Power of High-Tech and High-Touch Service for Retail

This content has been revised since its published date to include more information for those looking at how retailers can use the power of high-tech and high-touch service to improve customer experiences.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for great online customer service while compounding retailers’ abilities to ensure the best experiences.

Kim Houlne, chief executive of contact center leader Working Solutions, shares her viewpoint in “The Key to E-Commerce Success: Blending Artificial Intelligence with Intelligent (Human) Agents,” posted on destinationCRM.

As evidence, Houlne points to a cross-industry study of about a million customer-service calls, where “some businesses had hold times balloon by as much as 34 percent and escalations (calls sent up the chain of command) skyrocket more than 68 percent.” Not good.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, companies are now pressured to perform well, and stellar customer service is key to reducing churn and sustaining satisfaction.

She believes that articulate service agents, coupled with well-integrated artificial intelligence, can offer balanced-and-blended solutions to handle customer needs. The high-tech-to-high-touch handoff of retailers’ dreams.

Offering High-Tech, High-Touch Service in Retail

In the post-pandemic world, customers have become increasingly demanding of retailers and expect to receive stellar customer service during every touchpoint. They want convenience and speed, but also personalized service and a connection with the brand. This is why offering high-tech, high-touch service is so important for retailers. By combining traditional customer service with automated technologies, retailers can deliver personalized and engaging experiences to their customers.

High-tech, high-touch service combines the best of both worlds—automated technologies and traditional customer service—to create a seamless and personalized experience for customers. This type of service helps retailers offer a consistent level of customer engagement across channels while still providing the human touch that customers crave.

The Benefits of High-Tech, High-Touch Service in Retail

To meet customer demands, retailers must combine technology with human interaction to provide a seamless customer service experience in-store and online. High-tech, high-touch service offers many advantages. Let’s explore the benefits of combining digital tools with human interaction that can elevate your customer experience:

The Benefits of High-Tech Solutions

The first part of offering high-tech, high-touch service involves using modern technology to provide quick solutions to customer problems or inquiries. This could be anything from an AI chatbot that provides answers to common questions to automated email campaigns that send out personalized offers based on customer interests. Technology like this can help streamline customer service processes while still providing helpful solutions to customers in a timely manner.

In addition to streamlining customer service processes, modern technologies can also help you gain insights into customer behavior and preferences. By collecting data on how customers interact with your website or mobile app, you can gain valuable insights that can then be used to improve their experience. For example, by analyzing data on what products customers are viewing and purchasing, you can make targeted product recommendations or send out offers for related items that might be of interest to them.

The Benefits of High-Touch Solutions

High touch solutions involve providing personalized customer service through human interaction. This could mean having customer support agents available across all channels for direct inquiries from customers or having sales associates available in physical stores who are knowledgeable about the products and services offered by the store. Offering personalized service helps build relationships with customers and makes them feel valued by your business—which increases loyalty over time.

In addition to building relationships with customers through personal interactions, high-touch solutions also allow you to develop tailored strategies for meeting each individual’s needs. For example, if a customer has an issue with an item they purchased online or has questions about how it works, having an expert available via phone or email who can answer their questions directly will likely lead to greater satisfaction than simply offering generic advice via automated emails or FAQs page on your website.

Finding the Perfect Balance between High-Tech and High-Touch

High-tech, high-touch solutions have become an essential part of modern retail operations due to their ability to provide a personalized yet efficient experience for customers. In order for online retailers to stay competitive in today’s market, it is essential that they offer customer experiences that combine both high-tech and high-touch solutions. By combining modern technologies with personal interactions between staff and customers, companies can provide fast yet tailored solutions that meet each individual’s needs while still making sure they feel valued by the company—ultimately leading to increased loyalty over time.