High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service

“Today’s Changed Customer”

Six ongoing customer service trends are likely to affect your business:

1. Buyers want instant responses – Today’s buyers would rather have their questions answered immediately on their smartphones than in conversation, because they can get help more quickly with less aggravation.
2. Consumers no longer like to parade their wealth – However, they will happily buy an expensive item if it benefits a worthwhile cause. People will readily purchase pricey cups of coffee if a portion of the cost goes to “help the rainforest.”
3. Buyers prefer products with real history – Backstories provide sought-after “authenticity,” as with Twinings Tea, whose label proudly reads, “Your 15-minute break, 300 years in the making.”
4. Buyers want a fast, meaningful response to their complaints – When issues arise, buyers want to reach you easily and receive a genuine reply. Today’s dissatisfied clients can bad-mouth your company to thousands of other people online.
5. Go green – “Environmentally concerned” buyers care about your carbon footprint...