In a recent discussion about improving customer service outcomes, the challenges faced by customer service teams were highlighted, including rising demand, high customer expectations, and budgetary pressures. Many brands assume that they have to be present on every communication channel to better serve their customers, leading to teams being stretched thin trying to provide great service on an increasing number of channels without a proportional increase in resources.
This results in customer service teams being expected to deliver great service outcomes with a decreasing average level of investment per channel. Customers are increasingly unhappy with the service they are receiving as a result of brands spreading themselves thin across multiple channels without a corresponding increase in resources. The assumption that brands need to be present on all channels where their customers are may not be valid, especially when considering customer behavior and preferences for better service.
It is suggested that brands could actually improve their service outcomes by focusing their resources on delivering better service in fewer channels rather than spreading themselves too thin across numerous channels and being barely average on all of them. This would require brands to make tough decisions and communicate the change effectively to customers. By providing exceptional service on fewer channels, brands may be able to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
The comparison is drawn with physical experiences, where people are willing to travel further for a better experience, such as going to a great restaurant two blocks away instead of a mediocre one just one block away. This logic is not often applied to the digital domain, where brands assume that customers are not willing to “travel” digitally in search of better service. However, it may be worth challenging this assumption and focusing on delivering superior service in fewer channels to enhance the overall customer experience.
The importance of assessing and challenging assumptions is highlighted, with a quote from Alan Alda emphasizing that assumptions are like windows onto the world and should be examined and scrubbed off occasionally to let the light in. By reconsidering the assumption that brands need to be present on every communication channel, companies may be able to improve their customer service outcomes by focusing resources on delivering exceptional service in a few key channels rather than spreading themselves thin across numerous channels and compromising service quality. Making tough decisions and communicating effectively with customers may lead to a more streamlined and effective customer service strategy.
