Transforming your business into a cutting-edge, digital powerhouse involves embracing automation. However, in our quest for efficiency, are we neglecting the personal, human touch that certain areas may benefit from?
Creating a personalized customer experience is crucial, and automation can contribute significantly by tailoring experiences based on data. Yet, not everyone is enamored with automation. According to a recent survey, 36% of customers prefer waiting on hold to speak with a human agent rather than dealing with an AI-powered virtual assistant for self-service.
So, how can we strike the right balance between automation and maintaining a genuine human connection?
A stellar customer experience (CX) often involves direct, personal interactions with customers. The question then becomes: which tasks should be automated, and which should be left in the capable hands of your human team?
Here are some tips for finding the right balance between automation and the human touch:
Automate Basic Admin Tasks: Streamline tedious admin tasks using software tools and customized AI assistants. This can include onboarding new customers, addressing basic FAQs, or sending reminders and notifications.
Automate Key Finance Tasks: Leverage automation and artificial intelligence tools in cloud accounting platforms to handle invoicing, customer payment collection, and transaction matching for bank reconciliation. This enhances bookkeeping, improves cash flow, and provides real-time financial data.
Don't Fully Automate the Customer Journey: While customers appreciate efficiency, they don't want an entirely impersonal, automated experience throughout their journey. A significant 77% of customers express loyalty to businesses offering outstanding service, often involving human interaction.
Humanize Your Brand: Make your people an integral part of your brand identity and CX. Maximize human interactions with customers and tailor these interactions in a personalized manner.
Prioritize a Human Face over Efficiency: People prefer buying from other people. While a streamlined, automated buying experience is convenient, eliminating human interactions entirely turns your business into a software process, lacking the warmth of a real, living, breathing entity.
Remember, automation and AI are crucial for efficiency in the digital era, but don't underestimate the significance of people, human interactions, and genuine customer relationships in the growth of your business.
Let's discuss how to maintain the human touch in your customer experience.