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Automating Your Customer Service? Time To Reconsider While we often count progress in terms of sales made, or customers handled, within a given time frame, it's important not to let our methods backfire. Particularly when dealing with mature consumers, who have been shown to prioritize a perceived personal empathy in customer service, businesses must pay attention to getting the balance right. To take one example, think about the way a hotel carries out its wake-up calls. We might recall that, not so long ago, arranging a wake up call was a matter of calling the front desk, talking to a real person and arranging for another real person to ring the phone at such-and-such a time. Nowadays, this process is usually automated. A recorded voice talks us through the numbers to press, in order for an automated message to greet us next morning. What reaction will hotel guests have to this system? It may depend on their age, and the ease with which they can do what they must to get the required wake-up call. Indeed, automation has taken over the phone services of all large businesses and many small ones. Some mature consumers can hardly see the numbers they're pressing, and will become understandably frustrated if they can't get through to the department they need. Others simply find automated systems off-putting, feeling that automation distances the company from its individual consumers. In fact, people of all age groups have expressed sentiments to this effect, but the irritation tends to be more prevalent among older consumers. They have been used to more human interaction. Does this mean you should do away with automation? No, but it's a good idea to ensure your company's pre-recorded message makes it very clear that callers can talk to a live operator by pressing a certain number at any time. Needless to say, customer service representatives should be highly trained in the importance of a friendly, personable manner. If you use a call center to take orders or provide service, do not set up a reward system for your employees based on speed or number of clients served per hour or day. As people age, their social circles contract because of the deaths or disabilities of friends and peers and the busy lives of younger family members. They often appreciate time taken by service people to chat or give a little extra attention. Train your employees to be friendly and receptive while moving the transaction along gently. Consider the way your business deals with its customers. Do you value efficiency over good customer service? Have you had an older person actually use your systems and evaluate them? Inspire customer loyalty among your older clients by putting their needs first. Back To Mature Market News → Go To The GenerationTarget.com Mature Market Bookstore → |
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