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People rather than Technology Provide Real Value in Customer Care
by Elaine Berke, EBI Consulting,
Inc.
In the search to satisfy
and retain customers, it is people rather than
technology that provide real customer care and
faster response. “People
are still your greatest resource for customer service, “according
to Elaine Berke, president of EBI Consulting, a
management consulting firm dedicated to customer
experience, leadership, and business growth.
Call
centers, help desks, and customer service departments
have a false sense of security when it comes
to customer satisfaction. The customer calls with
a problem to solve, and an urgent need for service.
The customer seeks accurate, courteous, and speedy
results, an interaction rather than a transaction.
The transaction may be acceptable to the company
but it may leave the customer feeling like a
number. Without personalization, or recognition
of caring and understanding, customer satisfaction
and true differentiation are not likely.
Automation
may make the situation worse; for example, when
automation systematically disconnects a number
of customers at peak times, or when customers
are looped through endless menus only to be asked
for the same information again with a live representative.
Who hasn’t been stuck on hold for some
annoying length of time while having to listen
to repeated recordings of the company’s
heartfelt customer commitment!
On the front line,
service has little to do with relationship
management or brand loyalty. Service is process,
volume driven, scripted, and set in a tightly controlled,
highly measured four minutes, with little or
no leadership of quality. Some attempts at
motivation are downright insulting. For example,
one call center manager distributed small mirrors
so employees could see themselves smiling on the
phones. Employees used them to put on makeup
instead.
If customer care is the
objective, it requires an investment in people.
It is people who turn a transaction into an interaction
giving customers the complete value and service
they deserve. It is people who build brand
loyalty. It is people who ultimately make
the technology work for each customer. “Until
companies see the value of investing in people,
their investment in technology will produce
limited returns,” Berke states. “Service
is the only differentiating factor.”
EBI Consulting, Inc.
Westport, MA 02790
T: 508-636-5656
F: 506-636-4171
info@ebiconsult.com
www.ebiconsult.com
© EBI Consulting, Inc.
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