How do you handle an irate customer? Ask a robot, naturally. Touchpoint Group, a New Zealand-based technology firm, is working on a program that will devour several years-worth of actual customer interactions in order to generate "angry-customer" scenarios from which representatives can learn.
Taking the robot idea one step further, Toshiba Corp. unveiled Aiko Chihira at the reception desk of Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo. "Chihira" is a customer-service robot. On the challenge of creating a successful customer service robot, Hitoshi Tokuda, Toshiba's head of new business development said, "Eighty percent humanlike is very scary. So it has to be 90 percent or close, or very close to perfect".
Nordstrom is experimenting with ways to create a holistic customer experience across physical and digital domains. The retailer, traditionally known for exceptional in-person customer service, is diligently testing the line between knowing their customer and making customers feel invaded through the use of data and location services.
Forbes published an interview with Nate Rosenthal, Director of Customer Support at Square, on the six-year-old company's customer support transformation over the last few months (during which they've doubled their CSAT). In Rosenthal's words, "The key is finding the right balance between the support our customers want and the support they need. That’s why we’ve worked hard to pair phone support with predictive support. If we can push an answer to a customers before they reach out, that’s a win-win."
J.D. Power’s latest North America Airline Satisfaction Survey is out and the results aren't surprising: if airlines were students they wouldn't be making the honor roll. Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, an advocacy organization for air travelers says, "… investing in customer service doesn’t have to be expensive. A simple smile from flight attendants or gate agents, waiving a standby fee to get on an earlier flight with empty seats, allowing families to sit together without paying more, all make the travel experience far more pleasant."
Finally, here's a quick refresher on best practices for using social media to engage with customers. Quicker hint: just remember everyone is watching!
Image Courtesy of D J Shin via Wikimedia Commons
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