New Customer Insights Platform from Lumen and Qualtrics Aims to Elevate Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction

On October 1, 2024, Qualtrics, the pioneer of the experience management (XM) category, strengthened its partnership with Lumen, a global enterprise technology platform and telecommunications provider, to revamp Lumen’s customer and employee experience programs, ultimately enhancing the service offered to customers.

Leveraging the Qualtrics XM® for Customer Experience suite and Qualtrics AI, the newly developed Lumen real-time customer insights platform aggregates feedback from over two dozen sources, including customer interactions, service performance, and market-specific trends derived from unstructured feedback, such as social media and call center transcripts.

These real-time insights into customer and employee experience metrics enable Lumen to personalize communications with each customer based on their specific needs and recent interactions. For instance, call center agents assisting customers can access a daily-updated Customer Health Score influenced by real-time operational inputs. This additional information empowers agents to engage with customers more effectively and empathetically.

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As a result of its collaboration with Qualtrics, Lumen has recorded a remarkable 17-point year-over-year increase in Net Promoter Score (NPS), signifying significant improvements in customer satisfaction and loyalty.

“Real-time data signals empower our team to respond effectively and connect with customers empathetically,” said Kristina Nissen, Senior Vice President of Strategic Pursuits and Mid-Market at Lumen Technologies. “Our new customer health scores, powered by Qualtrics, equip our staff with a deeper understanding of how to assist each customer individually and identify actions that will have the most meaningful impact on their experience.”

Contextual Insights Fuel Smarter Communications

Research conducted by the Qualtrics XM Institute over the past decade reveals that customer sentiment regarding their experiences significantly influences future loyalty behaviors more than any other factor. Through its long-standing partnership with Qualtrics, Lumen has amassed extensive experiential data reflecting customer feelings about their interactions with the company. However, operational context was often lacking; for example, it was unclear whether negative feedback stemmed from a technician missing a service appointment.

To address this, Lumen harnessed Qualtrics AI and natural language processing capabilities to create a comprehensive real-time customer insights platform. This platform combines data from various sources, including unsolicited feedback from online forums, review sites, social media, and interactions via chat or phone, along with operational metrics like on-time service delivery. The integration of experiential and operational data enhances Lumen’s understanding of which experiences most significantly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty.

“Unstructured data accounts for nearly 90% of all generated data today, and Qualtrics AI allows organizations to extract valuable insights that provide a complete view of customer experiences and pain points,” stated Manisha Powar, Chief Product Officer of Qualtrics XM for Customer Experience. “Equipped with this information, organizations can identify and prioritize improvements that will most profoundly affect customer emotions, leading to increased loyalty and profitability.”

Employee Recognition Fuels Business Outcomes

Lumen has also utilized Qualtrics to establish a robust connection between Employee Experience (EX) and customer outcomes. Insights derived from Qualtrics XM for Customer Experience revealed that frontline service technicians who feel recognized for delivering outstanding customer service are nine times more likely to resolve customer issues in a single visit.

In response to this finding, Lumen leadership enhanced the company’s promotion and recognition initiatives for exceptional customer service within its field organization. This focus has led to significant savings in operational costs and time, along with a more engaged and loyal workforce.