The business-to-business (B2B) sector is currently riding the digital wave, as prescribed by the emergence of the “new” B2B consumer. Digitally savvy, well-informed, and empowered to make buying decisions, today’s B2B consumers value personalization, customization, and more options to complement digital interactions. Responding to the changing expectations and preferences of consumers, many B2B firms have invested in boosting their digital transformation efforts – according to E-Commerce News, at least 83% of B2B companies[1] would increase their digitalization budget.

As the B2B landscape continues to undergo significant – and needed – transformation, what is the importance of customer service in the B2B sector, and how can technology be leveraged to build better customer relationships? These questions (and more) are put under the spotlight in a discussion, hosted by our very own Sezin Mizrakli Avalin, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Teleperformance in Turkey. She was joined by Gokturk Akkal, Customer Experience and e-Commerce Manager at Nestle Professional Turkey.

B2B customer service requires fast response times, swift first contact resolution, and accuracy. Oftentimes, customer service teams feel the challenge since B2B consumers heavily rely on a B2B company’s service or product in order to run. There is also the added pressure of accommodating the new B2B consumer who expects customization and a seamless customer journey in every touchpoint. Since customer service plays an integral role in building customer relationships, there is a constant need to raise the bar for customer service. “The stakes are usually higher in B2B deals, as individual B2B customer relationships are often worth millions of dollars,” said Avalin. 

As the world’s biggest food company, Nestle’s B2B strategy considers integrating technology in every touchpoint in the decision maker’s journey. “We think about AI tools. With your (Teleperformance) teams, we have already started a demo session. AI tools will even help us to create better touchpoints for our customers not only on the phone, but also f video support or chatbots to help our customers,” explained Akkal.

To help Nestle provide superior customer service and improve customer satisfaction, Teleperformance in Turkey analyzed their pain points and defined clear actions while elevating experiences. “When we started the customer engagement center, we also started working on technologies to improve our agents’ efficiency in the field,” Akkal shared. To ensure agents are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to resolve customer queries, Teleperformance in Turkey deployed a knowledge management base not only to ease the pressure on agents, but also to increase speed and efficiency while reducing costs. “The agent needs to follow the instructions from a knowledge management base, so that when they follow the instructions, they can clearly guide the customer on the phone and find a resolution rather than creating a ticket and sending a technical person to the field.”

Learn how your B2B company can raise the bar through better customer service today! Watch the discussion between Sezin and Gotturk by clicking here.

[1] E-Commerce News, “83% of B2B Companies to Increase Digitization Budget,” February 16, 2022