You can’t build relations if you focus on deflection

In times when digital automation is raised to the sky as the future of great customer support, old truths about customer care are sadly forgotten. Many companies are so impressed by technology and automation that they forget the importance of the human touch online.

The trust in and expectations of new automation technology are clouding business judgement: many companies only see potential cost savings. However, when you automate too much and in the wrong situation, it can have a very negative effect the relationship with your customer, damaging your brand and harming your profit.

Often, business is focusing on deflection, i.e. getting rid of customer contacts without stopping and thinking about:

What was the customer journey that has led to this request?
Maybe the interaction is so important and should be handled by a live agent?
How do we build a relationship with our customers if we only have self-service and bots?
Which processes on our website are suited for automation and which ones are not?

If you take these questions in to consideration you will secure a great customer experience and loyal customers and at the same time implement efficient automation without damaging your brand and customer trust.

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We have a basic need to interact with other people

Our need to interact with other people is as basic and fundamental as our need for food and roof over our heads. But how do you build a relationship with someone if you never interact and meet? It is in the meeting that we build relationships, with people and with brands.

When it comes to introducing AI, bots and other automation technologies, “quantity” has been the keyword for many businesses. “quality” and “relations” have been secondary, resulting in a bad customer experience and lack of trust in the brand.

Get the right tools for a successful digital meeting

Good digital engagement technology must support both automated interactions and live meetings. It also needs to have the capability to decide what channel is best suited for each contact request. This is the core of the Vergic Engagement Platform.

A helping hand at a crucial part of the “buyer’s journey” can be the rise of your conversion rate, customer experience and brand loyalty.

Summary

Understand the customer journey and analyze where and when you can benefit from a live interaction with your customer
Offer human interactions to “high-value customers” when they are in need
Your main target should not be about getting rid of contact requests
Technology like AI/bots will save time and resources, the time and resources you free up should be invested in live interactions for high-value customers
Don’t forget our need to interact with other humans! It is fundamentally the best way for your customer to have a relationship with your brand