The digital age has upended how companies interact with customers. New technologies, coupled with greater access to information and purchasing options, have ushered in new customer expectations, preferences and behaviors. Today’s customers are demanding a new standard of service that provides relevant, satisfying and engaging experiences. Companies' current customer service models won’t deliver different outcomes. Delivering on the promise of an improved customer experience requires empowering the frontline service professional with new mindsets, skills, and behaviors for the future workforce. Learn more about how to reinvent your future frontline service workforce to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty with our full report: http://www.accenture.com/LipService

1. Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.

2. Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
86%of leaders cite customer experience as a strategic priority.
Only 23%are moving from words to action.
It’s time companies rethink
what customer service
means to their customers
and their future workforce.

3. Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
CUSTOMERS LIVE IN A
SUBSCRIPTION ECONOMY
They are demanding a new standard of service. Yet year after year, Accenture Strategy Global
Consumer Pulse research has revealed that customer frustrations remain remarkably constant.
Source: Accenture Global
Consumer Pulse Research,
2008-2016

4. FROM
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
TO CUSTOMER RELEVANCE
It costs four to 10 times more to attract new customers
than to retain existing ones.
The frontline service professional must take the time to understand
the customer’s experience — good or bad — as well as how each
customer uses the product or service. Then service professionals
can make directly relevant recommendations on how to interact
better with the product or service.
If companies can improve customer retention even slightly, they stand
to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in margin
improvement
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5. Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
WHAT CAN
COMPANIES
DO TO
KEEP THEIR
CUSTOMERS
LOYAL?

6. BREAKING DOWN
THE BARRIERS TO
CUSTOMER-CENTRICITY
Rather than just completing a transaction, they will need to
make every interaction meaningful to the customer.
Rather than just supporting a product or service, they will
need to serve as a company’s brand ambassador,
doing everything in their power to deliver on the brand
promise.
To deliver the relevant and highly satisfying experiences that keep
customers engaged, the future workforce of service professionals
will need to expand their current roles.
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7. SOME COMPANIES
HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT
...customer interactions become authentic interactions.
...customers are treated the way the service professional wants
to be treated.
...issue resolution is just the beginning.
Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
Our research revealed that more than half (52%) of customers who
stopped doing business with a company would have reconsidered their
decision to leave if they had been offered proactive advice or education
on the features and benefits of their purchase.
They have tossed out customer service scripts and structured
processes. By empowering their frontline service professionals with
new approaches...

8. PERFORMANCE
REDEFINED
Only 34% of employees believe current performance
management approaches effectively support the delivery of
business objectives.
Customer service leaders should simplify their metrics and assess
their customer care professionals’ performance against an
aggregated score that measures how well the team, collectively,
delivers engaging and relevant customer experiences.
Gamification — the application of game theory, design and reward
mechanisms to boost performance in non-game settings — is a valuable
tool that leaders should consider using to drive employee engagement.
Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.

9. FRONTLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE
TRANSFORMED
The relevance of every interaction
Service professionals shouldn’t focus solely on resolving immediate issues. They
should use every interaction to educate customers and build long-term loyalty.
Behaviors and metrics that truly matter
Performance management must be aligned to overarching objectives and employee
experiences, not individual metrics. Gamification strategies can accelerate the
transition.
The characteristics of talent and culture that fuel success
Service organization leaders should develop a culture that encourages personal
expression and experimentation. Qualities and skills such as judgment, empathy,
critical and thinking will be critical to exceeding customer expectations and building
enduring relationships.
Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.
To create the customer service future workforce that delivers a
more valuable customer experience, leaders should focus on three
core areas to help accelerate the transition:

10. Learn more about how to reinvent your future
frontline service workforce to drive customer
satisfaction and loyalty with our full report:
@AccentureStrat Follow us on LinkedIn
From lip service to
customer service
Copyright © 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.