The Results are in – Humans Win!
Some days it feels like our world is being taken over by robots. Mid-range vehicles available to the masses can adjust the speed of your vehicle depending on traffic conditions. Refrigerators equipped with cameras and video screens alert owners when they’re low on milk. Televisions will change the channel or play a movie with a voice command. And mobile devices (as well as countless password protected websites!) can be unlocked with one quick glance at the screen.
Technology helps to improve our lives and makes things more convenient. However, it can also leave us feeling frustrated and incompetent. When something does go wrong, as things inevitably do, it’s nice to know we can pick up the phone and find someone who can offer help. Or can we?
At some point you’ve probably made a phone call to a customer care center — seeking information or answers. Often those calls are “answered” by an automated attendant. The call usually begins by alerting the caller that, “our menu options have recently changed, please listen to all options before making your selection.” In the old days we could select zero and a human being would pick up the call. These days pressing zero terminates the entire call and you’re stuck dialing the number again and starting over. Automated phone attendants are so prevalent that it might even come as a shock to the caller when an actual human being answers the phone.
What kind of impression is your company leaving with customers? Examining the impact of automated attendants versus call center attendants and the impact they make on your consumers is worth considering. While it may seem cost effective to deploy an automated system across your organization, thus eliminating the need for one or more employees, it may not be the right long-term decision.
In a survey conducted by Usabilla, an organization that assists its clients in collecting customer feedback, 55 percent of respondents say they prefer talking to a human on the phone. The same study indicated that 73 percent of people selected zero when faced with the dreaded phone tree — hoping to speak with a person. In addition, the exponential increase in consumers’ ability to make their dissatisfaction with a phone interaction known via social media is driving companies to re-think their emphasis on call center consumer satisfaction.
At EPI we put customer service at the forefront of everything we do. As a marketing services company our range of in-house capabilities includes premium US-based call center services with highly trained and knowledgeable staff. Our staff becomes and extension of your organization, deeply familiar with your products, culture and organization, and capable of managing the most critical consumer interactions. We look forward to working with you on any of your marketing service needs.
Contact us today at: 800.562.9733.
