People can do so many things today that do not require human contact. Even the online customer service facilities of some companies have already been automated. When customers send in their inquiries, they are often answered by robots or recorded messages. It cannot be denied, however, that people are innately social. This means that consumers still crave for human touch no matter how much they demand for convenience and quick service. Balancing innovation with customer service is a challenge that most companies today face.
This challenge is not too difficult to address. There are still ways to deliver high touch service without sacrificing high tech innovations. In fact, technology should be used as a way to make initiating and nurturing long term customer relationships possible. Companies should be able to use the technology available to them in opening more channels of communication with their customers.
The following are some ways of balancing innovation with customer service:
Go Social
If you are not already in the social networks, you are missing perhaps the biggest high tech way to give high touch service to your customers. Be where your customers are. Get to know your customers. Talk to your customers. Social media posts give you an opportunity to get more personal with your customers. The best thing about going social is that it does not cost much to reach a significant number of target customers.
Go Mobile
A lot of people today do things on-the-go. Having a mobile app or customizing your site for mobile browsers is a must if you want to be easily accessible to your customers even when they are away from their computers. A lot of the bigger companies even have lifestyle apps for their customers to use even when they are not online. Some examples of this are diet planners or calorie counters for weight loss products and recipe box and meal planners for food brands.
Go Live
Making use of high tech customer service platforms does not mean that you have to go cold and impersonal. You can actually still go live even if you are on a budget. This is a service that you can outsource if necessary. There are also software programs that you can purchase to allow you to maintain just a handful of customer service personnel to entertain your customers and prospects. Balancing innovation with customer service is possible if you adopt the right attitude and find the right tools.
Image Credit:
hyena reality – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net
