Is Old-Fashioned Human Customer Service Becoming a Competitive Advantage?

This article answers the question: Do customers want AI or human customer service?

Answer: As AI and automation make human support harder to reach, companies that give customers easy access to knowledgeable, friendly people can turn human customer service into a competitive advantage.

How many times have I heard from our subscribers complaining that the companies they call make it impossible to reach a human? Of course, I don’t expect you to know the answer, but it is … a lot!

Seriously, I get lots of emails and comments from people unhappy with the service they experience. Yes, there are plenty of “customer service horror stories,” but one complaint keeps coming up: “Why is it so difficult to talk to a real person?” As AI customer service and other self-service technologies become more common, customers aren’t necessarily against technology. They just don’t want technology to get in the way when they want to speak to a human. 

I’ve always emailed back an empathetic response, but just the other day, I felt it was time to address the situation head-on. What put it at the top of my to-do list was reading an excellent article by Andre Prins in his LinkedIn newsletter titled Why the Premium Experience of the Future Is a Person Who Answers. His premise got my attention. Prins suggests that as human support becomes less common, access to a person becomes part of a premium experience. As companies automate more of the customer experience, could easy access to human customer service become a competitive differentiator? 

My latest customer service and CX research may have the answer. We found that 84% of U.S. customers believe that using AI for customer service should always include an easy way to reach a human. And 71% of customers believe using AI makes it harder to reach a person. 

But don’t misunderstand what customers are saying. They aren’t rejecting technology. They like self-service, but they just don’t want to be trapped in it.  

And this is where the idea of a premium experience gets interesting. Prins’ point is that customers shouldn’t have to pay an extra fee just to talk to a human. But that doesn’t mean customers won’t pay more for a product or service from a company that makes human support part of the experience.

Imagine two companies sell similar products. One is a little less expensive, but when there’s a problem, you’re forced to spend (a.k.a. waste) time going through a set of automated options. The other costs a little bit more, but you know that when you need help, a knowledgeable and friendly customer support person will be there. For many customers, that difference is worth paying for. 

AI and automation should make the customer experience easier. Use them where they make sense. Just remember that sometimes the most valuable technology strategy may be knowing when to get technology out of the way and let a human take over.