Self-Service Support
Chatbots, public forums, and FAQ’s are increasing in popularity due to their ease of access and cost-effectiveness. Businesses have focused on providing content-rich FAQs and enhanced chatbot support. That said, how often have you used a chatbot to arrive at no useful solutions, or been directed to the FAQ’s and not found your answer? If the only other option is to send an email and wait for a response within 24 – 48 hours, how effective is this customer service? Often, these are the only channels provided by paid platforms or subscriptions. Expectations for customer service, especially when paying for a service, are rising every day. Customer needs must be taken care of efficiently, usually beginning with self-service and ending with human interaction through a trained brand ambassador. The self-service model does offer solutions for quick fixes and simple issues, but does not always apply to more complex issues. Although the technology in chatbots and self-service is improving, it has not evolved enough to replace the need for human interaction.
Human Interaction Support
When speaking to a customer, you can better understand their mood, emotion and temperament. This interaction establishes a degree of trust that does not exist within other channels. Live support opens a dialogue between the ambassador and customer to best identify problems and quickly find the appropriate solutions on the first contact. A trained human ambassador has the ability to pivot an inbound or outbound conversation in any desired direction, demonstrating the contact center's value as a profit center and competitive advantage. Humans have an innate ability to voice their opinions and concerns easier than writing them. Never underestimate the human capacity to listen, process and respond appropriately to a conversation.
Effect on Customer Journey
For companies to continually improve their support model, they must focus on a customer journey that is seamless at every touchpoint. A poor and siloed customer experience will immediately lead a customer to evaluate your competitors. The only way to combat this is through a combination of self-service and human interaction.
