CSG International : Why You Should Invest in Preemptive Customer Service

Service outage notifications. Utility companies or communication service providers can prevent problems by notifying customers-before the fact-of planned maintenance that may impact service. For example, one CSP gave customers a heads-up that a technician would be working on the cell tower in their neighborhood on a particular date, possibly disrupting wireless service. That advance warning gave customers time to plan accordingly (e.g., work at the office or another location instead of at home). Preemptive service prevented the stress and frustration that would have occurred if the customer discovered the lack of coverage five minutes before a client call.

Multi-channel billing notifications. Sending bills or payment reminders via multiple communication channels (such as mail, email, SMS)-particularly by the customer's preferred channel-increases the likelihood of on-time payment. This in turn prevents customer frustration and the expense associated with collections. For example, if a patient misses an email indicating they owe money for a recent medical procedure, the next communication they receive may be from the collection agency. If the hospital billing department sent a payment reminder by text message (the patient's preferred channel), the patient would be more likely to pay the bill promptly, preventing stress and late fees. And the business would avoid the expense of utilizing a collection agency.

Fraud detection. Sending an immediate notification regarding suspicious charges on a customer's credit card-before the customer is aware of them-prevents additional fraudulent activity. A simple text message saying "We see a charge for a $2500 massage chair. Did you make this purchase?" gives the customer an opportunity to confirm the charge or initiate fraud procedures right away, before the bad actor spends more money. Without this warning, the customer may not realize there's a problem until their credit card is declined at the gas pump.

How can you deliver preemptive customer service?

To deliver preemptive customer service, you need the ability to anticipate customer needs and pivot accordingly. Real-time event detection is crucial, enabling you to observe customer interactions with your brand and adjust communications to meet those needs-sometimes before customers are aware of them.

What makes this magic happen?