Tech-Powered Customer Service Insights from Assurant

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Top Takeaways:

• Customers want digital self-service options for transactional or routine issues and services. But for more challenging concerns, most customers still prefer to contact somebody through the phone.
• Some companies force customers to use digital options by creating a difficult and unpleasant experience on the phone, such as extremely long hold times. Instead of creating friction and forcing customers, teach them how to use the digital experience and prove it is a quicker, faster, and more efficient option.
• Create a good digital experience that customers love using. Make sure it is intuitive, easy to understand, and able to deliver solutions faster and easier than making a call, waiting on hold, going through the “authentication” process, and more.
• Most customers start with a digital experience. When they decide to call customer support, they often go to the website to get the company’s phone number. That is a digital experience. That is also an opportunity to suggest an easy self-service option. If you lead the customer down the path of self-service and there are problems, make it easy for them to find a number and transition from the digital channel to the human channel.
• Get to know your company’s customer experience through a journey mapping exercise. Fix friction points, understand what your customers want, and do it repeatedly.
• Plus, Keith shares the challenges companies are facing that prevent them from delivering an amazing experience. Tune in!

Quotes:

“Digital experiences will not replace all customer service channels, but it will become a bigger percentage of how consumers get service.”

“A great customer experience, no matter what channel a customer chooses to use, is an opportunity to create brand loyalty.”

“Being passionate about customer experience is the ticket to business growth.”

“Listening to customers informs us what innovations we should develop to keep up with their needs and expectations.”

About:

Keith Meier is the Chief Operating Officer at Assurant Inc. As COO, he leads Assurant’s global operations focusing on digital technology and operations that deliver exceptional customer experience.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:

1. What are the benefits of self-service or digital customer service?
2. What is the role of digital customer service?
3. Will artificial intelligence replace humans in customer service interactions?
4. Is technology replacing the human touch?
5. What is the importance of human interaction in customer service?