Navigating the Path to B2B Customer Service Excellence

Introduction

We’re excited to introduce our upcoming blog series: “Navigating the Path to Customer Service Excellence,” which is a review of the Vivantio eBook The Complete Guide to Customer Service Transformation. Over the next five weeks, we’ll be diving into a pivotal component of B2B success—putting customers at the very core of your business operations.

From startups to established multinational corporations, one fact remains clear: you’re in the “service business.” An overwhelming majority of companies (>89%) agree that they need to deliver superior service to maintain a competitive edge – and when it comes to B2B enterprises, the stakes are even higher.

So, why are the stakes higher? Because each relationship can yield significant value, and the way you manage these relationships—your approach to customer service—can make or break your success. Renowned analysts, from McKinsey to Gartner and the editors of Harvard Business Review, have solidified this argument with compelling data, demonstrating the tangible bottom-line benefits of an improved Customer Experience (CX).

“There are huge opportunities to both cut costs and grow if you invest wisely in customer experience.”

– McKinsey & Co. (2014)

What can you expect?

Here are some of the questions we cover:

• How can your organization adopt “Service Optimization” effectively?
• What sort of investments should you be making?
• Which tools and technologies can catapult you towards your service goals?

Throughout the series, we’ll unpack each of these topics and more, offering insight and tangible action steps for both senior leaders and service management professionals. Here’s a quick overview of what to expect:

1. A Summary of B2B Service Trends: Starting off with a thorough understanding of the current landscape, we will discuss the trending practices shaping B2B service.
2. Why “Service Optimization?”: This post will delve into the necessity of service optimization, exploring the reasons behind its critical role in a B2B setting.
3. Calculating the Value of Better Service: We’ll take you through the metrics and KPIs to measure the true impact of enhanced service on your bottom line.
4. Engaging Your Leadership and Sparking Your Teams: This part focuses on the human element of service optimization. How can leaders inspire and engage their teams to follow a customer-centric approach?
5. Customer Expectations and Customer Journeys: Here, we will unravel how to map your customers’ journeys and meet their evolving expectations.

During the second half of the series we will shift more towards the technological aspects:

6. The Intersections of Service and Technology: This post will examine the role of technology in optimizing service delivery.
7. The Value of a Unified Service Management Platform: We will discuss the transformative potential of a unified platform for your service organization.
8. Self-Service Strategies for B2B Enterprises: In this part, we’ll uncover the value of self-service strategies and how they can empower your customers.
9. The Value of Flexibility: This post will emphasize the importance of agility and adaptability in your service operations.
10. Sharing the Vision and Inspiring Adoption: The finale of our series will provide guidance on how to propagate a service optimization culture across your entire organization.

Our goal is to help you better understand how a superior service strategy, aided by the right tools and a customer-centric mindset, can become a “change engine” for your entire organization.

We’re eager to embark on this journey with you. Mark your calendars—as we launch this series with new posts coming twice a week for five weeks. Together, let’s transform your approach to customer service.