Exclusive Q&A: Verizon offers omnichannel customer convenience
Verizon is deploying new innovative solutions across multiple touchpoints aimed at enhancing and streamlining the customer experience.
Chain Store Age recently interviewed Kelley Kurtzman, chief sales officer, Verizon, about efforts the wireless device and services retailer has made to better serve customers via mobile app, omnichannel pickup lockers, and product return.
[Read more: Verizon overhauls store technology in time for holidays]
What made Verizon decide to release a third generation My Verizon app, and what new/enhanced features does it offer?
Intensely focused on creating the ultimate customer experience, Verizon has always prioritized using new digital tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative tech to continue to make it easy for customers to do business with us - no matter how they choose to do it.
The My Verizon app is the foundation of Verizon’s digital experiences, with each generation allowing us to more seamlessly offer customers more variety in the ways they interact with us. The most exciting feature of the third generation of the app is that it unifies mobile and home access for customers.
Gone are the days of having two apps - one for mobile and one for Fios. In the new My Verizon app, customers can manage both their mobile and home accounts and initiate sales of both mobile and home services within the app.
Other features of the third generation My Verizon app include the elevated Verizon assistant, which is a conversational AI tool that humanizes the digital journey by enabling customers to conversationally manage their account, view and pay their bill, dispute a charge, trade-in and upgrade their devices.
It also now offers a Spanish-language option. Customers who wish to read the app in Spanish can change the language within the app to Spanish in their app profile.
And there is a new look and feel and simpler navigation. Since launching, the third generation My Verizon app outperforms the previous app in customer satisfaction, engagement, order conversion, page speed, and error and crash free rates.
Can you explain how your express pickup lockers work?
Verizon express pickup Lockers provide a secure pick-up option while we offer an additional channel that essentially blends digital and physical shopping. A customer purchases items on the My Verizon app or our website, then they receive an alert when the order is ready. When the customer picks up the order, they use the app to unlock the locker at one of our participating retail locations.
Because the lockers use our My Verizon app at every point, including opening them, it’s a great demonstration of a true ‘phygital’ experience that uses digital as the front door. Since our retail store associates support the fulfillment of these orders, both our human and digital assets play an important role in the transaction.
What options are provided by the trade return choice program, and why did you decide to offer it?
Verizon implemented the trade return choice program to make it easy for customers to return a device to us. For example, when they purchase a new phone and trade in an old phone as part of the transaction, or if they need to return a phone, customers now have four options to choose from to get us their device.
They can return their device to a corporate store, get a QR code from Verizon then take the device to UPS who will package and ship it for them, print a shipping label and use their own box to ship it, or order a recovery kit which includes a label and box. Customers can easily track their trade or return regardless of the option they choose.