Dr David Cliff explores customer service or in many cases the lack thereof.
People buy from people, of that there is no doubt. Increasingly however, online sales and offers that come from organisations that have central distributive outlets rather than local high street shops or branches, have reduced much of the purchasing experience to that of a transactional nature.
The problem is, however, particularly in the business to consumer arena, the consumer is not just buying an item that is a simple functional transaction. They are often acquiring something that gives them a form of enhancement in their life or even, an ‘evolutionary advantage’. Deep within us are primal programs that ensure that we can survive. Acquiring goods or obtaining services, is consistent with that, as is the collaboration between people that ensures our sources of supply. Yes, consumerism, works at many levels other than the simply acquisitive.
Of central importance, is the nature of the relationship which upholds the transaction. If it can be relied on, trusted and can respect our individuality, we gain an advantage at so many levels. It also fosters a shed load of loyalty towards those who understand its importance.
Algorithms, automated systems and other fulfilment mechanisms simply do not give that “buzz” to people. Evolutionary psychology considerations aside, humans seek meaning, and a big part of meaning construction are the relationships we have in the external world. Whether it is friendship or commercial, the opportunity to gain personal meaning, satisfaction and fulfilment through contact is vital. Business is business, but this does not diminish much when it is a purely commercial relationship involved.
In all of this the generation of trust is fundamental and this is where good customer service in particular, is important. Where there are automated systems or even just staff who have a low level of authority within the organisation, the ability to escalate one’s humanity to someone who can respond, listen and treat you as a unique individual, is crucial. In acknowledging our humanity, transactions become so much more meaningful. It is to notice that research suggests that 70% of callers actively attempt to evade Chatbots or other automated response mechanisms, preferring to talk to a human being. Equally, whilst price may still be an acute point of consumer choice, over 60% of consumers would prefer to pay more for a better service.
When situations require customer services interventions, if these are not authentic, in real time and person centred, a valuable opportunity is lost to re-cement the organisations relationship with the customer, validate their individuality and give a sense of value, that will foster trust and brand loyalty. Too many sales operations destroy this relationship by seeking shortterm, target focused objectives, where the sale is all and there is little heed to what then follows relationally. This approach fragments the customer relationship and leaves a sense of deep insecurity or even exploitation for many. Quality customer service back up can restore faith. So, it needs to be authentic, scripted and oh yes, human, wherever possible.
Some companies are very good at getting past all of this with automation, but they are few in number. Amazon’s success is by the sheer efficiency of its fulfilment operation and an unequivocal set of solutions that automatically work for the consumers benefit. No quibble returns, refunds issued before the goods get back to the warehouse, all of these things can operate and give great customer satisfaction without the human contact when they are scaled up to the size and might of an organisation like Amazon. Most companies are not like that however, and the human touch matters.
It’s in this particular niche, where smaller businesses can fare very well. The opportunity to develop a trusted, congruent, visible human relationship often positively accords with brand loyalty, and courts a considerable degree of tolerance over issues such as delivery.
However automated you can become, whatever AI or algorithms you use for fulfilment, please, please never lose sight of the basic simplicity of humans listening to humans and being accessible to them in any transactional process. In simple terms, this can amount to as little as making sure “contact us” has a clear telephone number and you speak to a human within thirty seconds of it being answered. Sure, it is not as cheap as a bot, at least in the short term, but if client lifetime values have anything to commend them, they are predicated by such relationships.
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