The importance of providing the human touch

WITH 54% of people saying that they have higher customer service expectations than they did just one year ago, providing the best customer service experience has never been more important for cleaning companies. And with friendly employees or customer service representatives being the reason 73% of customers stick with a brand, it’s crucial for businesses in the cleaning sector to have the ‘human touch’ in their customer service.

The pandemic has brought about changes to almost every sector in 2021, none more so than in the cleaning sector. As the UK re-opens, cleaning businesses up and down the country are having to adapt. With increasing demands, how cleaning companies book appointments, interact with customers and fulfil services are all under the microscope. So, here are three reasons why your business should provide the human touch when it comes to customer service:

1. You give your customers what they want 
Across the globe, 96% of consumers say customer service is an important factor in their choice of loyalty to a brand1. With 86% of these people preferring to interact with a human customer service agent as opposed to an AI operator, it’s clear that having a human interaction will benefit a business’s customer service experience. Unlike chatbots, a trained human operator can answer a multitude of questions quickly and efficiently. Human operators also provide a welcoming voice, giving the perfect greeting to put customers at ease. Pre-programmed chatbots are often obvious and give inauthentic responses. This creates the unnecessary risk of making a business appear faceless and could prevent customers from feeling valued.
 

2. A human operator can reduce customer frustrations
When a customer contacts your business, they most likely don’t have the time or patience to go through a long-winded and complicated process to fulfil their enquiry. So, using a trained communications operator means that a customer’s needs can not only be resolved in the fastest and most economical way, but also in the least stressful way possible. A human operator can also show empathy to a customer’s issue and choose their response appropriately having understood the customer’s tone. One-third of consumers stated they would consider switching companies after just one instance of bad customer service1, so why run the risk of putting something as vital as customer service in the control of an AI-operated system? 

3. Human operators are more reliable than AI 
Many cleaning businesses’ administration staff are still working from home. And with a higher level of customer enquiries following Freedom Day, it’s no wonder most cleaning business teams are stretched. Regardless of this, ensuring your business takes calls and responds to messages in a timely manner remains crucial when providing excellent customer service. A survey of 1,600 businesses from BT found that, on average, a missed call loses a UK business a massive £1,200. Utilising a human-based communications provider eliminates the risk of your business missing enquiries and prioritises responding to messages within a minimum 12-hour window. In many cases, if you don’t respond, clients don’t take long to find alternative service providers through online recommendations and reviews. Having a human to always pick up the phone could be the difference between winning new and retaining business or not.
 
Morag Readman, the owner at Bright & Beautiful East Lothian, has been using Cymphony’s telephone answering service for the past 12 months. This has helped support her business’ part-time administration team throughout the pandemic. 

“Cymphony has stepped up to the mark in representing my business over the past year. As a small business owner, you want to be answering every call but sometimes you just need a bit of help,” said Morag.

“Since I started using Cymphony, my business has benefitted massively. It’s helped me develop a more personal relationship with customers and ensure I don’t miss crucial business enquiries. At first, I was concerned that the call operators would struggle with accents and place names, but it hasn’t been an issue at all. Overall, the quality of service has been great.”

Tim Morris is MD of Cymphony - a company specialising in enquiry handling with a personal touch in the customer service experience.

For more information visit: https://cymphony.co.uk/