In every engagement a brand has with its consumers, there are perceived positive and negative experiences. Personalized engagement with online video can minimize, and even eliminate, potential negatives.
Let’s face it – consumer perception is everything for a brand. When a brand engages consumers with an email stating, “we are pleased to inform you that your order has shipped and will arrive tomorrow,” consumer reaction tends to be favorable (assuming, of course, the notification meets or exceeds expectations). Other forms of engagement may be neutral, e.g., order confirmation, advertising or promotions. And still other engagements that brands have with their consumers are perceived as negative – one of the most prominent negative engagements being the receipt of a first bill or statement.
Nobody enjoys receiving and paying bills, but when the amount is surprising or unexpected and it is difficult to determine why, then the experience worsens. This phenomena is usually referred to as bill shock and it is quite common when receiving bills from telcommunications providers.
The reactions can be diverse.
However, flat fees and repackaging are not the only ways to mitigate that effect. A negative can be turned into a positive by using personalized video to:
- Set the right expectations upfront. Never surprise the consumer.
- Thoroughly educate consumers on their bill so they know what they are paying for.
- Deliver an engaging experience that makes them feel like a valued customer. Don’t just throw the data at them.
The results are not only a boost in customer satisfaction, but also reduction in customer care costs. Video bills deflect bill-related calls from the service provider contact center. Video viewers are also more receptive to promotions. And perhaps most notably, retention rates of viewers are higher because the bill-related engagement is no longer negative. AT&T has tackled this issue – learn about their approach here.
Communicating bills does not have to be a negative consumer experience. Do it right and you can turn the lemons into a lemonade.
