Do you have any tips to guide us in using technology to improve customer service?
Technology, whether it’s the use of CRM software, troubleshooting knowledge bases, voice mail or other telephone technology, etc is relatively neutral in terms of it’s direct relationships to customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and perceptions of customer service excellence. Think of these technologies as tools that can potentially help improve customer service, but can also potentially make it worse, at least from the point of view of the customer.
So, first, do not mistake the technology tools for the actually customer service. Simply having them means nothing. It’s how the technologies are used. Poor implementation means poor customer service.
Second, technologies cannot replace human interactions and human intelligence. So much of the perception of excellent customer service has to do with the WAY human employees interact with customers that machinery can’t replace human beings in the process. That means that no matter what technologies you use, you still have to train employees in the products, and in the customer communication skills required to satisfy customers.
Third, if you automate certain processed related to customer service, remember that if you automate a currently poor or ineffective human process, it’s just going to end up as a poor or ineffective computerized or technologically based process. In other words, when you automate, you need to overhaul the system. And you need to manage the automation process to get employees ready to use it.
