A few years ago, gamification in customer service was unheard off. Currently, almost all businesses are exploring gamification as a feasible opportunity to engage both employees and customers. Businesses are using games to impart knowledge, spread policy awareness and provide skills training. Gamification has also enhanced customer loyalty, engagement and service, improved employee-employer engagement, and reduced operational costs.
The gamification of customer service has taken the business world by storm. This widely accepted trend can be defined as the process of using gaming features and concepts in non-game activities or environments (such as the workplace, applications and websites) to promote action and rewarding behavior, make activities more fun and engaging, and encourage employees to be more focused.
According to Google Trends, gamification has increasingly gained and sustained search popularity in the last few years. A recent report by Gartner predicts that more than 50% of businesses will utilize gamification as the main mechanism of transforming business operations.
Reasons for Gamification in Customer Service
1. To Increase Engagement and Participation
In most instances, devoted communities grow around brands or services that help them grow. As a matter of fact, a company can go down if it has a deserted forum or page. The psychology behind gamification is really simple. Human beings have the need to be motivated, to express themselves, to be challenged to a particular level and to be rewarded or promoted for achievements and perseverance.
The gaming process can be applied at the workplace to create a sense of respect and satisfaction that comes after accomplishing a task, to create fun and convert users into team players. Gamification can enable a business accomplish numerous business goals, drive participation, interaction and sharing of ideas in a team.
Gamification also boosts retention of customers and makes customers more satisfied. It is very easy for a customer to stop using a service or product that does not encourage a long-term customer-brand relationship. In fact, it costs a business more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing customer.
2. For Training and Decision-Making
Businesses are using various serious games to train their employees. A business can also use leader-boards to publicize top and consistent performers so that it can motivate other employees to persistently upgrade their skills. Businesses are leveraging such platforms to train their customer service representatives and to provide a gamification platform that will replicate decision-making scenarios for the management.
Ideas for Gamifying Customer Service
The interaction between customers and customer service representatives is very vital to any business. This interaction provides you with an opportunity that you cannot afford to lose. The ideas below can make the customer service more fun and engaging:
1. Rewarding Customers for Using Self-Service Channels
Self-service channels like websites, forums, emails and robust FAQS can save your business significant human capital. When customers use these channels, promote them with points, discounts or any special perks that will make the feel valued.
2. Offer Rewards for Time Spent On Hold
You can offer special rewards to customers for their time spent on hold or ensure that their waiting-on-hold experience is fun.
3. Empower Customer Service Representatives
CSRs are key players in a business. They often put on the armor and fight for your business. You can empower CSRs by providing them with a board where they can contend for satisfaction levels or ratings. Ensure you give your CSRs incentives to simultaneously enhance satisfaction and quality.
Just like other things in a business, gamification comes with a price. However, your business will need to offer a playful and happy environment and develop meaningful relationships. Thus, gamification in customer service is of utmost importance.
