Did you know: After more than one bad experience, around 76% of consumers say they would rather do business with a competitor - (Zendesk)

Automation has been silently taking over the way we manage customer service for years, and whilst it has its benefits, sole reliance on automated services can also be detrimental to your business.

What is automated customer service? 

You might not realise it but automation is everywhere. Automated customer service is any form of service that allows your customers to solve their problems without interacting with a human. This removes obstacles like waiting in a phone queue for hours whilst slowly being driven senseless by repetitive hold music, and only having access hours of 9-5.

Examples of automated customer service include: 

• Online reviews 
• Interactive voice response (IVR)/ automated phone receptionist
• AI chat bots 
• FAQ pages on websites
• Automated email responses to queries

With automated customer service, your customers can reach you at all hours of the day and have a response almost instantly. However, whilst it is often hailed to be more efficient and reduce in-house costs, does using automated customer service come at a higher price?

The benefits of real person customer service

1. Loyalty and trust 

Customer loyalty is a hot commodity in the competitive online market and it’s no secret that companies who go above and beyond with their customer service are more likely to gain customer trust. 

Why? 

Because people want to feel listened to, and the problem with automated customer service features is that this outcome will never be achieved. If your customer is always faced with a chat bot, or a clearly mass produced email, they aren’t going to believe that you care. Or at least, they won’t believe you care enough to genuinely dedicate staff to creating the best experience possible with your end product/service. 

2. Amicable solutions to complex problems 

One of the biggest complaints with automated customer service is that the tools available are only equipped to handle basic, frequently encountered problems. This is helpful to the masses who experience your most common issues, but for those who have more difficult problems to resolve, the answers will fall short. 

Real person customer service gives your customers access to tailored solutions to their individual problems, with a human voice on the other end of the phone who can adapt and remain flexible if the initial solution isn’t what they were after. 

3. Retention is cheaper than customer acquisition

This one probably speaks for itself; once a customer has found your brand and invested in your product/service with a positive experience, it is far easier to keep them interested than it is to go and source new customers. 

However, the more important factor to consider is that research proves companies who invest a little bit of their budget into real person customer service have a lower overall acquisition cost. 

There are many reasons for this: 

• It’s more profitable to place company effort into customer retention 
• When you free up employee time to focus on doing the work they’re skilled at, you bring more money into the business 
• When customers have a positive experience, they’re more likely to recommend you to a friend 
• When customers have a positive experience, they’re more likely to leave a glowing review that acts as a trust signal to prospective customers

4. Customers are willing to pay for it 

To explain this one, let’s remove the experience of shopping online from the equation. 

Imagine you are out shopping for the day and looking for a new pair of walking boots for your next hike. You have 2 options available, both of which sell shoes of the exact same quality: 

Shoe Shop 1: Have a variety of walking boots at an average price of £50. 

Shoe Shop 2: Have a smaller variety of walking boots with a luxury label at an average price of £75. 

First, you go to Shoe Shop 1 because you notice that the shoes are also of excellent quality, only a little bit cheaper than the luxury brand. You walk in, pick up your pair of shoes and when you check out, you are faced with a self service machine that isn’t working after waiting in a long queue. When you ask for help, the staff are dismissive and send you to the second self service machine. This machine is too slow and you’re in a rush, so you leave the walking boots and exit the shop with a bitter taste in your mouth. 

Although the product was of excellent quality, the customer service was average and you’re left feeling dissatisfied. 

You then run into Shoe Shop 2.

You are greeted as soon as you walk into the shop. The assistant asks if you require any help, and lets you know they’re there if you do need anything. The walking boots are noticeably of a very high quality but slightly out of your set budget for the day - you decide to let this slide because Shoe Shop 1 let you down. You notice they don’t have your size out so the assistant retrieves a pair from the back and a size larger because this is more convenient when you wear thick hiking socks. You decide to opt for the larger pair. The assistant carries your shoes to the check out for you, and has already processed them whilst you were putting your own shoes back on. 

The entire transaction is done with a smile, you’re thanked for your time and you have a pleasant, human conversation as you’re paying. 

Which shop would you be most likely to return to in the event that you require hiking equipment in the future? For the sake of helpful, human customer service, it has been proven that most people would be willing to use Shoe Shop 2 and pay the extra £25. 

This is the same online. 

5. Customer recommendations 

A good customer service experience heavily impacts recommendations. 94% of consumers who give a company a “very good” CX rating are likely to recommend that company - (Qualtrics XM Institute)

6. It aids marketing strategies 

If you have an in-house customer service team who are regularly speaking to your customers about their issues with the company/service you provide, then they can pass vital intel onto your marketing team. 

For example, as the front line of your business, your customer service team may have much better insight into how your brand is perceived by customers. You may see your customers as athletic and health conscious, but you may find that they are actually purchasing your product because it’s comfortable or they require it for a charity event. 

This will make it far easier to align your brand image with your customers’ values. 

7. Improves brand image 

The most self-explanatory reason for investing in real person customer service is that it improves the way your customers see you. 

Need we say more?

The importance of real person customer service

Good customer service isn’t just a nicety, it is expected. Even as little as one bad experience with customer service can turn a customer to your competitors. 

No matter how seamless your production line is, or how spotless your product/service may be - you won’t be able to satisfy everyone. But how you manage and understand unhappy customers can make or break your business.

Does real person customer service still matter? 

In short, yes it does. 

The truth is that whilst automated customer service can be more efficient and get answers to your customers in less time, people still crave the human element. 

Customers want to feel like they’re speaking to another person who truly understands their needs and can manage their individual query with the thorough attention only a human can provide. 

Sometimes all that is needed for a person to feel valued is to hear the words ‘thank you,’ or ‘I’m sorry’ from the voice of someone who truly cares. 

At Infoserve, we pride ourselves on going beyond simply valuing you as a client; we want you to feel as though we are an extended part of your internal team and we can only do this by providing tailored, person-to-person support. 

Our help desk is on hand to support you 5 days a week with any requests you might have about the services we provide, or any issues that arise during your time as our esteemed client. We offer dedicated real life support so you aren’t faced with a chatbot at every turn. 

Contact Infoserve

Telephone: 0800 089 0879 | Email: customerservices@infoserve.com