AUTOMATION EXPLOSION
In 1947, Frank Urich opened the very first self-service filling station in Los Angeles, California.
This rocked both the commercial and private sector in many ways. Formerly, the only way to get gas in your tank was to have an official filling station attendant pump your gas for you. Enabling customers to pump their own gas saved filling station owners boatloads of money, and helped customers to feel like they were in control of the process. However, the idea was initially slow to catch on, as the newly realized conflict between automation and the personal touch of human service began to sweep across post-WWII society.
Today, this struggle has only intensified as the novelty of automatic pumps have been upstaged by automated service features such as self-checkouts, online banking, customer service portals and the oh-so-popular (sarcasm intended) automated customer service phone menus.
As the tools of customer service continue to evolve, the philosophy behind customer service has not. Over the years, marketing professionals, social psychologists and researchers have come to this agreement:
Empathy is the #1 factor that enables excellent customer service and allows businesses to bridge the gap between themselves and their customers.
BUT WHAT IS EMPATHY, EXACTLY?
The word “empathy” is derived from the combination of two Greek words: “em” (meaning “in”) and “pathos” (meaning “feeling”). A literal translation of this word would describe the act of “in-feeling”, or going within another’s emotional state and participating in those emotions and feelings with them.
This definition is important to understand in relation to customer service, as “getting inside a customer’s brain” (or better yet, their emotions) is the key to expertly providing for their needs.
In the great American classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the character Atticus Finch famously remarks:
“You can never understand someone unless you understand their point of view, climb in that person’s skin, or stand and walk in that person’s shoes.”
But empathy goes beyond simply a mindset towards another person. In fact, Dr. Helen Riess, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, gave a fascinating TEDx Talk that explained her fascinating research. She found that when an individual is empathetic with another, their heart rates and other physiological trackers begin to match up. Dr. Riess demonstrated that empathy transcends simply trying to “understand” someone else, and can move individuals even at a neurological level.
SO, WHAT IMPACT DOES THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION HAVE ON THE FUTURE OF EMPATHY IN CUSTOMER SERVICE?
As businesses grapple with budget demands and implement automated strategies in order to reduce overhead, they also face the concern that robots or automated replies may frustrate or alienate customers.
Gartner, Inc. estimates that “By 2020, customers will manage 85% of their relationship with the enterprise without interacting with a human.” (read more)
This is a sobering reality, but doesn’t spell the end of excellent customer service as one might fear. Businesses are starting to realize that providing quality, empathetic customer service is not hampered by increases and changes in technology, but it is rather enabled by these advances.
Simply stated, empathy is the action and emotional relatability that connects you with your customers, and technology is the enabler, conduit and preserver of that connection.
Tools such as SaaS (Software as a Service) and cloud-based CRMs (Customer Relationship Management services) provide businesses and organizations with digital tools and mediums that integrate customer service, marketing, internal communication and relationship management operations.
These CRM platforms give businesses incredible opportunities to expand their customer relationships and outreach like never before, and streamline internal operations so that professionals can devote their time to quality relationships and business expansion. Some of the most popular CRM platforms include Salesforce, Hubspot and Insightly.
HERE ARE THREE UNIQUE WAYS USING A CRMS CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS, USING SALESFORCE AS AN ILLUSTRATION.
1- CRMS WILL ALLOW YOU TO INTEGRATE YOUR BUSINESS OPERATIONS INTO ONE, SEAMLESS PLATFORM.
Most major CRMs provide comprehensive services that include:
- Lead management
- Sales management
- Marketing automation
- Partner relationship management
- Analytics tracking
- Customer service
- Customer account management
- Social media management
Salesforce, one of the leading CRMs available, is cloud-based (as opposed to software based) and provides the services listed above.
Want to keep tabs on of all of your leads? Check. Need a back-end forum for communication between staff, including sales and customer service reps? Check. Want to manage your business’s social media profiles all in one place? Check!
2- BECOME AN EXPERT AT COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS THROUGH A CRM.
CRMs provide the opportunity for you to open and manage service requests (or tickets) for customers, and enable your customers to find the help they need from the people who can best assist them.
Desk.com, by Salesforce, compiles customer information and communication in one place, allowing service representatives to easily switch between requests and collaborate with other agents to provide a quick answer to each request.
Customers will enjoy the easy access to service representatives through this platform, which is branded into a business’s interface, assuring customers that they are hearing directly from a brand’s personal representatives.
3- CRMS LET YOU SCHEDULE POSTS, LISTEN TO AND ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE.
Showing empathy to your audience by actively listening is critical to the success of your brand!
Salesforce’s Social Studio makes it smooth and convenient to communicate with your social audience. It also enables you to listen to your audience by searching for what they are saying about your brand, analyzing audience demographics and allowing you to easily communicate back by answering questions or providing other feedback.
(Salesforce Social Studio)
You can schedule social posts through Social Studio, and manage social advertising campaigns. Additionally, you can look up any person’s social profiles by just searching by their email address!
CRMs are not undermining empathy in the business world. They are taking empathy to the “next level,” and enabling businesses to develop customer relationships like never before!
Get your business started with a CRM today, and you will immediately experience the benefits that the platform can offer.
