Keeping up with Customer Service: When a Chat Bot Just Won’t Cut It
“Good morning, how are you today, Alexa?” “Siri, where is the nearest health food store?” #ThisistheWorstAirline
Technology advances are changing our everyday lives at home. We use Artificial Intelligence and social media to let our friends, our neighbors - and ourselves - know what we want and when we want it. And we use these emerging technologies to interact with companies, whether making purchases, finding out what’s new, or letting the whole world know about our experience (usually when it’s highly negative).
If emerging technology is changing the face of the customer, that means technology is changing the face of customer service. Business forecasters, including Forbes, are predicting a staggering increase in the role of self-service, chat bots, and social media in customer service interactions, especially in providing 24/7 accessibility. This has far-reaching implications for your company’s competitive edge, no matter what its size.
Artificial Intelligence applications can be expensive.
If you are a small company with a small number of front-line customer service representatives, can you afford to make an investment in emerging technology? But if you don’t make that investment, how will you stay competitive against larger companies who acknowledge customers at any time of day or night?
If you are a large or enterprise company, you have probably already started integrating the new technology and channels into your customer service mix – and saved a lot on staffing costs along the way. Are you really coming out ahead when a customer posts to social media about your automated customer service when all he really wants is to speak to a real live human being?
Poorly executed customer service can cost you your business.
No matter the size of your company, new technology means that “no more business as usual” is the new normal. Creating customer service excellence is the only standard at play when it comes to staying in business, and while exciting new tools are changing the landscape, your competitive edge will always be your front-line employees.
If your Tier I support is a chat bot, do your Tier II support employees know how to de-escalate an angry customer? Do you really want a chat bot answering angry customer tweets or a viral Facebook post? But have you invested in customer service education for your social media managers?
We work with your customer service employees to give them the powerful tools and psychological insights they need to make the right decisions based on individual customer situations. Our program supports your staff so they are ready with diagnosis and empathy in this environment of rapid escalation and instant responses. By empowering your front line staff, you are cultivating loyal customer relationships with limitless potential.