Trying to reach live customer support

Automated menus should not make clients want to scream.

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Have you ever called the number of customer support and “caught” in their automated menu system, so you screamed “Agent” or “representative” in the phone before, outside the frustration, you simply decreased?

We surveyed more than 1,000 American consumers and asked that question. Seventy-six percent of them answered, “yes.”

As companies, we invest a significant amount of money in marketing to attract customers to become interested and purchased the products we sell. However, when we try to keep, some of our efforts, which we thought are acceptable, they can make it difficult for them to get help, whether they answered their questions and that complaints were resolved. There is no reason to be so hard. In fact, it is easier to connect and solve questions, the higher the customer confidence in the company, often surpassing the level, would be if the problem has never happened. This is known as Return to Customer Service Recover.

There is a successful metric metric with my clients Time for happiness. The best way to describe it is how long it takes a dissatisfied customer to become happy again. Many companies do not realize that customers often do not call the moment they have a problem. Their problem can start long before they pick up the phone to call and get help.

And when the customer finally decides to reach for help, what is the experience like connecting to live support agent? Is it easy? Or make complicated IVRS (interactive voice response) and automated systems make it difficult to achieve a person who can help? Or worse, does the system fail, making it seems impossible to help?

Note the customer is already frustrated or angry. Any less than easy access to someone who can help add fire to fire.

The stakes are higher than you think

I recently interviewed Mark Rohan, co-founder and COO Kleardovon Amazing business radio. Although we cannot control the time that it takes to lead to the point where the customer reaches our company or brand, we need to create good experience than that point forward. Rohan said, “The buyer’s experience doesn’t start once customers talk to the agent. Starts the moment the customer is engaged in business.” This first interaction, whether it is navigated to an automated phone menu or trying to find the right department, sets the tone for everything that follows.

The numbers make up. Rohan said about 73% of people would avoid the job if they had a bad encounter while trying to get to the right person to help them.

Don’t let Self-Service Support Become Your Customer Prevention Department

It is irony that CKS technologies designed to improve customer experience, such as IVR systems, chatbots and automated routing, can make more damage than good when they are poorly designed and implemented, creating frustration.

Rohan emphasizes that balance is needed. “No matter how good and digital options becomes, there will always be moments when people want to talk to another person.” The challenge does not choose between technology and human support. Creates seamless transitions between them.

When the customer is frustrated, the hearing “Press 1 to charge, press two for technical support …” It is not only annoying for the third time. Potentially haunted for your customers.

Final words

The solution is not to eliminate automation systems or any other type of self-service solution. It is an imaginary design and apply them. The best companies create clear, intuitive road support routes when customers need. They recognize that although AI and digital options can submit the fastest response to routine issues, urgent or sensitive issues require human touch. In addition, some customers are not interested in supermarket at all. They always want to talk to man.

Rohan said, “Everyone remembers poor experiences, but very few people remember the good.” This is because people expect good experiences. So make it easy to experience. The quality of your support is not just measured just how well you solve problems. It is measured how easy you are to reach customers when they have a problem settled.