Customer experience and satisfaction are critical to the success of any business. With up to 12 positive experiences needed to make up for a single negative one, it’s clear that exceptional customer service is a must.

However, the way we approach customer service has evolved.

In today’s fast-paced world, organisations must adapt to emerging trends and challenges to deliver on their promises.

That’s where GigCX comes in – outsourcing customer service to independent contractors who can work remotely can help improve and scale your customer service.

If you’re looking for a game-changing approach to customer service, keep reading to learn more about the power of GigCX.

What is GigCX?

Simply put, Gig customer service (GigCX) is a relatively new model used in customer service and differs from traditional customer service models.  GigCX, or Gig Customer Experience, refers to outsourcing customer service tasks to a network of independent contractors who can work remotely.

These contractors are often referred to as “gig workers” and can provide on-demand customer support through a variety of channels, including phone, email, chat, and social media. GigCX is becoming increasingly popular as it provides businesses with a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution to meet their customer service needs.

How does this exactly work?

Let’s look at a simple example.

You have a traditional contact centre with customer service agents and all the latest technology to connect with your customers. Sounds great, right? But here’s the catch – this model lacks the flexibility needed to handle high customer demand, leading to inflated operating costs.

When your business is booming, you need a solution that can keep up with the demand without breaking the bank. That’s where GigCX comes in, offering a flexible and cost-effective alternative that can scale with your business needs.

With the GigCX model, you can hire experts on demand. It’s a more flexible and agile model that allows companies to dive into the pool of gig experts, mostly their own customers, to provide on-demand service. Experts can log into gig platforms and provide answers to customer requests.

They get rated by customers and get rewarded if the provided answers are helpful. As this usually includes cost-per-resolved cases or a cost-per-hour basis, there’s no need for full-time hiring or wastage.

GigCX is a Powerful Tool for Enhancing Customer Service

There are many benefits to implementing GigCX, from flexibility, reduced costs, increased efficiency and response time to providing more empathetic experiences for the customers.

• Reduced costs – Lower fixed costs related to salaries, recruitment, and infrastructure of a traditional contact centre.
• Increased agility & flexibility – Delivering better and faster service and building resilience to changing demand patterns.
• Scalable customer service – Gig customer service allows companies to scale their support operations up or down as needed, based on demand.
• Improved response times – Gig workers can provide support in near-real-time from remote locations, leading to faster response times.
• Increased efficiency – Avoid time and resources required to recruit, train, and manage a full-time customer service team.
• Improved C-SAT scores – The gig experts are usually highly motivated and have experience with your brand, leading to a more empathetic experience for the customers.
• Domain expertise – Companies have the opportunity to work with experts with diverse skills and expertise, which can be utilised to improve the quality of provided service and create better experiences.
  
  

Can GigCX Prevent Customer Satisfaction Declining

As we live through 2023, the customer service industry is set to continue to confront a host of ongoing challenges and trends. These include the emergence of new work approaches, greater use of AI and automation within CX, rising customer expectations, and declining employee retention rates.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of inflation pose additional challenges to the industry. All of these factors have contributed to the vulnerability of the customer service industry in terms of consumer satisfaction, as evidenced by the data.

“The January 2023 UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) shows a decline of 0.7 points. At the same time, data tracked by American Customer Satisfaction Index shows a decline from 76.1 in 2015 to 73.4 in Q4 of 2022.”

Why You Should Have GigCX Strategy Ready

Looking back over the last few years, it’s clear that the gig economy has been steadily growing. But it is only now that we can see the surge in growth, and this growth will continue!

“It’s estimated that by 2027, almost half of the U.S. population will have engaged in some form of gig work. “– Statista, 2020

So, what does this mean for customer support?

Based on some research, 44% of customer service managers find hiring employees more challenging now than it was pre-pandemic. This means that organisations will have to think differently about retaining and recruiting their customer service employees.

In other words, they will be more interested in tapping into the limitless pool of talents that GigCX offers.

However, the real challenge in the customer support world is always to provide better quality customer service at a lower cost. And at the same time, to improve customer satisfaction.

Implementing GigCX not only offers a cost-effective, flexible, and scalable solution for customer service, but it also helps provide personalised service, which leads to great customer satisfaction.

It’s a great way to maintain the human touch of customer service.

Yes, GigCX can provide that level of knowledge, personalisation, and emotional connection in interactions with customers. And we know how important that is in the support world.

“With each experience you create, you are either earning or breaking the customer’s trust.”

In fact, in the 2022 Adobe Trust report, we learned that 72% of consumers said “bad” personalisation decreases their trust in the company, with more than 1/3 saying it significantly harms their trust.

When it comes to customer service, it is important that companies provide great experiences and a certain level of empathy.

An empathy that’s shown through a better understanding of customers’ frustrations and the things they value. And GigCX enables you to achieve this!

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Final thoughts

With all the industry challenges, new customer expectations and rapid business growth in the last few years, it’s not surprising to see changes in attitudes towards the gig economy too.

In fact, many companies are more open to new, more flexible models to deliver better service and experiences. And that includes hiring and valuing gig workers.

GigCX is not replacing traditional customer service. But it can be a powerful tool to deal with customer demands – that are changing every day!

From providing more flexibility, reducing fixed costs, and increasing efficiency to providing better experiences for the customers. GigCX can be used to empower customers with different skill sets, backgrounds, and expertise to work with companies they respect and help them create better customer experiences for other customers.

It’s about creating a powerful customer service circle by adding that element of empathy, understanding and transparency that today’s customers crave.

What do you think about the opportunities created by GigCX? Get in touch with us and let us know your thoughts!