The Forbes article titled Abandon Email as a Customer Service Channel at Your Pe

Question

The Forbes article titled Abandon Email as a Customer Service Channel at Your Peril discusses the channels of customer service that consumers prefer to use. What do you feel are the customer service channels people are most willing to use to resolve problems? The least willing? Explain why for both. Provide two detailed examples of your own personal experiences with the most preferred channels. Provide two detailed examples of your own personal experiences with the least preferred channels. Your completed assignment should be at least 1 page.

Explanation / Answer

Channels for consumer service refer to the different platform organization provide consumers to interact with their brands and products. Many channels exist which consumers can use, but with the current generation the most preferred are those that give room for quick response and self-service. Research results show that recent customer service takes lead besides convenience and price of products. Indeed, at least 87% of consumers report that service influences their decision to do business with respective organizations (Ridenour, 2015). One may tend to ask why customer service influences consumers, unlike price and convenience as it was some years ago? The best response is, currently because of technology most people are aware of what entails customer service, and most organizations have reliable interacting platforms with their consumers’ hence creating trust in potential consumers.

Web self-service dominates the channels. It stands out as the most preferred across all generations. Research results from Forrester show that self-service has risen over the years. In 2012, web service use stood at 67% and 76% in 2014 while old methods such as phone took a stagnating figure of 73 % in 2012 to 2014 (Minsker, 2015).Web self-service dominates because of its timely response hence saving time.A current study in 2015 from U.S state multichannel customer service states that at least half or more of consumers expect responses to their inquiries in as least as 24 hours. Ease of use because Consumers and agents can easily navigate from chats to emails. Services are a click away. They are reliable because we can receive emails instantly or conduct chats with agents at the appropriate time when online. All the above advantages sum up to the effectiveness of web self-service and a product of growing technology.

My sister was getting married in May. She had put everything in place until the last minute when the supplier of maids' clothes backed out. She was so frustrated since there was no much time left to go shopping. I stepped in to help her settle the issue. I called upon all the maids and took the sizes for their dresses. I visited the alibaba.com.I searched for all the preferred dresses and got my quotation. All along we could chat with the supplier via chats and emails.He made sure that everything was in place. We could chat every day until delivery. I was so happy because everything fell into place without much hustle. I realized the power of web service. I was able to make my choices by just clicking. I got immediate feedback from my supplier, and I did not incur many costs unlike if I were to use a phone.

ON the other hand, the least preferred is social media. Many might assume that the growing popularity of social media will unseat the traditional modes of consumer service. One of the major reason is that most companies do not approve handling complaints about social media. In a recent study by M2 talk only 2% preferred to use social media as the mode for consumer service (Finn, 2015). On the other hand, consumers do not approve social media as one of their primary contacts. Another factor is age.Those aged 55 years and above say that they have never used social media for any inquiry whatsoever. Most people view social media as a means of sharing experiences and not serious business.

In my example, as I was scrolling through my Facebook account I happened to come across a Facebook page for a certain university. I joined and left a comment on the inquiry. A few days later I checked to see if I had received feedback, which I had not. I initially though they are ignorant but realized the page was for students and not the official page. I was left with the option of searching for their website, and I received the feedback I needed.

References

Finn, G. (2015, January 21). Social Media Is The Least Popular Channel For Customer Service [Survey]. Retrieved from marketing land: http://marketingland.com/social-media-least-popular-channel-customer-service-survey-114984

Minsker, M. (2015, April 15). Web Self-Service Surpasses Phone in Customer Service Channel Preference, Forrester Finds. Retrieved from customer service: http://www.smartcustomerservice.com/Articles/News-Features/Web-Self-Service-Surpasses-Phone-in-Customer-Service-Channel-Preference-Forrester-Finds-103249.aspx

Ridenour, L. (2015, May 1). Millennials vs. everyone else: Debunking the divide. Retrieved from Nuance: http://whatsnext.nuance.com/customer-experience/research-reveals-millennial-customer-service-preferences/

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