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The customer service of the future? Perfect symbiosis between human empathy and smart IT!

The question of how far customer service should be digitized in the future divides opinion: Some companies hope for a final and meaningful digitization of existing processes. Others fear the final loss of professional service concepts when IT replaces "human influence". But adding smart IT to personal commitment creates a whole new kind of customer service that sets the standard for tomorrow. 

 

The return of personal service 

Personal service is experiencing something of a comeback. While many buyers of products in the past few years were still concerned primarily with features and price, service is now the focus of attention more than ever. Before and after the sale! For example, car buyers compare prices and offers in detail on the internet. The number of visits to any local car dealership for information has fallen in recent years. Car dealerships are therefore faced with the challenge of adapting to the needs of their target audience and "hauling" part of their processes into the digital world.

For example, most leading companies in the automotive industry have long recognized that they can score with potential customers with digital showroom concepts and how they can best tap sales opportunities in the after-sales area. What is indispensable for these goals are competent staff that can adjust to the buyer’s wishes and advise them accordingly. Today, personal service and open communication is an essential part for future-oriented companies.

Take advantage of the digital transformation

Digital technologies provide companies with three major benefits:

  • efficient requirements planning: Stock levels can be recorded digitally and repeat orders can be executed automatically 
  • improved customer contact: The customer can be welcomed personally upon calling. All relevant information is available within seconds  
  • understand customer needs:  Individual offers to the customer can be quickly created due to the useful linkage with existing information

To capitalize on the opportunities of digital technologies and to generate additional profits, companies need a starting point. Here, existing information and communication processes come not play, constituting an integral part of every customer service.

 

Increase the efficiency of personal customer service

When computer-assisted telephony functions (CTI) conquered the market a few years ago, it was important to simplify repetitive work processes, such as simply selecting a phone number. By clicking on a hotkey, the call is automatically established.

With Unified Communications (UC), the most important communication channels such as telephone, e-mail and text chat were then bundled into one application. In addition, smart technologies such as presence management ensure that the availability of all colleagues is always visible. If an employee wants to contact another employee, he can immediately see if he is available.

Thanks to UC software, a company employee no longer has to switch between different communication channels but can simply click on the desired method of communication.

Maximum added value is achieved by companies who, in addition to CTI and UC, go one step further and link their communication solution with other, important applications: CRM, ERP or special industry programs. A company can still maintain and archive customer data as accurately as possible – and if it is not sensibly used no added value can be generated.

Digital technologies make this possible. By integrating communication processes with important databases, customer data can be searched and found on a company-wide basis. This offers invaluable benefits to any service department. If a customer calls a company, for example, the employee will be shown relevant customer information before the call is received, so they can be welcomed directly by name. In the next stage, the employee can respond individually to the customer, based on all available information. Here are two scenarios, using the example of a car dealership:

  • an employee sees in the information displayed that a general inspection is due. Therefore, the customer can be reminded directly about making an appointment, even if this was not the reason for the call
  • the information displayed indicates that the customer is a lessee and the lease is due to expire soon. So, the employee can use this information to inform the customer without obligation about current leasing offers

Establish digital channels for customer contact

"Digital" on the one hand and "service" on the other do not necessarily contradict each other. Instead, digital channels can be used to pick-up customers where they prefer to get their information anyway. Underestimated potential is provided by the company's own website. Thanks to digital technologies, this can be transformed from a pure information medium to a platform for modern customer dialogue. If customers want information on a special product page, they can be given a competent, informative employee as a contact person. With this, the customer can easily get in touch and ask any necessary sales-critical questions promptly. The variety of opportunities to connect directly with a company also increases the number of user interactions. The less obstacles in making contact, the more likely customers will start to interact and seek advice. 

 

Various possibilities to shape the customer service of tomorrow

If digital technologies are skillfully used, they can help support a company in addressing its customers and customer care. An employee can concentrate on the discussion with the customer and find an individual solution for the respective situation. Therefore, this important information provides the employee a software solution in advance that also provides an interface to other programs, such as CRM programs. Defining how digital technology supports customer service is a matter of concern for any business. One thing is certain: digital transformation is progressing. The digitization of different processes continues. So, not making use of digital technologies today can have an impact on a company’s future tomorrow.