Customer Centricity: does technology have a role?

I have been hearing and reading a lot recently about what it takes to be customer centric, the need for personal interactions and whether technology can fit in.  Do automation and digital solutions have a role to play? I believe they do, but getting the focus and balance right is critical.

Having read a lot of customer verbatim, the personal element of customer service always comes out strongly, and indeed is a strong driver of satisfaction and advocacy scores.  If you ask customers directly, they will tell you they want to talk to someone, have someone who understands their needs and can help them.

However, this does not mean that there is not a role for automation and digital solutions. Customers can’t always articulate what they want, as they often simply don’t know. Customers will talk about a desire for personal service because this is what they have experienced and know, it is the only way they can see to have their needs met. Being customer centric doesn’t mean taking what customers say at face value and acting on it, we need to read between the lines.

Ultimately being customer centric is about developing relationships and taking actions to improve the experiences customers have. In terms of developing relationships, one cannot take away the personal. However, one can use technology to help improve customer experiences.

Automation can allow us to be proactive and approach customers to meet their needs before they come to us, often working to enhance the personal service provided. Digital solutions can allow us to offer our customers alternative options that may be faster and easier than available through personal channels.  Customers may not find these concepts appealing when tested, but if developed with the customer in mind (or even co-created with the customer), then once tried and tested, the result will be an improved experience.

Whether we like it or not, technology is here to stay, and with a desire to reduce costs the personal aspect of service is under pressure.  The challenge is getting the balance right, and making technology fit with a customer centric approach. There is a place for automation and digital solutions in customer centricity, but only if they enhance the customer’s experience.