There is a push to automate everything, but is this the best way forward? The financial case for automation in customer service to lower your costs is clear but this shouldn’t be the only consideration. You also need to assess the impact that a service or helpdesk automation will have on your business, your employees and your customers. If done without putting the customer first, your automation in customer service might be perceived as impersonal.

Ah, the good old days! As a leader that benefits from technology, you remember the days of: Oh, wait! Good old days? What am I thinking? Those days were terrible! Then COVID19 hit and, miraculously, our IT department was regarded as heroes as they moved us online within a couple of weeks. Further, their interest in helping us utilize technology to improve the way we worked was outstanding, keeping us competitive, compliant and sustainable. What changed?

People are happier if they are in control. That‘s why customers expect to be kept informed when something will be delivered or someone will turn up to install, service, or repair something. If something goes awry it is essential that you proactively let customers know before they encounter the problem.

The modern workplace is undergoing a cultural shift that puts people first. Businesses are moving away from more traditional corporate values that focus on service delivery and revenue towards a more positive workplace culture where the human factor is a priority. The data shows that putting people first can have a significant and positive effect on client and employee retention by improving morale and building real relationships.

Jenny wakes up every morning at 8 am. While sipping her coffee, she opens up your company’s app to check the weather that day. Later, between work calls, Jenny checks your website on her laptop to see if it’s going to be windy in the afternoon – maybe it’s a good day for a bike ride? In the evening, while scrolling through Instagram, she sees your ad to subscribe to a new weather newsletter catered to cyclists.

To nobody’s surprise, sturdy success starts with good foundations. While the building materials have changed drastically and improved remarkably over time, the foundation of any good business is ultimately the satisfaction of its customers. Arguably, it’s easy to overlook the importance of customer satisfaction when the issues aren’t obvious. Just like the wiring of a house, you expect it to be there and working perfectly.

Your customer’s perception of you and your brand can be shaped in a single customer service interaction. So it pays to be careful with what you say and how you say it. One way to set the course of conversations in your favor is by using the right customer service phrases. Customer service phrases serve as ready-reckoners that you can use in your day-to-day interactions with customers.

Working at a call center isn’t easy. In fact, over half of call center employees feel burned out on a daily basis.1 Call center agents who are very stressed out struggle to provide great customer service. And when they leave out of burnout, it gets expensive. The average cost to replace an employee is six to nine months of their salary.2 But call center stress isn’t inevitable.

The past decade has seen a seismic shift in how employees view work. They expect it to fit in with their lifestyles, ambitions, values, skills, and individual personalities. The reality is that a positive workplace culture leads to high performance both individually and organisation wide. Businesses have evolved to create a culture change in the workplace by putting people first.

The pandemic era showed us that consumers were going online in their search for better and safer ways to transact with businesses. This shift in behaviour means that customer service has become more important now than ever, and organisations must change the way they view the function going forward. Customer service needs to be a crucial part of every company’s growth strategy.