Who Wants a Good Old Fashioned
Before the world was saturated with new technology, before AI and smart phones and the net, before ecommerce was possible; nosotros had proficient, erstwhile-fashioned customer service.
Shop owners and employees knew you by name. They'd bend over backwards to make you happy, and brand every effort to ensure a good feel.
Today, many believe that this skillful, erstwhile-fashioned client service is dead. Its killer: technology.
Every new gadget, software and digitalised service, dispossesses human customer service agents of duties. Simply this isn't what customers desire.
In fact, 62% of customers prefer simple, flexible service options over flashy new technology.
Tech is important for successful customer service experiences today. But it's not — and shouldn't be — the star of your service. Old-fashioned client service isn't going out of style.
So, how tin you balance traditional expectations with mod client care?
The practiced-old days
In the foretime days before technology revolutionised our shopping habits, customer service was face up to face up. It was human, and it was personal.
Shop owners would expect you in the eye and telephone call you lot by name. They'd enquire about your day, enquire of your family unit members, and recommend a new product they think would appeal to your tastes.
More chiefly, they'd put you first. They'd actively heed, and practice everything they could to brand yous happy and satisfied.
A lot has changed since then.
In those days, at that place was less client convenience. Y'all'd have to be in store to receive service. Yous'd have been limited to the few shops and amenities in your local expanse. You would have had to brand an obvious effort to come into a business and spend your money or ask for help.
Then naturally, that attempt had to be eagerly reciprocated.
Adept old-fashioned customer service meant putting the customer commencement, solving bug and personalising every experience.
The eye of adept old-fashioned customer service is a real human being connectedness – and the trust, respect and loyalty that comes with it.
Introduction of tech
Nowadays, we as customers take a earth of option at our fingertips. Technology has revolutionised the fashion we shop, and given us multiple avenues for finding and ownership from a business.
The internet meant that businesses became more attainable, and convenience became the must-accept. Now customers could admission your products and service at any fourth dimension, from anywhere.
And with more customers to serve, the ability to give that good, old-fashioned customer service took a hit.
Phone call centres grew in popularity, equally did email, social media and online chat. Now, AI and chatbots are on the ascension — ready to meet the demands of a worldwide customer base.
These technological advancements have led customers to expect instant support and real-time gratification.
So, customer service speed became a priority.
Every bit engineering science spread into more than and more back up processes, personalised human connections — the values held past good old-fashioned customer service — cruel into second place.
Tech is not the star of the evidence
The problem is, as we continue to advance into a tech-saturated retail world, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to lose sight of the customer completely. Businesses are pleased to offering absurd new tech in their service; it helps them appear competitive.
Unfortunately, that tech is likewise-oft the star of the service show.
Customers are becoming less and less likely to take their problem handled by a human. Digital efficiency and speed are prioritised alee of quality customer care.
Building lasting, personal relationships with customers is replaced past cold bots sorting customers through the cogs of a digitised service machine.
Emails are afar messages tossed into the void. Every interaction is happening through a screen, or down the phone. And now, voice assistants and chatbots are stealing the bear witness, meeting customers in identify of homo squad members.
Yet only xv% of consumers believe companies should invest in these technologies. This is because we miss the good ol' days with good one-time-fashioned customer service.
The lack of old-fashioned client intendance hits hardest when things get wrong. Our tech simply doesn't know what to practice. It can't exist empathetic, or flexible, and and then it can't solve the trouble finer.
Over-reliance on these technologies in place of a human team only abolishes the expert old-fashioned customer service that customers pino for.
Blending for the hereafter
But customer service engineering science itself is not to blame for the loss of expert old-fashioned customer service. In fact, it'due south possible to use technology like live chat software, social media and fifty-fifty chatbots to provide the level of service that nosotros're missing.
If, and just if, we alloy it with friendly human agents.
Applied science has helped u.s. aggrandize into worldwide business, yet retain the real-time nature of good old-fashioned support. Just tech alone won't wow your customers.
With digitised customer service processes so ubiquitous, it's time to have tech off its pedestal and let your homo agents have the spotlight. Indeed, 58% of consumers said that businesses should provide 'better preparation & performance incentives for customer facing staff'.
Technology has come up a long style, and information technology's heady, simply it's still but a tool. And that'due south how it should exist used.
It tin can bridge the gap of altitude, language barriers, and time, to enable man support members to provide the quick, quality care that customers crave.
In other words, while tech is an enabler of peachy client service, it's the human touch that takes an experience from efficient to outstanding.
New one-time-fashioned
So, avoid shunning technology, or forgetting the values of good, quondam fashioned customer service. Instead, alloy your technology use with a well-trained human squad.
Nosotros demand to place emphasis firmly on the abilities and skills of a homo support team. And, in turn, use tech to support them.
Just through doing and then can you provide adept, old-fashioned client service with modern 24-hour interval convenience.
Useful links
- – Customer service excellence: it'southward in the details
- – Chat technology and the paradox of communication
- – The three cornerstones of the human touch in customer service
- – Live conversation is not a silver bullet for CX bug
- – An interview with Jo Causon: the state of client service
- – The customer service battle: digitalisation vs the man touch
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