Why It Appears Customers Prefer Technologically Delivered Customer Service
It’s pretty clear that given a choice for certain tasks, customers will choose a method that does NOT include live human interaction. Surveys tend to support the idea that people want more technology and less of the human interactions. Why?
Customers Have Given Up Because They Can’t Get What They Need From Live Humans
Customers have learned that getting what they need from live human beings, either in person, or via phone is unlikely, and inconvenient. Most of us look to the Internet FIRST for product information and buying advice, and for good reason.
In the quest to cut payroll, companies keep a minimum of staff available, and also see their customer facing staff as overhead, and replaceable. Hence the humans we encounter are under-trained, under paid, not to mention hard to “find”.
So, customers have given up, and will try anything to get their needs met.
Customers HOPE New Technology Will Improve Things
Since customers KNOW that the human option is not convenient or effective (because companies have made it that way), they look to technologies, particularly new ones, to get what they need.
As new technologies emerge, there is a HOPE that this time, it will make life easier for customers.
They rarely do. They may make things easier for companies, or cheaper for companies, but that rarely results in benefits to consumers.
We can sum up as follows:
When quality of service is equal via technology and via human beings, customers may have slight preferences, but their major concern is to get things done easily.
The reason customers are reaching out on technology platforms (i.e. social media), is that the older human base options are simply horrible, and customers know they are horrible.
