In 2024 the UK contact centre industry’s estimated net worth rings in at £3.2 billion, and growing.
While we focus on maintaining an excellent customer experience (CX) in a continually growing industry (alongside rapid digital developments – did I hear you say AI?), it’s important none of our customers get left behind.
We need to take everyone on a journey of excellent CX, and that includes the 16 million people living in the UK with a registered disability – that’s 24% of the population.
Those with disabilities already face countless barriers to accessing services, whether it’s:
- Inaccessible physical environments
- Lack of appropriate technology
- Negative attitudes of others towards those with a disability
- Services and policies that either don’t exist or block appropriate support
Let’s not add to this list with the way we communicate with and support our customers.
We asked our in-house CX experts for their top tips on how we can take practical steps to make our customer support and knowledge management accessible to all.
IVR
Ismail Zamurd – Studio Manager
“IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems are standard practice in our contact centres. The voices we use don’t just reflect our brand; they impact the brand too.
Brand voice is key to keeping our IVRs efficient and effective.
My hints & tips:
- Voice: Our voices need to be clear, with language and instructions that are easy to follow
- Timing: Allow enough time between voice prompts for callers to respond
- Routing: Think about how and where to route callers if options haven’t been pressed
And remember, not all IVRs need to use a phone keypad to select the options. With developing technology, conversational IVRs are becoming increasingly popular.”
It’s about deciding what works best for us and our customers. At Adexchange, we design, record and build bespoke IVRs to reduce transfers and increase first contact resolution (FCR).
Agent training
Hannah Connell – Account Manager
“Research by the Data Marketing Association’s Contact Centre council found only 4% of agents knew when they were speaking to a vulnerable customer.
Our contact centre agents are the frontline when it comes to supporting vulnerable customers, and it’s essential we equip them with the right tools and training to handle these calls.
My hints & tips:
- Customer Relationship Management: Create and implement a policy which allows us to log the accessibility needs of customers on our CRM systems
- Recognise vulnerabilities: Give agents training to recognise the signs of vulnerability – empowering them with the skills and knowledge to know what to ask and how to adapt the support offered
- Multi-channel support: Develop alternative services and contact methods: visual IVRs, chatbots, or sign language services”
Our workshops enable agents to master essential skills across all contact channels.
Videos
Julia Davies – Account Manager
“We already know visuals, particularly videos, are key when it comes to developing effective self-service content. (Check out our blog, Driving Self Service: The Power of Video). But it’s essential our video content is accessible, creating an inclusive offering for all customers.
My hints & tips:
- Captions: All videos should have captions. Captions are for everyone – hearing and visually impaired as well as those who just don’t have speakers or headphones available.
- Accessible design: Think carefully about the video design:
- Keep text away from captions – a cluttered screen will be difficult to read
- Avoid the flash threshold for those with photo-sensitivities
- Make sure everyone feels represented by our brands
- Alt text: A screen reading programme can read the alt text (descriptive text giving meaning and context to visuals) allowing visually impaired customers access to all information.”
Our bespoke, branded videos created for knowledge libraries, employee training and marketing always meet the needs of both business and customer – reducing unnecessary contact coming into our support hubs and increasing CX.
Visuals
Charlie Reston – Content Manager
“Content is king when it comes to successfully engaging with our customers. Studies have shown that adding images to our communication channels helps customers remember up to 65% of the message three days later.
Visual content may be king, but accessible content is key.
My hints & tips:
- Customer lead: Customers should have the flexibility to adjust the text size to meet their needs. And if it’s printed material, we shouldn’t use a font smaller than 12pt
- Know your colours: Colour contrast can be a common accessibility issue. Poor contrast makes it difficult for some people to tell two colours apart. How many colour contrast errors can you find on your website or recent printed material? Review your colour contrast with the Contrast Checker.
- Pick fonts wisely –Avoid using overly decorative and fussy typefaces. Instead, opt for a font with clearly identifiable letters.
There’s so much to consider when designing accessible content, but just remember, consistency is key.”
Written Content
Emma Willcox – Account Manager
“If you’ve ever spoken to any of us at Adexchange, you’ll have heard us talk about the Principles of Effective Communication. They’re the ground rules we follow to ensure everything we create is both clear and effective.
- 5 million people in the UK have a learning disability
- It’s thought 1 in 10 have dyslexia
- 2 million people are visually impaired*7
Using plain English doesn’t make our writing boring, it makes it clear and accessible to all. It’s important to remember, English may not be our customers’ first language. There are 94 main languages spoken across England and Wales.
My hints & tips:
- Use plain English
- Keep it short
- Consider how your content is being accessed
Communicating with our customers is all about giving them the right information first time, and not making them work hard for it.”
Here at Adexchange, it’s our mission to create transformative customer experiences through the power of words, visuals and sound; allowing brands to improve the customer experience while reducing costs and increasing brand loyalty (internally and externally).
Interested in finding out you can save time and money without negatively impacting the customer experience? Contact us today! Our knowledge management expertise will set you on the path to user journey success.
