The Role of Human Interaction in a Digital-First World Featuring Tom Martin

Balancing Technology, the Human Touch, and Customer Experience (CX)

Shep Hyken interviews Tom Martin, CEO at Glance, a software company focused on helping businesses connect with their customers. He discusses combining technology with human-to-human interactions to create a seamless and personalized customer experience.

Top Takeaways: 

• In the age of advanced technology, it's crucial for businesses to prioritize the overall customer experience. While chatbots and digital solutions are valuable, human-to-human interactions still plays a vital role, especially when technology falls short. 

• Understanding and predicting customer needs are key to effective customer engagement. By analyzing their data and journey, businesses can provide tailored assistance "in the moment". This not only solves customers' problems efficiently but also strengthens the relationship.

• Provide seamless connections between various communication channels, including chatbots, apps, phone calls, and emails. The goal is to create an effortless customer experience, removing friction and allowing them to interact with the company through their preferred channels. 

• Customer interaction often spans multiple departments or silos within a company. It is important for leadership and management to know that the customer doesn't care about silos and what is happening in the background. The only thing that they care about is that they have a great experience with you – and when they do, they reward you with more business.

• Repetition is unnecessary friction in delivering a seamless customer support. Customers dislike having to repeat themselves or go through verification processes multiple times. Companies should strive to streamline their support systems so that customers can connect easily and quickly without unnecessary steps or frustrations.

• When offering digital support systems, enable customers to reach a real person whenever needed. Use AI to provide contextual information to the agent as the conversation is happening. When AI pulls information from the customer's history or a knowledge base, support agents are empowered to have better interactions and efficiently provide the best solution.

• Plus, Shep and Tom talk about "wallet share" and how providing an amazing experience can help companies gain trust and become the go-to provider for all of their customers' needs. Tune in!

Quote:

"Different channels allow you to communicate with a business, and each one can serve a very specific purpose. All of these need to work together so that the customer experience isn't disrupted and there is no unnecessary friction to get from one channel to the next."

About: 

Tom Martin is CEO at Glance, a software company focused on the enterprise space, helping businesses connect with their customers inside of a digital journey to bring in the human connection in moments of need. He is a CX contact center strategist, product lifecycle expert, and partnership builder.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. 

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