On the customer side, Verizon has also made cross-channel data analytics a priority. “We’re trying to leverage the information we have about what the customer has done on his or her own before making a customer service call to try and minimize the amount of times customers have to repeat certain queries. We’re connecting the dots across channels and seeing what customers are doing online before they call,” Quiroga says.
New channels, such as social media and mobile, are beginning to play greater roles in Verizon’s customer service strategy as well. “We’re going to where the customer needs us to be.," Quiroga explains. "Customers are absolutely reaching out more on social media, so we have an entire center devoted to 24/7 social customer service, and that center manages the social support experience.
“Mobile is a connected part as well, and we have a number of mobile solutions in place, such as tools for service troubleshooting and [new customer] onboarding,” he adds.
Most of the innovations and improvements that were deployed as part of the Simple.Smart.Connected initiative were built internally, which is why the overhaul has been happening so quickly thus far, according to Quiroga.
When the company considered outside vendors for the task, executives determined that implementing a new system would take too long. For large organizations like Verizon, this is often a major obstacle on the road to better customer experiences. “It’s a huge, common frustration and it's a reflection of what's out there in the packaged application marketplace,” Fluss says.
Though outgrowing existing technology is always a threat, for the time being, Verizon’s in-house solutions are meeting its needs.
As Verizon continues to strengthen its commitment to customer service, Quiroga says he knows there will be bumps along the way. “We’re not going to be perfect, and we’re not going to get it right every time. But we are going to be transparent about it every time, and we are going to strive to fix customers’ problems as soon as possible,” he says.
Going forward, Verizon is going to be a “customer-first company that will continue looking outwards and inwards to make improvements,” he says.
Whether or not Verizon will succeed at maintaining the momentum it has generated behind its Simple.Smart.Connected initiative remains to be seen, but Fluss is optimistic. “Being world-class is a moment in time,” she says, “and world-class call centers are the ones that reach that level only to begin the process again, and continuously evaluate and improve themselves. This is a good strategy for Verizon, but the true test will be executing and sustaining it.”