Extremely important. I bet you knew that. Yet, it seems that many companies do not realize what type of customer experience they are providing through their customer service dept. Inc.com’s article – Companies Receive Poor Grades for Customer Service – is one of these annual surveys measuring customer perceptions.
This following piece of information seems obvious, but…:
The study also found that new technology is no substitute for helpful agents. Six out of 10 respondents said automated phone services, live online chat, and other customer-service technologies had not improved service quality. In fact, automated phone services received the lowest level of satisfaction among all customer service channels, while in-person services rated highest.
60% of respondents state that technology has not helped the experience. I personally use the online chat features fairly often and hold them in high regard. Apparently, I am in the minority on that topic. Nonetheless, when customers have a problem, they want to speak to a live person. Simple. But not always followed by companies.
Personally as a customer, I feel abandoned if I end up navigating through some draconian automated phone system only to leave a voicemail for some unknown person. Resolution seems complete when you talk to a live person even if the problem is not completely resolved on the call.
Are your customers wandering around a cyber wasteland or are they getting to a live person with minimal inconvenience?