Equipped with their Smart phones and a plethora of social media tools including Twitter and Facebook, customers now have at their disposal the technology to enable a very public forum of their satisfaction with SMEs. As a result of being more connected, technology has also transformed customer behaviour; elevating the level of expectation when it comes to customer service. However, maintaining a healthy open dialogue with your customer base involves more than just delegating customer service to a functional business unity or relying on technology to automate communications. To ensure the security of your company’s most valuable assets requires viewing customer service in a holistic approach; as part of a broader customer experience with an emphasis on the “human touch”
For those who missed the recent episode of Coffee Break with Game Changers, the guest panellists generated an insightful meditation on the changing field of customer experience in the digital age. Carl Lewis, general manager of Vision33’s Total Care program weighed in that while Internet-based media has empowered companies to proactively address customer service with personal communication, it is not without its disadvantages. Communicating through email or by telephone may be more personal; however the human element is often diminished because businesses operate on a global scale- where it is often a challenge to meet face-to-face with customers. Despite electronic media’s immediacy, the human touch is still often more effective at resolving conflict that arise with customers, which is why Vision33 strives for a high contact approach with customers.
Alex Rooney, Vice President of Vision33, furthered the point by adding that because of the complexity of SAP business solutions, the TOTAL Care program has been created with the human touch component at its foundation, by responding proactively rather than reactively to customers when issues arise. This means going beyond traditional customer service by providing a customer experience that includes community-based programs, face-to-face gatherings and fostering social media-based communities. He concludes that for Vision33 “being a professional services business in the IT industry, the customer base is our single most important asset...so we have to protect that asset and we have to continually invest in it.”
The radio show also featured on of Vision33’s customers, Hillel Sackstein, CEO of Virtual Graffiti, who attributes the level of success of the ecommerce software development firm to learning by example from Vision33. “Something Vision33 does really well is having weekly calls with all of their customers, having conferences where they will invite all of their customers, all of their competitors’ customers and invite everybody all together and communicate in a very healthy environment.” He found that customers are going to connect anyway, so it is important that your company become an enabler of these interconnected communities so that you can better manage it. By fostering a customer community, his customers are able to help themselves and assist each other.
If you are a small to medium sized enterprise looking for an integrated management solution to enable your company’s growth, then choose a company who is hands-on at meeting your needs as you are with your customers. Speak with a Vision33 Consultant today about how the TOTAL Care program can provide your company with a little of that human touch.