What is it all about
The eBook I have read was a guide to customer service. Written by a company selling cloud contact centre solutions, the goal was to convince the reader that more people contacts in the customer service are needed.
The viewpoint of the author on the fact that we need more contact with customer service workers is interesting in the context of the study unit, as the guidebook proposes a different solution that I have heard before. Instead of increasingly relying on AI and trying to teach customers how to serve themselves effectively in the digital environment, the direction proposed is to answer customer needs on various channels by professional human workers. (Making Customer Service a More Human Experience.)
Responsiveness and empathy
Our ability to respond quickly to the requests of our customers equals respect that we have for their time. It is also one of the virtues of good customer service, referring to the ability of the company to adapt to customer needs over time. Being able to meet new demands, enter new market and address different problems are, in the viewpoint of the guidebook, crucial for excellent customer service. (Making Customer Service a More Human Experience.)
Empathy in the customer service can make regular purchasing a memorable experience. Following the author, even potentially negative experiences can be turned around into positive, loyalty-building practices. This is possible only when customers are interacting with human customer service personnel – as empathy is not possible in any of the online booking or purchasing systems. (Making Customer Service a More Human Experience.)
Delivering a more human experience
The guidebook gives seven key focus points, when it comes to delivering a more human experience. Knowing the customer’s history with the brand helps to make the service smoother, when the assistant can focus on bringing help and not on looking through the files in the search of information. Providing various communication channels allows customers to choose the one they feel the most comfortable using. It increases the chances that they will address your company specifically as well as the customer satisfaction before even talking to the representative. A key is to make sure that the channels are connected, so that the customer can freely switch between them, without having to repeat themselves. (Making Customer Service a More Human Experience.)
While this is crucial, the guidebook also stresses the importance of providing good self-service options. Some of the people prefer to go through the process themselves and we should give them this opportunity. We should also be able to predict the customer needs ahead of time. We can do so by sending reminders and follow-ups. The goal is to reach them before they reach us. The last factor is assurance of safety of all that happens in the digital environment. Customers want to be sure they are safe while using your services. (Making Customer Service a More Human Experience.)
The right solution?
As long as I agree on the fact that the most of the customers are not yet ready to go fully online and become independent with purchasing their own goods or services, the view point presented in the guidebook has is good and bad sides.
The material is clearly a marketing product and sharing insights about customer needs and behaviors is only its secondary goal. This means that we should expect the theory to be carefully selected to match the selling proposition. While I agree on the fact that customers expect to be served in less time than ever, I don’t share the view of the authors that it should be humans answering every demand. They are, in my opinion, not capable of such a rapid and detailed work. The numbers of customers fluctuate and there are periods when more or less customer service workers are needed. For those reasons I think that in the future there is space for both human customer service workers and automatic systems, they are just suited for different tasks.
Conclusion
To sum up, the guidebook shares tips and good practices about customer service and consumer behaviour. However, since its goal is to sell the own product of the issuing company, the analysis might focus only on one side of the problem. In my opinion the practices described are good to follow, but in real life it is very hard to make human workers take care of all the issues the customers have. There is therefore place for both human workers and computerized systems.
Source:
Making Customer Service a More Human Experience Accessed 21.03.23.