Digitalization Is an Issue about Culture, Not Technology
We decided to write a blog post after reading Uğur Özmen’s article about “digitalization is not a technology but a cultural issue”. At the Marketing Summit ’16, entrance cards with QR codes were prepared to subtly record the behavior of the participants. However, there was a strict “no-card-no-entry” rule and officials didn’t even allow those people who forgot their card inside to enter again. It was a great idea to measure the participant data using the latest technology; but strict rules that make implementation impossible is a sign that this level of technology is not yet internally adopted. This especially holds true if the same problem persists in other areas of economic activity. Success in the 21st century requires permanent digital transformation which is fully internalized; yet, the question remains: How?
According to a 2016 study called “What the Customers Really Want?” by training and consulting company Professionalism Matters, 49% of customers want to tell their problems to people rather than an artificial intelligence powered assistant. This does not mean users completely reject digitalization in business. The users just want to talk to a real employee who will deal with the problem directly instead of a voice saying “press 3, then 5.” When dealing with digital solutions the users try to fix the problem on their own and thus, lose time.
You probably heard of Amazon Go, which is Amazon’s new app. You do not wait in line to pay for your shopping with Amazon Go. You download the Amazon Go app, the system registers your payment data and the products that you buy are automatically added to the system and the total fee is charged from the credit card you have defined in the app. However, if you ever experience a problem with Amazon Go, it is a real human Amazon employee who solves your problem. Amazon keeps its human touch while offering full benefits of digitalization to its customers. This is exactly the type of internalized digital transformation we are talking about.
When tech simplifies and speeds up daily life, it becomes the consumer’s greatest friend. However, the same customer feels more secure during the problem solving process when they interact with people instead of computers. For example, a consumer is quite pleased when he or she prints the boarding card automatically from kiosks. Yet, things take a downturn when the consumer faces a message that says their ticket isn’t registered in the system. Almost automatically, the consumer prefers to connect to customer service where they expect a real person to help them immediately, instead of starting a “conversation” with an automated system.
Not so smart automatic systems slow down the interaction processes with their “press 1, then 2”s. The customer goes crazy on the other end of the line. When all is considered, the fact that the customer representative is on the other side of the line in solving the problem calms the troubled consumers. So, as a business, always show your user that you really care about them by creating a good customer representative team.
One of the common points of successful businesses is the seamless integration of customer service team with the company’s brand image. In this respect, enterprises not only solve the problems of its customers, but also promote their brand image through their solutions.
