Contact centers can reduce part of their demand not by hiding the agent but through better prevention. At one insurance company, simply moving the invoice-download link to a visible location increased clicks by 90,000 and reduced related calls. Customer communication therefore should not merely announce changes. It should anticipate specific questions, explain the next step and prevent unnecessary service requests from arising.
A company can invest in a faster contact center while overlooking a cheaper option: remove the reason the customer needs to contact support in the first place. Preventive customer communication does not mean sending more notifications. It means explaining the situation in advance at the moment when the information can prevent a problem.
CustomerThink describes an insurer that received tens of thousands of questions about printing invoices. The function existed, but the link was hidden several clicks deep on the customer-service page. After moving the “download invoice” link to a visible place on the homepage, clicks increased by 90,000 and calls on the issue declined.
The example shows an important difference between self-service and contact deflection. Good self-service solves the problem faster. Bad self-service merely makes it harder to reach a person. Preventive communication goes one step further: it tries to stop the need for contact from arising.
According to the experience cited in the article, existing customers with a specific immediate need account for a large share of homepage visitors at many companies. A marketing website therefore does not have to serve acquisition only. Part of its most valuable space can help current customers solve common problems.
Openness during the sales process is also important. The article cites a technology company that won a contract partly because it was the only vendor to warn in advance about possible implementation problems. Acknowledging limitations did not increase the customer’s concern; it increased trust.
A practical approach begins with a list of the six most common problems along the customer journey. For each one, determine whether it can be removed through a product change, a better interface or a timely explanation.
Regulatory notices and practical customer education should not be mixed into a single message. Mandatory legal text can easily overwhelm the simple instruction the customer actually needs to use.
During onboarding, the company should explain basic product use and the most common mistakes. During the ongoing relationship, it should then send specific alerts when the customer’s status, product or terms change. Vague notices create more questions.
Frontline employees should be involved in communication design. They know which wording confuses customers and which information is repeatedly missing. The cheapest service contact is often the one that never occurs because the issue was explained well in advance.
KEY TERMS
- Preventive communication: Information provided before a problem or service request arises.
- Just-in-time communication: A specific message delivered at the moment the customer needs to act on it.
- Self-service: The ability to resolve a need without a support employee when that is genuinely easier for the customer.
- Contact reason: The specific cause that leads a customer to contact support or sales.