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What Are the Best Practices for Gig Customer Experience?

Gig CX, or Gig Customer Experience, is rapidly becoming an important part of the modern customer experience landscape. Companies are increasingly turning to Gig Workers to provide their customers with high-quality service and support in a cost-effective manner. As this trend continues, businesses need to understand the best practices associated with gig CX to maximize the potential of their gig workforce.  

Chris Carrington, CEO of Omni Interactions recently talked with Principal Analyst at Frost & Sullivan, Michael DeSalles on the best practices for Gig Customer Experience. This blog post recaps that conversation and outlines 6 best practices for companies looking to utilize Gig Workers for customer service operations. 

“Companies are facing people and talent management challenges like agent sourcing, and of course retention, training, and career development. How do you really engage agents and drive agent satisfaction?” said Michael DeSalles, Principal Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. 

Best Practice #1: Source Nationwide Instead of Hub and Spoke  

The first best practice for Gig CX is to source workers from all over the country, rather than having a centralized hub and spoke system. This allows companies to access a larger pool of talent and provides them with greater flexibility when it comes to managing their gig workforce. 

“Many people have tried to do a Gig Model or Remote Model with a hybrid approach. Hiring locally around the center, training in the center, and then sending them home. But you’re going to break the model right there because you’re not going to access the best talent from across the United States,” said Christopher M. Carrington, CEO of Omni Interactions. 

Best Practice #2: Provide Flexibility to Your Gig Workers  

Gig CX relies heavily on the satisfaction of its workers, so companies need to provide their gig workers with the flexibility they need to stay engaged and productive. This includes things like providing flexible hours, remote work opportunities, and access to resources that can help them succeed. Gig Workers are highly talented individuals who have decided they don’t want to work 40 hours a week. They’re looking to work an average of 20 to 30 hours a week, and they need flexibility for several life reasons.  

“Maybe they’re taking care of an elderly parent. Maybe they have a disability that they need to get to the doctor every couple of days. Maybe they have some small children. But when they can work, they provide a high-quality experience and brand experience to the customers they’re serving,” said Christopher M. Carrington, CEO of Omni Interactions. 

Best Practice #3: Build a Community and Keep Gig Workers Engaged  

Creating a sense of community amongst Gig Workers is essential for ensuring their engagement and productivity. Companies should strive to create an environment where Gig Workers feel supported, appreciated, and heard. This could include things like providing them with access to online forums or networking events that bring together Gig Workers from around the world. 

“Gig Workers want to be a part of the team, so you need to involve them in all the activities you would involve an employee in. You can involve them in contests. You can involve them in what we at Omni call knowledge bars, to learn more about your company. You can involve them in virtual happy hours. So there’s a variety of things you can do to truly create an engaged Gig Worker,” said Christopher M. Carrington, CEO of Omni Interactions. 

Best Practice #4: Provide Digital Learning and Certification  

To ensure that their workers have the necessary skills and knowledge to do their jobs, companies should invest in digital learning and certification programs. This will not only help Gig Workers stay up to date with the latest industry trends but also give them a competitive edge when it comes to finding new gigs or applying for promotions. Companies should also consider offering incentives such as discounts or rewards for completing courses or certifications.  

“What they’re looking for is an opportunity to learn, to grow their career, to serve you in the best way they can. And they do that by getting not only training in your brand and your products and services, but other types of skillsets like soft skills, how to deal with conflict, how to inspire customers, and how to upsell and cross-sell. Those are essential pieces of training and certifications that you can offer Gig Workers so that they’ll stick around for a long time,” said Christopher M. Carrington, CEO of Omni Interactions. 

Best Practice #5: Monitor Performance and Offer Feedback  

Performance monitoring is an essential part of any successful Gig CX program. Companies should track the performance of their Gig Workers and offer feedback when necessary. This can help ensure that the company is getting the best value from its Gig Workers, while also helping them improve their skills and become more valuable to the business. 

Best Practice #6: Leverage Technology  

Technology can be used to streamline and automate many aspects of a Gig CX program, from onboarding and training to scheduling and tracking performance. This can help to maximize efficiency, while also reducing overhead costs. 

Conclusion  

Gig CX is a growing trend in customer experience management and requires careful attention to achieve success. Following these best practices can help organizations ensure that their Gig CX program is successful and beneficial to both customers and Gig Workers. By taking the time to source nationwide, provide flexibility, build a community, develop digital learning and certification programs, create commitment plans, reward performance, and monitor and adapt as needed, organizations can ensure that their Gig CX program is successful. Ultimately, these best practices will help organizations provide the best possible customer experience for their customers.  

Strategies for Leveraging the Gig Economy for Better CX 

For more information and strategies on leveraging the Gig Economy in your customer experience operations download our Ebook on Gig CX or watch our latest webinar with Frost & Sullivan “Leveraging the Gig Economy for High-Value Customer Experience”. 

 

If you’re ready to reduce your costs, build capacity, and delight your customers, get in touch today.