At the beginning of Dante Alighieri's literary masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, the main character embarks on a journey and soon finds himself lost:
"Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost."
No one likes to be lost, especially customers.
Unfortunately, customer journeys with call centers often end with that 'lost' feeling – or worse.
Indeed, market research suggests poor customer service has major negative consequences for companies. According to a 2022 report by Zendesk, 80 percent of consumers will switch to a competitor after more than one bad experience.
With A Little Help From My Friends
We're a long way from Dante's 14th-century concerns. But one thing remains constant: help at the right moment makes all the difference.
In Dante's story, a stranger comes to the aid of the main character just in the nick of time. And with customer conversations, the right agent at the right time with the right information could save the customer relationship. Without it, the customer might walk. She has options. Like going viral with a complaint.
"Everyone's been on a call when it takes more than 10 minutes for an agent to gather customer account information," said Tom Martin, CEO of Glance. "That's a big problem that drives customers away. Customer service agents need to be enabled to meet customers where they are, digitally," he explained.
The Human Touch Is Unrivalled
Chat bots and AI-supported tools alleviate agent workloads and improve CX. But a live human agent can significantly improve the customer experience in ways chatbots can't.
Let’s face it. Customers want and demand a convenient personal experience, especially when a big decision is on the line with major purchases that involve healthcare or wealth management.