In the last 10 years, the effort needed to communicate with friends, clients or thousands of strangers is virtually... none. Write a message and send it by email, post it on a forum, Twitter, FriendFeed, Hi5, FaceBook, etc., costs absolutely nothing.
Despite this, with regard to customer support, the trend in large companies has been to “externalize” (outsourcing) and “mechanize” (you have heard of “processes”, right?:) and it has become increasingly difficult to be attended by someone who knows as much as we do about the problem that makes us seek help.
Today, the best customers of any company know more about the products and services it markets than most people working in the company itself. The “good customers” surely know more than most Call Center operators, usually unqualified “hand” with low wages, who serve the customer and follow a script.
In this period of the “Everything 2.0′′ where more and more of the “Customer Empowerment” (client power) is being spoken of, the traditional logic of management of the Call Center and OutSourcing has to be adapted. It is necessary to rethink the “Customer Care” and bring it back into Marketing.
Of course, “Customer Service” has always been part of Marketing. And of course, all areas of the company have to be involved in marketing. Of course, this is nothing new, but still... it's worth getting back to the subject. Did we hear the client? Did we learn from the Customer? This is not the aim of the “ Chat Marketing “? Marketing in general?
Following the needs of “ Chat Marketing “, a new type of services is needed: new generation services that facilitate conversation. It is time for companies and the Marketing departments themselves to “participate” in the “conversation” with the customer.
Of course it's easy to say “But we heard the customer! And we're Web Ready! We even have a forum! And a Blog!”. But... are we really listening? Or are we just trying to make ourselves “listen”?
Traditional discussion forums in most cases worked well for years but it is not easy to look for answers, often “lost” in the forum extension. Looking for answers from customers or ours is a challenge.
The “Corporate blogs”... usually represent a “next” shot. There are few examples of “Corporate Blogs” that try to dialogue. They are usually just a desperate way of making us “listen”. (exactly the opposite of what I am saying: “Listen”!)
The great challenge, in addition to the paradigm changes and perception of this new reality, lies in the ability of companies to give “active voice” to customers; it is in the ability to perceive the benefits of “collaboration” against “control”; it is not to admit that they do not control “conversation”! But... they can be part of it!
If you have difficulty believing in the ability of “collaboration”, look at the example, until 10 years ago unthinkable, of Wikipedia: if the Internet can create a knowledge base like Wikipedia, don’t you think that a very small part of users can create a knowledge base on a particular product or service?
The new reality of “Customer Support” is to create a new reality of “Contact Center Web”. A “Contact Center” that complements online offline service, extending it and crossing it. On the one hand, facilitate contact with the client online, on the other hand create services that promote dialogue. Create neutral dialog zones for businesses and customers. Free zones!
Services such as Yelp and Epions, and websites totally dedicated to this new type of customer support like the Get Satisfaction, PlanetFeedback and Complaints. with, get more satisfied customers and resolve disputes (it is my doubt about the viability of the economic model of these projects).
It is common sense to say that companies need to participate in discussions generated by consumers. The media say so, branding, consultants... everyone! But the important thing is to realize that greater risk is not in participating. You're not participating! The mere fact that you are not involved immediately becomes public knowledge!
To realize the need to participate, imagine that suddenly several people show up for a party... what are you going to do? Kick everyone out? Are you gonna stay out of it? Probably not. You'll probably stay and make sure everyone's okay, well behaved! That all have their drink; will keep strangers away and put the guests grouped according to their number and disposition.
And this describes the “empowerment” that the Internet brought to the customer. Suddenly everyone's at your door for a party! So... have fun!