Preventing Lost Sales When Self-Service Reaches Its Limits
As we move through 2016 and the rest of this decade, customer service will continue to evolve between self-service based on digital technology and the efficacy of the human touch.
In a world where direct human contact seems to be losing ground to email and texting (which can also be handled by a call center), the sound of a real human voice such as that provided by a call center can be a significant business asset when a credit union member needs help or wants to conduct a more complex transaction.
The value of human interaction in a business environment was spelled out recently by British marketing consultant Mark Master in an article on Business2Community. “When a company makes a human connection, as opposed to a digital connection, we create a completely different platform to build a relationship,” he said. “People want humanity and openness, not a special offer that runs out at the end of the month.”
A call center can be a powerful advantage in today’s digital, arm’s length world. In fact, with the rapid advance of financial technologies, 24/7 call centers have become more important than ever. Buyers are making their purchases after-hours more than ever.
The self-service culture has conditioned consumers to expect to be able to conduct their business at any hour. This is only magnified by mobile phones and the Internet, which have led consumers to expect to be connected to anyone, anywhere, anytime, including their credit unions.
People love self-service, but there’s clearly a limit, which is often reached when members need support with the emerging payments technology they have in hand, detailed questions about account status and applying for an auto or personal loan. When self-service reaches its limit, members will want to reach out to a live person for assistance. This doesn't always mean phone. Most consumers first select live web chat, email, and then, if necessary, speaking with a live person.
In many cases, timeliness trumps loyalty, so, ‘if you snooze, you lose:’ The possibility of losing a sales because you're closed is very real. Third-party call centers make it easier and more cost effective for organizations to offer round-the-clock services, helping to ensure that revenue opportunities are not missed.
Call centers play an integral role in customer loyalty, a role that is perhaps ironically only growing with the rise of self-service. Just as importantly, a third-party call center can be contracted to scale up and scale back with the changing needs of your organization. Institutions need to be right-sized all the time today, and outsourcing call center needs really is resource scalability at its best.
Article by Bill Prichard, CO-OP Financial Services as posted on CU Insight.