A new law passed in Spain may be viewed as a burden but the truth is: It’s an opportunity.
The customer service legislation requires companies with more than 250 employees or at least €50 million turnover to have a customer service system in place. The systems need to prove they reduce wait times and resolve complaints quickly. Providers of essential services such as utilities must offer customer care 24/7. Penalties range from €150 to €150,000.
For the majority of companies that don’t prioritise service—just 22% of Spanish IT leaders say customer care influences investment decisions—the law may be unwelcome.
Think again. This is a chance to rethink and redesign the customer experience (CX) journey in Spain.
CX advancements in other parts of the world provide a roadmap for Spain, an advantage first-movers didn’t enjoy as they overcame obstacles necessary to discover what works and what doesn’t. Spain won’t have to endure the trial-and-error cost and pain because proven technologies and strategies are now clearer than ever.
We have a chance to fix a longstanding problem: After all, who has not endured that long call to a customer service line? I avoid it when I’m at work so I sometimes need to block time in my personal calendar and then prepare for the siege.
Slash wait time, speed resolution
The intention in Spain is to force companies to reduce wait times to fewer than three minutes, to proactively inform customers when there is a product or service problem, and to resolve issues within two hours.
Another very interesting aspect of the Spanish law is that companies must offer access to a human — they can’t just say a chatbot is their complete customer service solution.
If customers prefer to talk to a real person, then that is their right under Spanish law.
So far, companies in Spain have been exploring interactive voice response (IVR) integration for phone services, bots that communicate using voice and text, and omnichannel integration. The aim is to use all these strategies to improve the customer experience and to resolve customer problems faster.
But really, this is just focusing on the tools and technology that can be used to improve the customer experience. True CX design that focuses on the entire customer journey needs to go beyond just buying some new software to improve your IVR. This is an opportunity for companies in Spain to offer much more than just shorter wait times.
Spanish consumers are tired of the poor service they routinely receive from both the public and private sectors. This law can be a catalyst to a better customer experience, rather than just focusing on very specific metrics, such as the wait time.
This is a chance to transform the CX journey.
We can think about incorporating self-auditing tools into the customer journey so every data point, from the moment a customer becomes aware of your brand to post-purchase interactions, can be captured, analysed, and leveraged to improve the experience.
A transformational turning point for CX
Instead of thinking, “We need to improve our contact centre,” think instead: How can we transform our customer experience? How can we turn our customer interactions into revenue so these processes are not just a cost to the business, but there is a new sales opportunity with every interaction?
TTEC has expertise in building these customer journeys, both from a digital perspective and when you need the highest quality human talent for your customer support team.
Our experience in designing CX solutions also extends internationally, which allows our clients to diversify their teams, reduce risk, increase resilience, and find the most cost-effective solution that is near or offshore.
TTEC is ahead of the game and we have walked this journey with many of our flagship clients. Contact me now and let’s discuss how we can help you comply with the new law in Spain, transform the experience your customers receive, and improve your return on investment in CX. It can truly be an investment in creating customer loyalty, advocacy, and additional revenue.
Please let me know what you think and do follow the TTEC page on LinkedIn for more views and opinion like this. Feel free to get in touch directly via LinkedIn or through our contact form.
