not enough agents available. One of the most important pieces of technology to invest in is a quality Interactive Voice Response system.

An IVR prioritizes calls by routing them to the right person, provides voicemail, and allows customers to schedule a callback so they don’t wait on the phone.

Use your call analytics to forecast how many agents will be needed on busy days for accurate scheduling. When upcoming shifts are forecasted to be slow, you can reduce costs by scheduling the right number of agents for that day.

A contact center can be difficult to run. With the right tools, managers can make sure agents and customers experience a positive interaction. Your systems should be able to provide a single pane approach, provide customers with different communication options, and make you and your agents’ jobs much easier.

Originally Appeared Here

When it comes to collecting prospect information and gathering online leads, contact forms have long been the standard used by businesses across a wide range of industries.

However, just because a lead generation tool is widely used, it doesn’t mean it is actually effective. Contact forms have many shortcomings that can cause potential leads to get lost along the way—through backend technical errors, user frustration with the form interface, or understandable skepticism that they’ll ever hear back from you.

The good news is there are better ways to collect information from prospects. As you improve this initial step of the customer journey, you will be far better equipped to qualify sales prospects and turn them into paying customers.

The trouble with contact forms

While adding a contact form to your website may seem like a tried-and-true method for collecting prospect information, real-world experience reveals this is anything but certain.

Quite often, contact forms ask for more information than is actually necessary. This can cause prospects to lose interest in filling out the form. If they aren’t sure whether they can trust your website, asking for too much information will make them suspicious and less likely to complete the form.

In fact, one survey found that the majority of customers don’t trust contact forms. When given the choice between a contact form and an email, 67.3% will use the email address to reach out to the company.

Part of this stems from the fact that customers doubt a contact form’s ability to actually send their information (and inquiry) to the right place. Many people don’t trust contact forms to work, in part because they rarely send receipt of confirmation. Even if your own company responds to these inquiries, many businesses don’t, further worsening the reputation of these forms.

Finally, there’s the issue of mobile users. Many contact forms don’t use responsive design, which can make them extremely difficult for mobile users to navigate and fill out. With mobile now accounting for 54.8% of web traffic, this could cause your business to lose a large number of prospects.

Forget contact forms—3 better ways to collect customer information

1. Give customers immediate contact with live chat

We live in an age of instant gratification. Quite often, prospects want immediate answers to their inquiries—or at least the knowledge that their information is being seen by someone. This is where live chat comes in.

While you may not have the resources to have an actual person running your website’s chat 24/7, you can give prospects the immediate response they desire when you add a chatbot to your website. Today’s chatbots are increasingly advanced, able to collect prospect information, answer basic inquiries, and even assist with tasks like completing transactions or scheduling meetings.

Tools such as ManyChat have made it easier than ever to add chatbot functionality to your website. A drag and drop editor lets users customize templates, trigger actions based on certain conditions, and more. A customized chatbot can pass prospect contact information on to your sales team, as well as any other details from the conversation that would be relevant to future outreach.

A well-designed chatbot can’t completely replace a living, breathing person, but it will give prospects confidence that their information has been received, and if their inquiry hasn’t already been solved, that a real person will be available to help them before long.

More articles from AllBusiness.com:

2. Collect information while scheduling meetings

Many businesses, particularly in the B2B services industry, rely on scheduled meetings to better understand prospect pain points so they can create custom-tailored solutions and qualify leads. Messaging through a contact form typically requires several back-and-forth communications before such a meeting can be set up.

Wouldn’t it be better if interested prospects could schedule a meeting right from the get-go? A call to action encouraging (and enabling) visitors to schedule a consultation or book an appointment is far more engaging than a standard “contact us.”

This is where tools like vcita can make a big difference in your prospecting. This tool allows businesses to display their services and availability for consultations and other meetings. Instead of a contact form, you add a scheduling button. Prospects can view your available times and quickly set up a meeting via Zoom, phone, or even in person. Appointment reminders also reduce cancellations and no-shows.

With a self-service appointment booking option, businesses don’t merely collect prospect information—they ensure that they are engaging with warm leads because the prospect has already committed to an initial meeting.

3. Collect information with website tracking tools

You don’t actually have to require site visitors to fill out a form to collect basic information. Tools such as Leadfeeder connect with your website’s Google Analytics account to track which companies visit your website, as well as which actions they take while on your site. Better yet, this tool can also help users find contact information for website visitors.

By tracking the users who visit your site, you can prequalify leads based on the actions they take, as well as their characteristics. The data you collect can help you identify a company’s size, revenue, potential needs, pain points, and other vital factors that influence whether they are worth the efforts of your sales team.

Perhaps most importantly, determining who the decision makers would be for any actions related to your company and its services will ensure that your outreach targets the right person.

Generally speaking, a prospect that hasn’t made any effort to contact you is still in the early stages of the buyer’s journey. However, proactive outreach from your sales team could provide the information (or positive interactions) they need to be influenced toward working with your company rather than a competitor.

Be proactive in collecting prospect information

Prospecting is a challenging aspect of the sales process. But the reality is, you can’t hope that a contact form will work properly and get you on track to qualifying a potential customer.

Tools that allow you to more proactively collect prospect information will help you get in touch that much sooner and make it easier to funnel qualified leads through the sales journey.

RELATED: The 7 Key Elements Your Website Landing Pages Must Have to Be Successful

Originally Appeared Here

Utilities Manager Philo Shelton

COUNTY News:

In its pursuit of continuous improvement, the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will be the subject of two customer surveys beginning the first week in January conducted by GreatBlue Research. 

The first is a quick transactional survey to be completed by customers at the end of a business  interaction.

Customers who stop by the Customer Care Center in the Los Alamos County Municipal Building, as well as those who interact with electric, gas, water and sewer field personnel, will be pointed to an online survey about the business concluded, such as bill payments, questions on services, or meter rereads.

The second survey, the Voice of the Customer Survey, is an annual survey to measure customer  satisfaction and engagement in areas such as quality, reliability and service. The information gathered will provide benchmarks for comparison to other utility providers. GreatBlue will analyze the data and provide recommendations to DPU for improvement of overall service to customers.

While the link for the online transactional survey will be given only to customers who directly interact with DPU employees, the Voice of the Customer Survey will go out to a randomly selected group of utility account holders by email and phone.

“We would appreciate people taking the time to complete our surveys because they will help us improve our service to the community,” Utilities Manager Philo Shelton said. “We will be collecting these data every year so that we can continually observe customer service trends and seek opportunities for improvements. We’re working hard to not only build upon our successes, but also to correct our weaknesses.”

The Voice of the Customer survey will be conducted online Jan. 4 through Jan. 25, and then by phone  Jan. 26 through Feb. 9. The transactional survey will be conducted on an ongoing basis with data collected and summarized quarterly.

Originally Appeared Here:

ROSEMONT, Ill.–US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD) announced that the company has been named a 2021 Chicago Innovation Award winner. The company was awarded the Accenture Corporate Innovator Award, an award that celebrates a large corporation for its commitment to innovation. US Foods is one of 20 Chicago Innovation Award winners selected from more than 425 nominations.

The company was honored for its Ghost Kitchens Playbook. The playbook is a free, first-to-market program that was launched in response to dine-in restrictions created by the pandemic to help guide restaurant operators through every step of launching a new ghost kitchen revenue stream within their existing brick-and-mortar location. The program includes access to proprietary technology to identify the right ghost kitchen concept, marketing strategy support, and one-on-one consultations with US Foods experts.

“It is an honor to be awarded with a Chicago Innovation Award for our approach to helping foodservice operators drive alternative revenue streams during one of the most challenging times in the restaurant industry,” said Jim Osborne, US Foods senior vice president of customer strategy and innovation. “As part of our commitment to helping independent restaurant operators ‘Make It’, our Ghost Kitchens Playbook was one of many programs we launched to help operators succeed during the pandemic and beyond. We are thrilled to be recognized for this work.”

“As a group, 2021 Chicago Innovation Award nominees are responsible for generating over $19 billion in new revenues, 22,807 new jobs, and 340 patents from their nominated new products and services. The winners represent the best from this very impressive group,” said Luke Tanen, president and CEO of Chicago Innovation.

The complete list of this year’s Chicago Innovation Award winners can be found at www.chicagoinnovation.com.

About US Foods

US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 300,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With 70 broadline locations and 80 cash and carry stores, US Foods provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology, and business solutions. US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill. Visit www.usfoods.com to learn more.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the future of purchasing products and services significantly. With high streets falling stagnant and a new wave of e-commerce based alternatives, the ‘personal touch’ that once came with walking into a store has begun to fade.

(Source: The Future Of Commerce)

Covid-19 has boosted the e-commerce market by 35% since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. With more competitors than ever before, online businesses have had to adapt to the needs of a digitally native audience. 

From viral paid social campaigns to clever UX design, each company has tried to stand out amongst the rest. However, in their endeavour to win over a large online audience, most e-commerce giants have forgotten one vital strategy. The power of conversation and connection.

A recent study by McKinsey & Company revealed that over 80% of American shoppers value personalisation during the purchasing experience. Mimicking the traditional format of a one-to-one shopkeeper to customer balance has been proven to improve customer retention and make them feel valued when purchasing a product.

Better still, personalization not only benefits the customer but the business as well. Creating a pattern of positive customer experience yields 20% in customer satisfaction ratings and a 15% boost in sales conversions, ultimately setting you apart from your competitors.

The question is, how can you carry a personalized customer strategy forwards as your business moves into e-commerce? The answer is conversational marketing.

What Is Conversational Marketing? 

Conversational marketing is all about taking the format of face-to-face interaction and applying it to the type of service you provide online. Instead of leveraging large consumer platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to project a message to the millions. Conversational marketing focuses on speaking directly to the consumer and providing one-to-one customer service.

(Image Source: Chatbots Magazine)

While this form of marketing strategy may seem time-consuming, its benefits weigh out the costs. Using time and resources to capture and build on leads is much more likely to evolve into a sale than a mass marketing campaign that targets only the surface of your demographic. 

Implementing conversational marketing solutions such as chat-bots, customer feedback based tech and an in-person sales team can improve B2C customer relationships and provide a closer look into your target demographic.

Getting to know your customers will not only secure their sales but many others as well. When you prioritize personalization, you will get a better picture of your target leads. This aids the creation of successful social campaigns and re-targeting tactics.

Read on to find out how you can incorporate this strategy into your marketing plan.

What Are The Benefits Of Conversational Marketing?

Conversational marketing’s growing number of benefits are quickly catching the attention of smart marketers. 

(Image Source: GRM Digital)

Here are four of the most positive changes businesses have seen after implementing conversational marketing into their e-commerce strategy. 

Increased Conversion Rates 

Conversational marketing is known for boosting conversion rates and turning potential leads into definite sales. You know all the organic site traffic you’ve fought so hard to gather? Well, conversational marketing could be the key to making your customers stick. Using conversational tools such as chatbots has a much higher rate of engagement than a submission form alone. This encourages customers to express their potential concerns. They will also receive instant feedback 24/7, therefore improving customer service.

This improves customer experience and boosts that CRO as web visitors are much more likely to progress to the checkout, knowing that their questions and concerns are answered.

Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is also a key benefit associated with conversational marketing and often the driving force for successful e-commerce sales. 

Consumers say that it is the purchasing experience that often leaves a lasting impression. Therefore, improving customer experience is vital, if you want to see those conversion rates rise. 

Conversational marketing is a great way to improve customer retention. Using methods of one-to-one communication to help develop a lead, makes the customer feel heard and most importantly valued, encouraging them to return for future purchases.

(Image Source: QuestionPro)

In fact, a recent Salesforce survey revealed that 76% of consumers believe that customer service is the true test of how much a company values them, and are five times more likely to repurchase if they have received positive service throughout their buying experience.

Learn About Your Customers

One of the most vital components of a successful marketing plan is detailed user research and testing. Whether you’re putting your UX design to the test or using detailed traffic monitoring software such as Finteza to aid strategy planning, gathering customer based info will give you a better understanding of your target demographic going forward.

Conversational marketing allows you to perform user research at a deeper level. Rather than simply surveying potential customers, you can speak directly with confident sales leads. Listening to your customers will give you a better understanding of the key factors that make up your demographic. This will aid your future campaigns as you explore your niche.

Personalise Your Solutions

The best thing about personalising your marketing outreach is the fact that you can also personalise your solutions too.

Hearing feedback in real-time makes it easier to personalise the solution for your customer’s problem. Utilising chatbots, sales representatives and interactive forms in real-time gives you the ability to modify your services and create the best match for success.

For example, if a customer is unsure about the service you’re selling, you can use conversational marketing to offer them a personalised solution. This could be a free trial or a percentage off of their first payment. Offering these personal touches not only contributes to customer satisfaction but are more likely to encourage a repurchase or long time subscription.

Customers want to see that you are flexible and adaptable to their needs. Make them feel like a big fish in a little pond and you will see your sales targets soaring.

How To Implement Conversational Marketing Into Your Strategy

Implementing conversational marketing into your e-commerce strategy has never been easier. Here are some of the simplest ways to integrate personalisation into your B2C future.

• Chatbots: If you want to remain active for your consumers 24/7, chatbots are a great way to encourage conversation about your products and services. A bot can easily process a number of requests at once and provide personalised service for each problem. This boosts sales conversions and breaks potential barriers.
• Invest In A Sales Team: While it may seem like a costly investment at the time, investing your budget into a real-life customer service team will provide you with a significant ROI. Personally following up on sales leads both on the phone and within an email, format mimics the face-to-face contact that buyers receive in-store. 
• Head To Social Media: While prioritising website conversions may be your primary goal, with 4.4 billion users, most of your demographic is likely on social media too. Implementing social listening tactics into your strategy can make it easier to speak to potential sales leads and reply to brand mentions outside of your online store.

Ready To Start The Conversation?

For new e-commerce businesses on the block, conversational marketing could be the key to your success. Known to reduce sales and marketing costs by 10-20%, this unique form of strategy is taking business tactics back to traditional selling methods. Why not incorporate it into your marketing plan and watch your sales skyrocket?

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• Heap — a leading digital insights platform — recently announced the closing of its $110 million Series D round at a $960 million valuation.

Heap — a leading digital insights platform — recently announced the closing of its $110 million Series D round at a $960 million valuation. The funding round will be used to scale Heap’s global operations and accelerate research and development of the industry’s most advanced digital analytics platform for product builders, growth marketers, and fast-moving analytics teams.

Sixth Street Growth led the funding round which included new investment from the Growth Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management (Goldman Sachs). And Sixth Street and Goldman will both receive representation on Heap’s board of directors. The existing investors NewView Capital, Menlo Ventures, DTCP, Triangle Peak Partners, Alliance Bernstein Private Credit Investors, Maverick Ventures, and The Private Shares Fund also participated. Heap’s total capital raised so far is now $205 million.

The latest funding will continue to facilitate the company’s rapid product innovation, which in 2021 saw Heap release Illuminate, a data-science powered solution that solves the problems of legacy tools that are ill-equipped to respond to the increasing complexity of the modern customer journey. And by automatically collecting all customer interactions, then using data science to offer actionable recommendations, Illuminate gives teams insight far beyond traditional analyses—which according to recent research across thousands of digital companies, hinges on misleading or incomplete data 84% of the time.

The funding caps a year of success for Heap. Along with launching of Illuminate, the company has seen impressive triple-digit growth and received coveted industry recognition, including being named Snowflake’s FY2021 Data Marketplace Partner of the Year. And the company also announced a series of key executive appointments including Rachel Obstler as EVP of Product, Ahmed Quadri as Chief Customer Officer, Sean Andrew as Chief Revenue Officer, and Steve Love as Chief Financial Officer.

KEY QUOTES:

“McKinsey research notes that while there are 100 million hits on agile transformation, two-thirds of organizations that are looking to become more agile are still treading water and achieving little or no business impact. Our new funding will help us further innovate to foster the significant business outcomes that McKinsey says can be achieved, including ’30 percent gains in efficiency, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and operational performance.’”

— Ken Fine, CEO of Heap

“Heap’s data-driven culture, strong technology leadership, and scalable architecture has made it a leader within the fast-growing digital insights sector. Their strategy for continuing to create innovative technology will put more advanced and easy-to-use digital insights into the hands of daily practitioners so they can quickly improve their products and accelerate their business. We look forward to supporting Ken and his team in their next phase of growth.”

— Michael McGinn, Partner and Co-Head of Sixth Street Growth

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