Amazonisation of services is no longer inevitable
It’s no secret that our society is riddled with contradictions in all areas – and consumption is no exception.
Recent analyses demonstrate evolution towards a more local, sustainable and responsible approach that goes hand-in-hand with a kind of “search for meaning” observable above all among millennials, for whom a brand’s impact and image tend to be of greater importance than the products themselves.
In parallel, the past few years have been marked by confirmation of the omnipotence of business models like Amazon, Netflix and Uber, which meet our needs for immediacy and convenience with a speed pushed to the extreme: everything is available and can arrive on your doorstep in record time.
The vast majority of consumers – taking all generations together – has become used to this dynamic, which took on even greater momentum during the pandemic, creating new expectations that have had a major impact on customer relations models.
As a result, companies are constantly in a rush to satisfy their customers, whose absolute priority is to save time.
The ramp-up of this dynamic, referred to as “Amazonisation”, inevitably leads service companies, customer relations specialists in particular, to rethink their models. But does “Amazonisation” constitute a danger, or, on the contrary, is it a resource for better rethinking the services they provide? An analysis by Marcos Gallego, CEO of Armatis.
For whom does the bell toll?
According to Altavia, Amazonisation is characterised by the following criteria: abolition of time and space, perfection of information provided, neutralisation of the price question, invisibilisation of the trader, and, above all, absolute priority given to customer satisfaction.
The new Amazon-style platforms are characterised by buying journeys so well-honed that customer service departments fade out of the picture: the priority given to customer satisfaction is more focused on the immediacy and fluidity of processes than on “classical” customer relations, with efforts made upstream of journeys in order to limit recourse to any form of direct customer service – a service that is also highly responsive and efficient when called upon.
Amazon has therefore not only become the benchmark for e-commerce, but also for business and services in general, with a consequent increase in consumers’ exigency.
So does Amazonisation herald the end of “traditional” customer relations?
We should not be too hasty in drawing such a conclusion. Consumers and end customers still have a liking for proximity. Customer relations specialists, whether outsourcers or in-house managers, must therefore come to see Amazonisation not so much as a danger vis-à-vis their customers, but rather as a source of inspiration.
They can exploit its workings while preserving the uniqueness of their services. Here, more than ever before, they must help their customers and partners improve their services, a reinvention of their approach – a clever combination of learning and advice.
In this regard, Amazonisation is not inevitable: it is one more model in the search for performance.
Amazonisation is reshuffling the customer relations cards
Although this context and these challenges may seem to be inevitable in a society that has fallen prey to its contradictions, they are actually opportunities for companies to rethink their customer relations models and equip themselves with tools to help them.
Speeding up their digitisation (already initiated for most actors in customer relations), being agile, and sustainable: such are the keys to success in this demanding context.
The vital point here is to leave the choice to consumers as far as access to customer service is concerned, so as to meet needs in accordance with their various preferences.
Simplifying and improving such access requires greater mastery of digital tools (CRM, conversational marketing, etc.) and today’s model for a successful company is based on such mastery.
In addition, remodelling customer relations in sustainable fashion cannot be achieved without analysis of resources and indicators in terms of customer and employee satisfaction. The more such data are exploited, the more companies will be in a position to develop truly effective business, managerial and relational models.
Finally, if customer retention over the long term is an ever renewed challenge, the same is true of employee retention.
Special attention must be paid to work environment ergonomics and to employee development and training.
In a ferociously competitive context, coaching and support of teams are crucial concerns. Changes in consumption habits have major impacts on employees, who have to deal with ever more demanding consumers and operate within new work models speeded up by the pandemic.
Therefore, customer satisfaction at any price must not be to the detriment of employee satisfaction: by ensuring employee engagement you also ensure customer engagement.
Despite appearances, Amazonisation is therefore neither inevitable nor a truly sustainable model in view of today’s societal and business concerns.
The concept remains the main reference nonetheless, and is proving to be an opportunity for companies to reinvent more effective and virtuous customer relations models while meeting new needs on the part of consumers, and so make proximity and trust central to the service once again.
Amazonisation is a socioeconomic phenomenon that we can benefit from if we recognise and accept it, using it to better redevelop customer services and relations.
Article published by GPO Mag on January 6, 2022.