Digital Customer Service
Transforming Customer Experience for an On-Screen World
1. Edition September 2021
256 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Digital Customer Service is the new standard for creating a 5-star customer experience
As much as technology has improved our lives, for many people customer service experiences remain unnecessarily frustrating. But the advent of Digital Customer Service (DCS) promises to make these interactions seamless and effortless by creating experiences that occur entirely on a customer's own screen, even in situations where it is preferable to speak to an agent.
Digital Customer Service: Transforming Customer Experience for an On-Screen World traces the evolution of customer service--as well as the evolution of customer expectations and the underlying psychology that drives customer behavior - from the days of the first call centers in the 1980s all the way to today's digital world.
Written for Customer Service and Customer Experience leaders as well as C-suite executives (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs), Digital Customer Service helps business leaders balance three critical priorities:
* Creating an excellent experience for customers that increases customer loyalty and profitability
* Driving down the cost of Customer Service/Support interactions, while increasing revenue through Sales interactions
* Moving quickly toward the goal of "digital transformation"
We have discovered--in our research and our first-hand experience--that when companies commit to achieving true Digital Customer Service, they can make significant progress toward all three of these goals at once. Digital Customer Service provides the roadmap for how your company can get there. And when you do, who wins? EVERYONE.
Preface: Now It's Our Turn
Section I: The Problem With Customer Service and the Digital Opportunity
Chapter 1: The Win-Win-Win-Win
Customer Service At An Inflection Point
The Difference Between "digital customer service" and DCS
Two Very Different Experiences
Story: "Phone" and "Voice" Aren't The Same Thing
Win #1: The Benefits of DCS For Companies
Win #2: The Benefits of DCS For Customers
Win #3: The Benefits of DCS For Agents
Win #4: The Benefits of DCS For Service Executives and Leaders
Customers Have Transformed, So Should Your Company
Key Takeaways: Chapter 1
Chapter 2: The Peaks and Valleys of Customer Service
It Wasn't Always this Way
Story: The Billboard
How Did Customer Service Become Such An Easy "Punching Bag?"
Customers Are Wired For Negative Reactions
Companies Are Wired For Efficiency
Cost Eats Quality For Lunch
Evolution of Customer Service: The "Quality Valley"
Key Takeaways: Chapter 2
Chapter 3: Digital Self-Service Changed Things Forever
The Citi Never Sleeps
From Migration to Expectation to Demand
Never Going Back Again
Story: Three Sad Faces
Evolution of Customer Service: The Digital Self-Service Explosion
Why The "Bolt-On" Approach Doesn't Cut It Anymore
Social Media: Salt in the Wound
Evolution of Customer Service: The "Expectation Valley"
Key Takeaways: Chapter 3
Section II - DCS Terminology Overview
Chapter 4: The 3 OnScreen Pillars Of DCS
Climbing Out of the Valley of Expectations
Evolution of Customer Service: The Inflection Point
DCS Defined
OnScreen Communication
OnScreen Collaboration
OnScreen Automation
OnScreen Collaboration: Getting On The Same Page
DCS in Action: CoBrowsing Creates Major Efficiency Improvements
Digital-Also vs. Digital-Only vs. Digital-First
How to Build a Business Case for DCS
Added Bonus: DCS is More Secure
Get Your Agents To Stop Asking This One Question
Key Takeaways: Chapter 4
Section III - DCS Transformation Overview
Chapter 5: The Process - A Step-by-Step Guide
Put It On The Screen
"Cooking Up" The Ideal Digital Service Strategy
Step 1: Get the Right Ingredients
The Digital Customer Service Journeys Grid
The "Secret Ingredient": OnScreen Voice
So, Do You Still NEED a Phone Number For Customer Service?
Step 2: Learn Which Dishes People Like Best
Digital Self-Serve Inventory (2x2)
New Ways Of Learning About Customer Behavior in Self-Service
Step 3: Serve Your Best Dishes Consistently
Virtual Assistance vs. Live Assistance
Journeys Based On The "Process" Not The "Person"
Earning Your Michelin Stars
Key Takeaways: Chapter 5
Chapter 6: The People - Empowering Agents, Leaders and (even) Bots
From Call Center to Contact Center to "Collaboration" Center
The Evolution of Role Expectations
The Agents: Rise of the "Superagent"
What IS In It For Your Team?
What Does The Term Customer Service "Rep" Mean in DCS?
Story: AHT vs. THT
The Leaders: Retaining and Attracting the Best People
The Hiring Profile of Agents in a DCS Environment
Sample "Situational Interview" Questions
The Bots: Humans and Machines Working As A Team
Here to Help You, Not Replace You
The "HR Department" for Your Virtual Team
Managing Microbots with Specialized Skill Sets
DCS in Action: AI Management Deployment
Live Assistance? Virtual Assistance? Or A "Hybrid" of BOTH?
"Confidence Equity" Works Both Ways--For Customers and Agents
Story: Standing On The 50-Yard Line
Key Takeaways: Chapter 6
Chapter 7: The Positioning - How DCS Future-Proofs Your Company
Time To Move To The Center Of The Universe
Internally: It's a 6x3 and A-to-Z World
The Dichotomy of Expectations
Story: The Ultimate "Effortless Experience"
Externally: CX is The Last Frontier For Differentiation
Positioning "Digital CX" As A Differentiator
DCS in Action: Differentiating Service for International Customers
Key Takeaways: Chapter 7
Epilogue: To Infinity and Beyond
Digital Customer Service FAQs
Notes
Index
DAN MICHAELI is CEO and Co-Founder of Glia, the New York-based technology company that has become an industry leader in Digital Customer Service. The Glia platform helps businesses reinvent how they support customers in a digital world. He is an award-winning speaker who has been a contributor to numerous publications including Forbes.
