With the pandemic behind us, the consumer mindset and expectations have shifted, and brands are moving quickly to meet – and exceed – expectations, while also grappling with inflation and increasing interest rates. The result? An increased investment in customer service, technology, and integrated sales channels.
I met with Verizon’s senior vice president of consumer field sales, Kelley Kurtzman, to discuss how one of the nation’s largest direct to consumer brands has listened to their customers and responded with a continued investment in technology and innovation.
Gary Drenik: Since the pandemic, what changes in consumer expectations have most impacted Verizon?
Kelley Kurtzman: Prior to the pandemic, we developed a strategy and a roadmap focused on meeting customers when, where and how they want to do business with us.
This level of planning and preparation allowed Verizon to be one of the first to launch Curbside Pick Up at the height of the pandemic. During that time, we also relaunched the ability to set appointments for in-store experiences. This was a tool that was underutilized that then became a star during the pandemic. Today, it remains a useful tool for customers as we continue to see how much they value their time. To exceed those expectations, we look for opportunities to increase the ways that customers can do business with us, like adding express pick-up lockers and Verizon Assistant, our AI chat, to the mix. We’ve also placed an emphasis on decreasing transaction times and have added technology resources for our retail store reps and customer service reps to improve their efficiency. In the highly competitive telecom industry, where over 80 percent of Boomers aren’t even planning on getting a new phone or switching providers, according to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, that investment has paid off.
Drenik: How do you ensure your customers are getting a great customer experience?
Kurtzman: It starts with recognizing that not all customers are the same. So, when we say we want to meet customers where they want to do business with us, it means offering a number of ways for customers to engage with us. It also means continuing to develop new options like Video Call and upgrading existing options like the My Verizon app. We then follow up by asking them both verbally and through surveys – “does this experience meet your needs?” Then we have to take action. We cannot pause. In the Verizon Credo, it says “Our best was good for today. Tomorrow we’ll do better.” And that’s how we work on behalf of our customers.
Drenik: How does Verizon identify and prioritize key areas within the customer journey to meet customers where they are?
Kurtzman: When I first started with Verizon more than 25 years ago, I would have never imagined all of the ways we now interact with customers and the choices we offer.
Today, 80% of frontline interactions originate in digital so we have to prioritize both our digital and physical interactions. Over the last few years, we’ve launched numerous experienced drivers that are critical to meeting customers where they are. We introduced in-store appointments in 2010, My Verizon app in 2011, buy online pick up in store in 2016, curbside delivery in 2020 and Express Pickup Lockers, where customers make their purchase online or in the app then pick up from a locker at one of our retail stores, in 2022.
Recently, we launched Video Call, an industry-first. Using the point-of-sale tablet, a secure video call, powered by BlueJeans by Verizon, allows a retail sales rep to interact and assist with sales and customer service – which includes helping them browse virtually through the store. During the pilot, customers who interacted via Video Call were four times as likely to buy from the sales rep on the same day of the call.
Along with these key experiences, we have more than 30,000 employees who either directly serve our customers or serve those who serve our customers. It’s important to properly train our employees to ensure the success of any transaction and to do so with empathy and kindness to our customers.
Drenik: How did a company the size and scale of Verizon transform from a siloed eight-channel business to a matrixed omni-channel model while continuing to serve hundreds of millions of customers?
Kurtzman: As I mentioned previously, we developed a strategy and a roadmap focused on meeting customers when, where and how they want to do business with us. Then we executed that plan.
A big piece of that was how we were structured internally. For example, our Mobile and Fios businesses were separate. Under the umbrella of “Consumer,” we integrated our people, plans and processes to make it easy for our customers to do business with us. An example of a great outcome is the third generation of the My Verizon app, which unifies the mobile and home business in one flagship app. Customers can now manage both their mobile and home accounts and initiate sales of both mobile and home services within the app. This one-stop shopping experience addresses customer pain points with a simple, easy-to-use solution. And customers who use the app have higher engagement and customer satisfaction scores.
The thing about Verizon is that we provide an essential service, so we do not have the luxury of pausing until circumstances are more ideal. Our transformation comes with growing pains, but we know that our purpose exists to connect people to what matters most to them. Keeping the customers top-of-mind ensures we are headed in the right direction.
Drenik: What are the top-3 pieces of advice you’d give other retailers to keep customers happy?
Kurtzman: The 3 pieces of advice are:
- Listen to your customers. A key tenant of our business is to continuously listen to the needs of our customers — that includes every member of each household we serve. According to a recent Prosper Insights & Analytics survey, Verizon Wireless was ranked the #1 smartphone/cell phone provider among Gen-Zers and Boomers. To meet our customers where they want to do business with us, we have to have some idea of what their needs and pain points are. Listening helped to determine the upgrades for the My Verizon app and the desire for quick or after-hours pick up with Express lockers. It also helped us develop myPlan, our new customizable plan.
- Invest in people, processes, and technology. Keep investing in talent and create a culture of empowerment and autonomous workflow. Have a process that enables teams to deliver on business priorities, so they understand the value they are creating, and give them the tools and technology – platforms and analytics – to deliver for customers in ways that are predictive and personalized.
- Keep evolving. We all know that change is constant but embracing and adapting to change will make a difference. Just a few years ago, our retail stores were a place where customers simply purchased phones or paid their bills. Today, our retail stores are much more than that. They serve as a product showroom, a consultative environment to engage with knowledgeable specialists about products, plans and more. Our retail stores are also a convenient location to seek service and support for complex needs and a flexible fulfillment center for equipment purchased in various channels. They may serve a totally different purpose 10 years from now.
Drenik: Thank you, Kelley, for sharing your insights on how Verizon is continuing to evolve to meet customer needs in this complex environment. We appreciate your time here today.
Read the full article here
