Why Technology Won’t Fix Customer Care
“Technology will solve all our problems!”
Have you ever caught your customer care team saying that?
From telephone switchboards to chatbots and automation, technology has been weaving its way into customer care for decades. These technologies are changing at a rapid rate, serving as tools to make customer care programs easier, more efficient and more human.
It’s obvious – technology is awesome and vital to the contact center. But leaders need to be careful that they aren’t overlooking two important things: people and process. People and process should be as much of a priority as technology when developing customer-centric strategies.
What We Love Most About Our Home Is…
Your business wouldn’t exist without your people, and your customer care wouldn’t have a “human element” without (you guessed it) humans. That’s why choosing the right people is important.
Hiring brand advocates with the right skill set and cultural fit sets any program up for success. In doing this, companies have been able to achieve more than 99% retention during their program launches. How do they do it? Targeted recruiting and interactive interviews.
Developing specialized recruiting profiles ensure you’re attracting the right team members. Culture Simulation Interviews (CSIs) allow your recruiting team to observe potential candidates in a simulated environment. Focusing on a tight culture fit ensures recruits are passionate and aligned with your mission and values, which will almost always result in lower attrition.
Trust The Process
Most people hate the word “process”. But without it, there would only be chaos. The key is to design processes within your teams that are flexible enough to shift and scale as priorities change.
Let’s use another training example. One part of the training process that should never change is transparent communication with your partners. Be sure to have regular recruiting checkpoints set up, with daily progress updates and contingency plans. This ensures internal and external teams are aligned on key priorities and milestones throughout the implementation.
So, where does flexibility come in for this example? Collaboration with your partners when developing the training curriculum. Keep communication open throughout the process, allowing their feedback and suggestions. The training materials should continue to change and evolve as needed, ensuring they really speak to the brand, culture and products of your partner.
Full Circle
So, you’ve hired the right teams and trainers, and have effective and flexible processes in place. Now it’s time to talk about technology. Make sure you’re asking yourself the important questions: What’s the budget? What are we trying to achieve? What tools fit our brand?
There are so many different technology options for us to choose from. Depending on your program needs, it’s a lot easier to be versatile with the way training materials are delivered. For example, video conferencing tools (such as Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting and Skype) can reduce travel time for trainers, while also acting as the perfect channels to do up-training or introduce a new product launch.
No End In Sight
When it comes to new technology and the digital transformation era we’re in, there’s no end in sight. That’s why treating people, process and technology equally will ensure all three are working cohesively for the greater good of your company’s goals.