3 Reasons To Integrate Traditional Cusomer Service And Self-Service

An article by Steve Kraus discusses how self-service and traditional service channels are essential to satisfying millennial customers. Millennial customers are tech savvy with the internet at their fingertips, and they have a reputation for wanting to use self-service. As a result of customers in the Millennial Generation and Generation Y desiring self-service, many call centers have shifted towards utilizing omni-channel approaches with emphasis on channels such as social media, live chat support, online communities, and more. However, Kraus points out that millennial customers are not in the box of wanting only self-service; they also want human interaction in the form of traditional customer service methods. The article provides three reasons to integrate self-service and traditional service to provide the ultimate customer experience.

1) Online communities such as forums, FAQ pages, and social media groups have become popular tools for companies to engage their customers and allow them to get answers to their inquiries without needing to call a contact center. But no matter how tech savvy people are, there are issues that require human interaction to vent and receive empathy. Kraus says that millennial customers are no different than customers from previous generations and often prefer calling customer service for complex issues while utilizing self-service for mundane issues. To follow suit, online communities, live chat support, and email support are all important and necessary to meet millennial customer expectations, but they should not be used as replacements for call center agents who can be there for them to provide friendly assistance with the big problems.

2) Millennials want to make a personal connection with companies before they’ll be willing to show loyalty to them, which means that traditional call center services are still relevant to them. However, one of the defining traits of people in the millennial generation is that they are put off by “fake” people and companies and are more interested in people and companies that are genuine. Millennials want to save money as much, if not more, than previous generations, but they’re also interested in supporting companies who provide an open and honest relationship with their customers. With this in mind, Kraus recommends companies loosen up on their usage of scripts and automated messages and focus more on letting their call center agents speak naturally with more freedom to engage the customers make a connection. This doesn’t mean completely eliminating scripts and procedures, as both are still important and often necessary, but call center agents should be allowed freedom within parameters to think creatively with their customer conversations.

3) Millennial customers will soon be the major generation contributing to economy and will have the biggest say in the value of products and services. Kraus says that millennials are willing to pay more for high quality service if it means eliminating stress and frustration in their customer experience. To accommodate this and earn their dollar, companies will have to deliver on their customer promises and utilize omni-channel strategies in order to make a smooth, all-encompassing, and personalized customer experience.

This blog post is based on an article from CustomerThink. To read the original article, please click the link below:

Three Reasons Millennials Embrace Service – Not Just Self-Service – Steve Kraus