National Customer Service Week – The Human-Tech Interface

National Customer Service Week – The Human-Tech Interface

As an overall trend, advances in technology have always correlated with improvements in client experience. Do you remember the amazement, when you could first speak to your bank without leaving your home by phone?! Although I think it is fair to say, this novelty has now worn off!

However, although the options for contacting and transacting with businesses have never been more sophisticated and plentiful, many organisations still get things badly wrong.

How and why does this happen?

Throughout the seemingly endless tech revolution of the last 50 years, one principle has remained consistent (and often overlooked). A business’ decision to use tech in its client proposition must be based on what is best for the client, and not what is easiest (or cheapest) for the business.

AI chatbots, self-service portals, and video conferencing all have the potential to enhance the client's journey. But we must not forget that human/in-person interaction is, for some, non-negotiable and core to the service they expect.

Businesses must listen to clients and retain choice in their contact strategies. “One-size-fits-all” approaches, which dictate how clients should interact with firms, are likely to put off large sections of the client base and leave even the most loyal clients apathetic to your service.

Put yourself in your client's shoes

This may sound like pretty basic advice. But when determining which technologies will add genuine value for your clients, put yourself in your client’s shoes and think about how they might be feeling when contacting you.

A client contacting their airline in a panic due to a cancellation of their flight is probably going to have a much different tolerance to a non-human interaction than someone booking tickets for a future trip.

Remembering this and tailoring your approach accordingly is a critical part of striking the right balance between human and technology in client experience.

    Get in touch to discuss how we can help you.





    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.