Data shows that 76% of customers would happily move to a different company if it meant they got better customer service. The customer experience can determine your customer loyalty, so ensuring your workforce reflects your customers could solve your customer retention issues.

Grace Anderson, senior HR business partner at Kura, says: “A diverse workforce has proven to be the way forward for many growing businesses, but another benefit is the connection and communication you can have with your customers.

“Customers want to feel heard, and this isn’t only through active listening, it is also through companies that have a workforce which reflects, and knows, their audiences inside out.”

With International Equal Pay Day this month, Kura looks at how diversity in your business can leverage better customer experiences.

Shows you value your customers

According to data, 66% of customers feel as though they are treated as a number rather than a person. Making sure your customer experience is tailored to your customers is essential for companies to make a good impression.

Another 66% claim they expect businesses to understand their needs and wants. Diversity in customer service means that your company knows the ranging demographic it reaches, and there is someone who can handle enquiries in the right way.

Call centre outsourcing, for example, is one way of ensuring you’re giving each demographic a tailored experience on your calls. Whether you’re offshoring your calls as a global company or finding a trusted partnership which already has a diverse workforce that replicates your brand’s audiences, ensuring there is someone on the phone who understands your customer shows they are more than just a number to you.

Provides different experiences

Grace says: “Customer service requires your staff to provide empathy to your customers. Whether you’re working on returns or with a customer’s debt, making sure they feel heard and that you are working towards solving the problem together is key.

“Trained customer experience advisors need to know how to share empathy with their customers, and a diverse workforce can make this easier. By having a wealth of different experiences and backgrounds, your customers can have a tailored, kinder experience.”

It can be hard to empathise with an experience you’ve never had, so companies with a diverse customer service branch could be offering a better experience to their customers. This also goes back to treating your customers as people rather than numbers.

Demonstrates unique patterns of thinking

It is known that diversity in a workforce can be more productive, but this is also so for customer service. Not only can a diverse call centre provide unique patterns of thinking, but these patterns can also ensure your customer gets a quicker, better solution tailored for them.

Whether it is solving debt repayments for a single mother or finding a return strategy for someone who can’t easily leave home, call centres ensure your customers from all backgrounds can benefit from problem solving.

Grace continues: “Again, empathy plays a large role in what you can do for your customer service. Problem solving isn’t simply about understanding the logistics of it but ensuring your customer is on board and happy.

“Sometimes, customers have their own restrictions, and these need to be taken into consideration when problem solving – diversity allows unique patterns of thinking to provide a wealth of solutions, rather than one.”

Opens communication

Another benefit of using your business diversity in your customer experience is the opportunity for open communication. Only 17% of the world’s population speaks English, and not all of that is a person’s first language, so ensuring your business can communicate in multiple languages, especially as a global company, is essential for a good customer experience.

In fact, 29% of businesses lose customers due to a lack of multilingual support. Being able to converse with a customer in a language they are comfortable in can ensure you’re getting the right information and providing the right solutions in a quicker way.

Expands your business

Not only will your customers feel heard by your company, but diversity in the customer experience can be beneficial for your business growth strategy.

Grace says: “The key to growing your business is improving the customer experience. The customer after-care, for example, plays a large role in retaining customers, and if you want to have a good global outreach, investing in good customer care is essential.”

Your workforce diversity can be a great tool for ensuring your customers have the best experience. With customers wanting a tailored experience, ensuring you treat them as a person and not a number is essential. By approaching all customer communications with diversity in mind and investing in your staff equally, you can make your customers happier.