The Role of Technology in Modern Customer Service
Technology plays a pivotal role in contemporary customer service. With the increasing shift of commerce to online platforms, the potential for leveraging technology to enhance customer service grows significantly.
But, how? And what did technology replace? Lots of questions pop up when we consider how customer service has been transformed by the addition of AI and automation.
Let’s dive deep and see how modern customer service came to be and what it offers humanity.
Enhancing Customer Service Through Technology:
This development is highly advantageous in the realm of customer service, as appropriately employed technology can:
Facilitate expedited communication:
Customers generally have limited patience when it comes to waiting in phone queues, with most unwilling to wait for more than two minutes.
Moreover, 13% of customers deem "no hold time" the only acceptable scenario. By using technology effectively, communication can be accelerated, ensuring prompt responses to customer queries.
1. Yield more direct outcomes:
By integrating the convenience of automated self-service with user-friendly automation processes, customers can swiftly obtain the information they seek. This streamlined approach enables them to access answers and solutions promptly, reducing unnecessary delays.
2. Lower costs:
Time is a valuable resource, and through automation, costs can be reduced by expediting customer transactions and minimizing overhead expenses. Automation empowers customer service representatives to work more efficiently and rapidly, optimizing resource utilization.
3. Enhance customer outcomes:
The automation of responses to customers, combined with the analysis of customer buying patterns and preferences, leads to improved customer outcomes and heightened customer retention rates. These insights enable businesses to tailor their services more effectively, catering to the specific needs and desires of their customers.
In essence, technology is revolutionizing call centers by enabling customer service agents to leverage their time more effectively while also facilitating connections between businesses and higher-quality representatives at a reduced cost.
Different Forms of Customer Service Technology:
Especially in the era of social distancing, it is crucial to find innovative solutions that effectively support customers and contribute to their satisfaction.
Technology plays a pivotal role in achieving this objective and will continue to do so. In this discussion, we will delve into the significance of leveraging quality outsourced partners to develop technology-driven solutions.
1. Enhancing customer experiences through technology-driven automation:
One of the primary aims of customer service operations is to harness technology and automate various aspects of communication, connectivity, and customer management while ensuring favorable outcomes. Key automation tools encompass:
2. Live chat via texting or video:
This entails employing automated ticketing systems and mechanisms for collecting customer data and analytics. Live chat serves as an informal yet efficient method for promptly connecting qualified service representatives with customers seeking information or assistance.
3. Chatbots (if implemented effectively):
When programmed accurately, chatbots can significantly save time for both customers and call centers. However, if implemented poorly, exchanges like the following example may occur:
Chatbot: Hello! Thank you for visiting our website. My name is Gwen. How may I assist you today?
Customer: I need information about your recent sales promotion and your policy on returns.
Chatbot: We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the need to return your purchase. Could you please elaborate on the issue?
Customer: No, I don't need to return anything. I simply want to know about the advertised sale and whether I can return the product if I am not satisfied with it.
Chatbot: It seems that tracking the shipping status of your order might resolve your concern. Please provide your order number, date of purchase, and our invoice serial.
Customer: (disconnects and contacts the help desk)
When investing in a chatbot, it is advisable not to opt for a budget option. Additionally, having a live chat option alongside the chatbot function can prove beneficial.
4. Interactive voice response (IVR) menus:
IVR systems can assist in directing customers to the appropriate personnel. However, caution must be exercised in their implementation.
Typically, IVR instructions prompt callers to state the purpose of their call, such as "I want information on your latest sales."
Regrettably, due to frustration, approximately 98% of customers bypass this feature and simply state "Representative" to move ahead.
Careful consideration must be given to designing IVR menus to ensure a smooth customer experience.
Preferred Customer Tools:
Based on research conducted by TalkDesk, the preferred channels for customer communication are outlined as follows:
1. Phone support:
36% of customers prefer speaking to a live agent over the phone to seek information or resolve issues. Automation plays a supporting role in the background as call center representatives quickly access answers and information from computer screens.
2. Live chat:
33% of customers highly appreciate the immediacy and quick access to assistance provided by live chat. This channel enables direct interaction with call center helpers.
3. Email:
25% of clients prefer email communication, especially for everyday business issues. Email is a method of automated communication that enables customers to supply specific information while giving businesses time to investigate customer care concerns. Email may also be a useful tool for introducing clients to a greater variety of goods and services.
It is essential to keep in mind that the aforementioned data could alter among various demographic groupings.
For instance, 52% of millennials favor live chat and place a higher emphasis on quick response times. Nevertheless, the overarching importance lies in offering flexibility and multiple options to cater to diverse customer preferences.
Technology plays a crucial role in facilitating effective communication, but it should never hinder the connection between customers and live representatives.
While technology, such as chatbots, can save time and address minor issues, it is advisable to prioritize promptly connecting customers with live agents to ensure satisfactory assistance.
Technology and Call Centers:
Technology has brought about significant transformations in the call center industry in two key ways.
- Firstly, it enables the implementation of seamless and information-rich approaches, benefiting customers and reducing costs by ensuring that agents focus on engaging with individuals who have more complex issues.
- Secondly, automation has facilitated the emergence of distributed call centers where agents can work remotely from their homes.
This shift to remote work has become a universal response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to maintain social distancing, which is not feasible in the traditional shoulder-to-shoulder call center setup.
Looking ahead, the call center's operations need to be rethought while utilizing automation and remote communication capabilities.
Better results may be obtained for both consumers and companies by developing a streamlined, multichannel support system linked to a distributed network of knowledgeable agents. Among the advantages are:
1. Better agents:
Hiring people who may not often consider working in a contact center, such as stay-at-home parents, people with impairments, and retirees, is made possible by remote employment. Compared to typical contact center agents, this larger talent pool frequently brings to the position a wealth of expertise.
2. The right agents:
Greater flexibility enables the hiring of highly skilled representatives and the ability to match calls with agents based on their specific areas of expertise and experience. This moves away from being limited to in-house resources and ensures that customers are connected with the most suitable agents for their needs.
3. Lower costs:
Remote work eliminates the overhead expenses associated with maintaining physical office spaces, resulting in cost reductions. These savings can be redirected towards investing in high-quality agents and advanced technology.
Parting Words:
Technology has changed customer service forever. Gone are the days of the classic call center with one agent answering queries on one end and a demanding customer shouting for information on the other.
Now, AI has joined the fray, and automation has replaced the human element, making customer service more streamlined and easier to work with than ever before.
Don’t be afraid of these changes. Embrace them. Modern customer service is literally one of the biggest pillars of 21st-century society.