337: Is Chat Better than Phone for Customer Service?

Adam and Jeannie explore the decline of people using the phone for customer service and how to know if chat is better for you and your customers. Why is chat better than phone for some customers? We all know calling a company for customer service is typically time-consuming and frustrating. So with text-based service options like chat becoming more available, many of us are opting not to pick up the phone. “We all have been trained to not pick up the phone…” -Jeannie Walters But is this really better? While chat offers convenience and a better sense of control for the customer, phone conversations capture more of the emotion and urgency of the situation. So even though we save on resources by sending customers through this channel, we miss out on valuable insights that can only be communicated through the spoken word. Perhaps we should not be looking at this as one channel being better than the other. Instead, maybe we should be thinking about what actually serves the customer in the moment. For instance, is chat only preferred because the customer gave up while waiting for a service agent on the phone? “That’s not a problem of the channel. That’s a problem of the execution.” -Adam Toporek This is a hot issue to which there’s no one right answer. In fact, the Washington Post recently published an article encouraging customer NOT to call for customer service. While this idea may sound great for companies hoping to save on resources, it signals a public perception of failure around phone support. So what can you do about this, and what does it mean for customer service in your company? More importantly, what does it mean for the way customers perceive your brand and how you collect those insights? We talk about this and a lot more on the podcast. Listen in! Related Content Washington Post Article, Want better customer service? Don’t call. Text. 360Connext® post, 3 Ways the Best Brands Do Omnichannel Right Customers That Stick® post, Remove the Weak Links in Your Customer Experience: Part 1 Episode 336: Joshua March, Social Media Messaging Episode 235: Customer Experience Touchpoint Tips We're on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts Sponsor message Give your team the customer service training they deserve Want to bring game-changing customer service training to your team? CTS Service Solutions offers a half-day in-person workshop designed to motivate and educate your customer-facing team members. Using energy, excitement, and interaction, our workshop helps frontline teams embrace a customer-centric outlook, then — using the principles from our book Be Your Customer’s Hero — gives them the skills and confidence they need to handle any service interaction. Don’t leave your frontline team hanging… Give them the training they deserve. Learn more at customerheroworkshop.com, that is customerheroworkshop.com.   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices