There’s an ongoing debate whether or not candidates and consumers should be treated in the same way.
In my opinion, the answer is a simple yes. Candidates are no different to anybody else – they shop in the same places, eat the same food and wear the same clothes, so why – in recruitment – do we expect candidates to behave differently to consumers. As a recruitment business, dealing with both candidates and clients, shouldn’t we try to mimic how the best companies are engaging with their consumers?
Step forward Google, who have just released their latest report, titled “What Businesses Need to Know About Communicating With Consumers”.
In it are some fascinating facts and figures.
Over the last ten months, we’ve seen workplace interactions transform at a pace none of us ever predicted.
Previously, I looked forward to chats over coffee, the serendipity of hallway conversations, and the relationships created by meeting face to face, staying connected with colleagues has not been as difficult as we thought it would be.
And those connections are crucial.
In this new work-from-home world, it’s important for people to spend less time traversing video and chat applications, and more time getting things done.
The same is true for people when they’re not at work.
They want to make connections, and they want the process to be as hassle-free as possible. Recently, Google partnered with Forrester Consulting and found a similar trend playing out with consumers who are interacting with businesses. More specifically, the study highlighted just how important fast and seamless communication experiences are for all users.
Consumers gravitating to digital channels is nothing new – we saw an e-commerce boom back in the late 1990s. However, what is new is the ridiculous pace of digital adoption by consumers. Since the onset of the pandemic, 34% consumers say they complete more transactions online than ever before.
Consumers want speed in their preferred channel — it’s the most important factor in their interactions with businesses — and are increasingly turning to chat because they find it more convenient. In fact, consumers decide where to buy based on brands’ communication channels. As many as 68% of the respondents indicated that, if they can choose where to make a purchase, they are more likely to go with the business that offers convenient communications.
Chat will become an important element of customer service that provides customers with additional choice, the convenience of communicating on their time, and a record of their conversation.
But that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
Google defines chat as any communication channel where the consumer has control over the conversation cadence (such as text, social media, third-party messaging, and chat through a mobile app). For example, a consumer might send a message to a business, walk away for a few hours, and return to the conversation right where they left off.
Firms with advanced communications offerings achieved better business results, including 19-point higher net promoter scores, 9.5% increased customer satisfaction, and 5% or greater growth.
AiRecruiter was created to help recruitment business achieve greater revenue growth through the intelligent use of chat – at the right times with the right conversations.
