The Digital Customer Service Takeover
Can we still maintain a human touch in a today’s digital world?
By Jason Rish, Manager, Journey Management
We’ve all been there; fully immersed in a frustrating digital experience that’s not quite up to par. We’ve attempted to interact with that pesky digital chatbot to no avail, only to end up picking up the phone to call customer service anyway. We’re stuck, ready to admit defeat as we wait to be connected with a service rep.
Then the true aggravation sets in — there’s no human on the other end of the line. Instead, we’re greeted by an IVR (interactive voice response) recording, and the message is redirecting us to the digital experience. You know, the one that failed us only minutes ago and led to the aforementioned phone call.
What a mess! You’re probably then thinking things would be different if you ran the company.
Today it seems almost every company is creating their own digital experiences. And why wouldn’t they? It’s what we expect as customers: information at our fingertips, instant responses. But has human interaction become a long-lost art in the meantime?
According to research conducted by Deloitte, there has been a significant increase in technology investments over the last eight years. From 2016 to 2024, companies have continued to increase their funding from 3.28% in 2016 to an estimated 5.84% in 2024, of total revenue. While we recognize that the future of customer interaction is moving toward omnichannel experiences, it is critical that we continue to understand our customers’ expectations and take their feedback into account along the way.
Digital isn’t always the preferred option
Based on the findings of BAIN and Prudential’s Journey Management team; we know that getting assistance is a pivotal moment that matters for our customers. When they need assistance or get stuck within a digital experience, we can’t assume digital is the only avenue in which we should be providing service. Our customers expect help in a multitude of ways; sure, maybe digital covers the vast majority, but customers expect help in other ways too. In a survey conducted by LIMRA, 56% of respondents expect to resolve urgent issues through a phone call — preferably for some, with a human at the other end of the line.
Given the tight labor market and cost of staffing a contact center, companies must be focused on improving AI and technology which will in turn allow reps to be more productive and provide customers with a personalized interaction; something that is an expectation today.
Imagine this scenario
You are trying to complete an online transaction but hit a roadblock. Now imagine having immediate access to assistance, either on the phone or within the digital experience. I recently found myself in this exact scenario when attempting to update the funding for my 3-year-old daughter’s 529 account but got stuck when trying to link an automatic deduction from my paycheck. Reluctantly, I clicked the ‘Get Help’ button. I followed a few simple steps and was connected to a live agent over the phone (which I personally chose due to the sensitivity of this transaction). The agent asked me insightful questions to understand what I needed help with. Although I could not complete my request based on my original approach, he offered me solutions that actually worked for me! And not only did he provide me with solutions, but he also guided me through the setup process, step-by-step. By the end of the call, I was pleasantly surprised by the terrific service I was provided. World Class, I would call it. How much of that do we see these days?
In our CX Practice at Prudential, we collect our customers’ feedback from Medallia, conduct company and industry research and integrate this data with behavioral analysis and synthesis of SME interviews to get our personas. We use these personas during our Ideal State workshops because they help us, as a business, understand who our customers are, as well as their wants, needs and challenges while ideating on solutions to improve the current experience.
So next time you have a fantastic experience with Prudential, you can be sure that the interactions and journeys you went through, were planned and well thought out using a blend of art and science, while keeping you — the customer — top of mind.
