In this digital era, many companies are focusing on ways to offer faster, more sophisticated customer experiences. While customers typically appreciate these improvements, the human touch is still in high demand—and remains what truly turns a business transaction into a long-term relationship. According to Microsoft, 30% of consumers claim that not being able to reach a human is the most irritating part of a bad customer service experience. To give your service a human touch, consider these six tips.
Yes, your products should be easy to use. But what if your customers could feel better about using them? Video tutorials are an excellent way to connect with your customers and humanize your brand. You may feature employees showing how products work and invite experts to give demonstrations as well. Poultry brand Butterball has experienced great success with its “Turkey Talk-Line,” a customer service channel that invites people to ask all turkey-related questions during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. With such a gesture, customers understand that you care about them and want them to enjoy your products.
If your customers are matched quickly with agents each time they call, well done! Now consider this: What if a customer could speak to someone who matched his personality? With predictive behavioral routing, this is now a reality. For example, Vocalcom’s artificial intelligence technology can determine, using text or voice, a customer’s emotional needs and communication preferences based on real-time and historical data. Similar data collected on agents’ personalities enables the prediction of an ideal match, leading to more natural conversations and greater customer satisfaction.
Even if you offer excellent digital service, customers sometimes need to talk to an agent. This can be especially true when they need to spend a large sum of money. An Invoca study found that when looking at a complicated purchase, 39% of people prefer to speak to an expert advisor while 35% of consumers call when their purchase exceeds $500. The same is true for customer service issues: American Express points out that, for complex issues such as payment disputes, 40% of customers prefer talking to a real person on the phone.
Whenever agents communicate with your customers, they should handle conversations gracefully. If a customer is upset, agents should show empathy and a willingness to find a solution. And in all cases, they should exude enthusiasm. This sends a positive message to your customers: Your agents are always happy to help them with any situation.
By having access to customer data, your brand has the power to offer proactive service that can rectify difficult situations. For example, if a flight is canceled, a new flight can be proposed automatically that meets the customer’s preferences: departure time, seating assignment, and meal choice, for example. If a customer’s package does not arrive on time, you may propose free shipping on the next purchase. Using data to cater to customers’ needs is a great way to win their trust and loyalty.
After every service interaction, ask your customers what they thought about their experience. Send a quick survey on the channel of contact to make it easier for them. This simple act tells your customers that you value their opinions and will work hard to make every experience a pleasant one.Every customer experience can offer a human touch with a little effort on your part. By training agents to develop their interpersonal skills, reaching out proactively, and offering human support on every channel, your brand can provide customers with the comfort of knowing that a friendly human voice is always ready to help. To deliver the very best customer experiences, learn about Vocalcom, a global leader in AI-powered contact center software solutions and premium omnichannel customer interaction platform.
