The Human Touch: Why Empathy and Adaptability are Keys in Addressing Customer Issues

In today's fast-paced world, more companies have been turning to technology and automation in hopes of improving customer satisfaction and overall business efficiency, all while cutting costs and covering staffing shortages.  

However, according to a National Customer Rage Survey conducted by Customer Care Measurement & Consulting, the strategy of utilizing technology and AI is prone to exacerbate customer dissatisfaction. According to the respondents, their primary grievances with customer care were "having to endure lengthy messages before being able to speak with a representative" and "determining the means or location to reach the company." 

This is further echoed by results from a study conducted by consulting firm Forrester last year detailing that consumer-facing brands and government agencies saw a decrease in the quality of customer experience they provided in the period leading up to April 2022. Clearly, this has been an ongoing customer issue for the past couple of years. 

Out of the 1000 customers surveyed, 74% said they had experienced a product or a service problem within the last year, which represents an increase from the 66% reported in the previous study conducted in 2020 and the 56% reported in 2017.

Customers who are unhappy with a product or a service are expressing their frustrations online in an effort to increase the likelihood that the company will take their complaints seriously, especially now that a lot of companies are heavily relying on AI bots to address customer problems. By airing their grievances publicly, customers believe that they have more power and influence over the outcome. 

Customer Care Measurement & Consulting president and chief executive officer Scott Broetzmann said that "Customer service technology such as artificial intelligence is less likely to be able to deliver that craving for empathy than human agents."

Amidst the rise of AI and machine learning, pagealive strives to take a more human approach to address customer issues in hopes of increasing customer satisfaction and improving the overall business. With pagealive, you no longer have to worry about AI bots further angering your customers because they will provide you with live human agents through modern streaming technology. 

In what ways do human agents outperform AI bots?

• Empathy and Emotional Connection: Humans are better at building an emotional connection with customers and showing empathy towards their concerns. Customers often feel more comfortable discussing sensitive issues or complex problems with a human representative, which can lead to higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty.
• Adaptability: Humans can adapt to a wide range of customer needs and preferences, even in cases where there may not be a clear solution. They can think creatively and provide personalized solutions, which can lead to a more positive customer experience.
• Complex Interactions: In cases where customers have complicated questions or issues, human representatives can provide more detailed and nuanced responses than AI-powered bots.
• Language and Cultural Nuances: Human representatives can better understand and navigate language and cultural nuances, which can be particularly important for international or multi-lingual customer service.
• Brand Voice: Human representatives can better convey a company's brand voice and personality, which can be important for building customer loyalty and trust.

Overall, while AI-powered customer service bots can be useful in certain situations, human representatives are still a critical component of effective customer service, particularly in cases where empathy, adaptability, and nuanced communication are required. After all, Mr. Broetzmann did say, "A robot cannot be kind and compassionate." And that makes all the difference.