Technology has changed our lives in more ways than we could ever have imagined. It has helped us be more efficient, helped us stay in touch easier than ever and had numerous other considerable effects in a variety of industries. You would be hard-pressed to find an industry that hasn’t changed or matured at all due to technology.
Most of these changes have been helpful and been very well received by the public, but that isn’t always the case. One area that technology has led to mixed feelings among the public is customer service. There is no doubting that thousands of different companies have integrated a variety of different technological solutions into customer service, and that hasn’t always been a popular choice. Not only that, but despite all the advances in technology, customer service really hasn’t improved for the most part.
Customer service reports have indicated that most people report that a bad customer service experience would cause them to likely not do business with a certain company again, so no matter what sort of company a person runs, customer service should be among their biggest concerns. These reports also show a fair amount of people prefer phone communication over other options, and that many feel that customer service has declined over the last few years.
Clearly, while some people are okay with this increase in automation and self-service in the industry, there are others who are not. It is a hotly debated topic that will surely rage on in the future, as there are some who love dealing with people when they have concerns, while others would prefer dealing with a machine.
Technology can definitely make customer service more efficient and easy, but they also lead to a significant loss of the “human touch” that many people enjoyed about the customer service experience. The change to a more automated approach to customer service is largely done for economic reasons, rather than giving better service. Many customers don’t like to know that a company puts their profits and monetary gains over the experience of their users or customers. Of course there are other reasons technology is used (such as the reduction of human error), but saving money is definitely a large one.
Despite the massive increase in use and popularity of technology in customer service, there are still some companies who pride themselves on the personal and human touch. Companies who still focus on the personal touch often have a lot of trust amongst their customers, which is great for retaining customers as well as getting more in the future.
One example of a company that is still focused on a personal and human touch is ExecutiveAutoShippers.com. They are an auto shipping company that prides themselves on their dedication to their customers. They have won several awards for their customer service prowess and their website is full of 5-star customer reviews of the company and service.
They are just one example of the many companies out there that still have an “old school” approach to customer service and don’t want to take the personal touch away by overly automating their customer service.
In conclusion, while technology has definitely taken some of the “human touch” out of the customer service in many businesses, there are still those companies out there that find the human and personal touch very important. There is no right or wrong answer in the battle of technology vs. customer service. Each side has their supporters, and that is likely going to continue for the foreseeable future.
