Five Keys to Offering a Human Customer Service in the Digital Age

Digitization and automation technology are completely transforming the way companies communicate with people to the point where at least 80% of customer interactions are already digital in nature, according to a survey of McKinsey & Company.

The pandemic and the new normality have only accelerated this trend, which, although it may be beneficial for companies by saving costs and offering a more flexible, accessible and immediate service, for a part of society it is not so much, since almost 40% of consumers would prefer to speak with a human being in customer service, according to the study. For this reason, masvoz, part of Enreach and a leading company in convergent communications solutions, has identified five keys for contact centers to offer customer service with a more human touch that builds loyalty and satisfies the most demanding customers.

Five Keys to Offering a Human Customer Service in the Digital Age

1) Provide Value in Each Contact

The usual thing is to solve operational problems by reducing costs to obtain an increase in profitability without too many problems. But what seems easy is often not the best way, so you have to think about customer satisfaction from the beginning and not just answer your questions or provide simple support, but you have to connect with the user and solve their query or problem. To add value, it is essential to ask internally how to add it, and this is how good results with customers will be obtained as well as a positive commercial impact.

2) Always Ask for Feedback After the Interaction

When a conversation with the customer begins, the company is faced with a great opportunity to get to know its consumers better, as well as to understand their reality and the aspects that they most value in customer service and attention. That is why the agent, when the dialogue with the client ends, must ask for their assessment through a short form or survey to learn about the user and transfer it to the organization’s channels or services. It is about the client knowing that his opinion is important for the company with which he has just spoken and that it will take it into account.

3) Always Have Accessible Agents

Although most customers believe that a great digital experience depends on self-service or communication with chatbots to solve their doubts, the fact that there is human support available is a differential in the service, since it provides peace of mind to the customer in the event that the technology is not able to resolve the query. For this reason, many companies use channels such as WhatsApp to give way to the person who will deal with the case in depth.

4) Involve Agents in the Project and Train Them

To find new ways of being in contact with customers, it will always be better to have the opinion of the employees and involve them in the project from the beginning, since they have very valuable information from day to day and can help the contact center to improve their products and services. In this sense, it is also essential to give them good training so that contact with the client is excellent from the first day.

5) Assess Success Criteria with the Customer in Mind

Typically, contact centers have metrics that measure the number of calls handled per hour or the average time spent dealing with customers until the issue is resolved. However, it is necessary to implement metrics that evaluate the human factor and customer satisfaction, beyond numerical parameters. Likewise, from time to time it is important to verify if the work processes are being adequate and comply with the client’s purposes.

“Digital channels are changing the way we relate to users and contact centers must adapt to new trends and customer needs in a digital context. In this way, they must know how to include in their strategy a human section that promotes a complete experience for the client. It is no longer about making simple calls or interactions, value must be added and even different processes must be built for the same final objective: to solve user problems, creating complete satisfaction for them,” says Santi Vernet, CCO of masvoz.