When we last touched base on 31st Dec. 2020, the UK ended its transition period from the EU, closing one chapter of Brexit and opening another.
A month later, the immediate consequences of Brexit are hitting the public during a critical standpoint in the fight against COVID-19, leaving citizens emotionally tense and in need of assistance. Amidst the good and the bad, organisations need to step up to help guide the public through these challenging times.
Let’s take a closer look at the current effects of Brexit and what customer experience strategies can help weather the storm for your organisation:
Be aware to changes in data and privacy
The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, set in motion on 1st Jan. 2021, will help bridge data protection between the UK and EU in an additional interim period of roughly 6 months or less. This transfer of data, in addition to transitions into UK GDPR laws, is a rising concern for individuals and businesses who need to know how their information will be impacted by regulations.
Help alleviate the tension by relying on the strategies that carried organisations through when GDPR was first being put into place. Be transparent about privacy policies and explicit about how the data is used, how long it is held and what rights the public has and how they can exercise them.
This is an opportunity for organisations to increase, or lose, trust with their customers. Be aware that these are turbulent times and amongst other pressing concerns of the virus and economy, people want to be aware of their privacy when they go digital.
Brace for uncertain impacts on trade
Surviving a potential ‘No-Deal’, departing from the EU without trade agreements in place, was just the beginning. Barely two weeks out of the transition period and the fishing industry in Scotland was already bracing for uncertainty. Now, new regulations and tariffs have already affected the supply chain in industries such as fashion and chemical, leaving many organisations and individuals uncertain about the future of their sector.
Organisations need to brace for cost effective measures and how they can best allocate resources to weather upcoming losses, and ultimately come out stronger than before. Finding the right partner amidst new regulations will be essential.
Meet vaccine support surge head on
The COVID-19 vaccination rollout has been an incredible task. The heavy demand of logistics, supplies and information has left the UK with the critical task of meeting large surges in support channels. Now met with manufacturing and investment concerns post-Brexit, patients will be in more need of support emotionally as well as physically.
During this critical period health organisations need to be adaptive and flexible to meet patient demands with both automation and humanity. Omnichannel, cloud-based patient-experience infrastructures can enable and integrate digital tools like automated self-service, AI, text messaging and live chat to deflect calls and scale as needed.
Face change with CX innovation
Years ago, everyone, including our own organisation at TTEC, braced for change. The news of Brexit hit like a wave and survival meant staying calm. As my colleague in 2016 said, “Our teams - and our clients - are looking to leaders to provide clarity and confidence”. The public is need of assurance and information, and it has fallen on CX leaders to help guide the way.
Be there to meet the challenges of Brexit, COVID-19 and increasing change with both passion and innovation.
Read our latest strategy guide EMEA CX Trends: The 2021 Edition to discover how to conquer the new consumer and employee landscape.
