What Version of Customer Service Do You Offer?
Software has versions. The Web has versions. And now customer service has versions too. During his keynote speech at Genesys Telecom Labs’ G-Force customer conference, CTO Brian Galvin explained to a rapt crowd that Customer Service 3.0 is where we all need to be.
According to Galvin, Customer Service 1.0 is personal but not scalable; let’s call it the mom-and-pop shop model. Although plenty of small companies still run on version 1.0, it’s not too prevalent in big business – except perhaps in some B2B organizations. Version 2.0 is scalable but not personal. This version is still found today in most contact centers. No need to explain, we’ve all had “that” customer experience.
Customer Service 3.0 is what’s next – and for some companies (and their lucky customers), what’s now. Version 3.0 is both personal and scalable, Galvin explained. It deftly blends channels and transcends organizational boundaries so the entire enterprise, as well as any service outsourcers, are all working in tandem to create a relevant, compelling customer experience. “A lot of what we do in the call center today is about avoiding customers,” Galvin told the audience. “To deliver a great customer experience profitably, we have to put the personal touch back in service.” Indeed.
Despite a visceral dislike of "3.0" anything, this is a good analogy. The challenge of personalized yet scalable customer service is a big one and automation is key. Unless companies can improve their automation, and make it more personal, they are never going to scale.
Seth Godin also had an interesting post on "starting over" in customer service that prompted this post on using decision management to address these issues.
I do worry that the pressure to "get human" will cause companies to miss the opportunities for scaling that come with thoughtful automation.
JT