Can you see through your customer's eyes?
- Details
- Written by Julie Hansen
They may tell you what's missing in your business strategies.
Have you ever watched the TV series Suits?
It's a legal show centering on Harvey Specter, the high-powered corporate attorney who always seems to attract drama, challenge the opposition, soothe his clients and nerves with a glass of champagne or a Macallan 18 and win his cases while wearing impeccably tailored, expensive...suits.
Recently, I had to retain a lawyer, and you know what? My experience wasn't anywhere near that of the Harvey Specter client experience. It was way less dramatic and sexy, and I certainly did not get any jitters soothed by a scotch or a glass of champagne.
However, the experience is still worth reflecting on.
Not only was my legal experience void of a fancy drink, but it was also void of any in-person experiences, period.
This firm was entirely digital.
I had a couple of Zoom calls early on, which I don't consider in-person.
The rest was email correspondence.
Was I part of a super-efficient, au courant business model?
Yes and no.
For the firm, there are a lot of benefits to a virtual model, from reduced overhead to flexibility in talent access and potentially a more efficient use of time.
Today, though, I am looking at this scenario through the eyes of the customer. Me.
The thing most striking about my recent legal experience was that I couldn't shake the fact that something was lacking. I know legal matters can be long, drawn-out affairs. I know everything is documented. However, when it came to my connection with the firm and the lawyer, I found myself checking my email as the primary way of receiving any updates on my case.
The journey left me feeling disconnected, and ultimately, I found the whole virtual firm experience isolating and lonely.
It lacked human connection. I'll admit it.
Wanting real human connection goes against all the social media, business digitization and AI strategies plaguing our lives.
But I am the client, and I wanted more human connection to assure me that I was making the right decisions.
In the end, the lawyer got the job done.
But as the client, I wondered…
Would talking it through voice to voice have helped me understand things better or faster than reading emails with days to weeks of delay in the flow?
Would I have felt more confident about the result if I had more human interaction during the process?
Would I be more satisfied as a customer?
Would I pick the same firm again, or NPS it positively?
These thoughts coming from a customer are not a good sign for a company, as the customer is ultimately what matters.
Not the product. Not the operations. The latter are all to serve the customer's needs and ultimately provide the value they are willing to pay for.
Have you ever wondered about something similar interacting with a company?
I'll bet you have.
Maybe something like..."If I could just have a conversation about this versus a digital stream of emails or worse, a chatbot/AI agent 'in training' that I need to get by to get to 'someone'..."?
Yup. I thought so. We all live in this digital zone, convinced it's the cat's meow.
I get it that companies are striving for efficiencies, cost savings and the like.
But at what cost?
Are customers better off? More Satisfied? Happier?
Or are companies hoping customers will adjust to a new level of impersonal, digital-personalized service, and that's all they will know?
What, Ms. Customer? Do you feel a bit isolated by the impersonal experience? Don't worry. You will get used to it, and the AI service bots will still learn from you. They will get better. Thank you for your patience. Ugh.
As much as research shows customers like self-service when it's easy and to the point, customers(humans) also like to interact with humans IRL - In. Real. Life.
Not via an inbox.
Or a keypad.
Or a chatbot.
Or an AI Agent who seems to converse naturally until the script goes sideways because that's what humans do when sorting through things.
We are complex.
We like to feel seen and heard.
We like to use all our senses to communicate.
We have emotions that may impact logic.
Which means...
Human connection is essential.
And it is lacking.
This might seem like I am venturing into a touchy-feely area for some of you.
But here is a thought...
In a world where everything is turning into impersonal digital interactions, keeping real human connection in mind as you plan your strategies and invest in solutions is GOLD, especially now in a world where loneliness is turning into a global epidemic.
Loneliness is everywhere. It's just not as evident right now as it's nestled in the headwinds behind other serious current events.
Every week I see articles about loneliness issues across publications, demographics and geographies. Adults, seniors, adolescents, and even younger people all note a lack of connection with others, a poor sense of community, and more.
It's a multi-prong, global issue with assorted reasons for it and solutions being tossed around.
However, one consistent culprit is technology and its use, diminishing the need for human interaction.
As mentioned by the new U.S. Surgeon General Advisory, loneliness and a lack of connection are everywhere where six foundational pillars need to be addressed, including:
Reform Digital Environments: We must critically evaluate our relationship with technology and ensure that how we interact digitally does not detract from meaningful and healing connections with others. - US Department of Health and Human Services
So, when you are thinking through your business and digital strategies, are you looking through your customer's eyes and really understanding their experience with your company?
I'm not saying your business strategies can or should aim to solve a loneliness epidemic.
But…
If customers are people suffering from a lack of human connection, it's a competitive advantage in a digital world to insert authentic human connection in valuable ways.
Especially now, finding the right fit for authentic, positive human-to-human connection may increasingly:
- Build trust and loyalty in an isolating world
- Pave a way to a better blend of digital and human interaction
- Make your company stand out as a brand and culture to follow
- Make your company a destination for talent
- Differentiate
Circling back to my legal example, for me, it doesn't have to be Harvey-Specter-schmoozing levels of engagement and connection with a firm or company. However, I realized through this experience that I want non-digital human connection to be a part of how I do business.
That was the gap. If I had that type of connection, I would have felt the essential customer satisfaction that the firm was really in my corner supporting me and not just working on the scads of legal ethics.
I want the choice in how I do business.
In fact, people generally want more choices in how they do business, work, and live (a longer topic than this article).
Human Connection is key.
When I feel this way, the company has my business and loyalty.
And although creating real points of human connection with your customers doesn't require sharing a beverage, if the opportunity arises, I'll take the champagne!
How can new levels of humans be your competitive differentiator?
"Never underestimate the power of human connection." - Julie Hansen
Julie Hansen is an award-winning technology and innovation executive. Julie is a judge and advisor to global innovation competitions and coaches women leaders in over 25 countries. She holds the Competent Boards GCB.D board-level accreditation and sits on The IT Media Group CIO Advisory Board.
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