Can online customer service drive customer loyalty?
What's your take on new media like online customer service and how it affects classic customer service techniques? Must a company have self service to be successful these days? We are a busy call center, and I don't know if pushing some of our customer service online is the right move when the call center is working well for us.

    Requires Free Membership to View

    Login

    When you register, you'll begin receiving targeted emails from my team of award-winning editorial writers on the latest customer relationship management (CRM)and call center technology issues today. Our goal is to keep you informed on the hottest issues facing this fast-changing industry.

    Hannah Smalltree, Editorial Director

    By submitting your registration information to SearchCRM.com you agree to receive email communications from TechTarget and TechTarget partners. We encourage you to read our Privacy Policy which contains important disclosures about how we collect and use your registration and other information. If you reside outside of the United States, by submitting this registration information you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Your use of SearchCRM.com is governed by our Terms of Use. You may contact us at webmaster@TechTarget.com.

There are two types of online customer service initiatives: efficiency-driven and customer-driven. The efficiency-driven initiatives are based on internal goals to save money and they can often damage the customer experience and loyalty. The customer-driven initiatives respond to certain market segments that prefer convenience and lack of human interruptions in their customer experience. We see such trends with younger customers and customers with busy work schedules.

In the case of customer-driven initiatives, customer loyalty can be increased as long as the Web experience is pleasant and customizable. The ROI in such an initiative is based on the ability to create repeat business by tailoring the customer experience. This means that each time the customer returns to the self service site, the site remembers his or her preferences and purchasing history, which will save the customer time during the interaction.

However, one of the risks is that with online customer service, all competitors might look the same. Additionally, opportunities for cross-selling and up-selling might not be maximized. There is value to the human touch that comes with a call center interaction and the ability to transmit passion and commitment between employees and customers. These abilities should not be underestimated.

This was first published in March 2007

Join the conversationComment

Share
Comments

    Results

    Contribute to the conversation

    All fields are required. Comments will appear at the bottom of the article.
    Back to top