Why Euro 2016 could expose the gaps in your customer services and how you should be prepared writes Jamie Lombard, Expolink Marketing Manager.
Businesses the world over will be jumping on the Euro 2016 marketing bandwagon in the weeks ahead. But, just like the home nations’ most recent showings, without the right strategy it could all end in disaster.
Euro 2016 is now underway in France, promising to fill our TV, tablet and mobile screens (whether we like it or not) with tournament football for an entire month.
Countless companies will try to capitalise on the marketing opportunities presented by the Euros, hoping to divert a piece of the action their way (yes, you can now count us among them!). But as they set about wowing the crowd with beautifully designed and implemented marketing campaigns, it’s surprising how many businesses bypass their backroom team.
Have you ever left your defence on the team coach?
These behind-the-scenes heroes are the ones who are often critical to the success of such time-sensitive campaigns. They pick up the phones, answer emails, process orders and engage with prospects on social media.
Yet all too often, we see sales and marketing functions kick off their campaign without fully engaging with the operations and customer service teams. It’s the footballing equivalent of taking to the field for your first group match before your back four and goalkeeper have got off the team coach.
And the results can be equally disastrous.
The ‘Greece 2004 effect’
Even in cases where a joined up approach is followed, some can be caught out by what we’d call the ‘Greece 2004 effect’ – or in layman’s terms, a campaign that is way more successfully than anyone could possibly have hoped for. (Greece were underdogs in the 2004 Euro Final after beating Tournament favourites Portugal)
A higher-than-anticipated level of interest is obviously a big win for any business – but only where that business can keep pace with demand. Pressure on infrastructure can lead to a bad customer experience, leading to customer frustration. Common symptoms of an overstretched team include stock shortages, long waiting times, and untrained members of staff being called up to handle customer enquiries.
The cost of poor service
The prospect of poor service is something that Harry Kane, Kyle Lafferty and Gareth Bale will be worrying about this summer.
But so should any business that cares about its bottom line. In a Recent Survey UK firms claimed to have lost £11 billion due to poor customer service. Customers cited feeling unappreciated, being met by unhelpful/rude employees, being passed around to various members of staff, finding it difficult to get answers, and the prospect of long queues.
If your customers are likely to experience any of these as part of your latest promotional campaign, you could soon find them seeking a transfer to your biggest rival.
Finding the right balance
It’s easy to ‘long ball’ the pressure and ignore what’s really holding you back. But one simple, but effective, tactic to absorb the pressure is to take on an outsourced contact centre supplier.
This can help your company process orders efficiently, deal with customer enquiries at the first point of contact, and reduce pressure on your internal customer service team.
This will help maximise every opportunity to convert prospects into valued customers. Back of the Net.
Additional Information
Jamie Lombard is Markting Manager at Expolink
For additional information on Expolink visit their Website
