Are we really improving the customer experience?
As a consultant, I want to share two trends that, as a customer, have been causing me some discomfort and that I think we could improve to add more value. It's something we experience daily, and I feel we can work together to find more effective solutions.
The obsession with measuring satisfaction
Lately, I've noticed a growing obsession with measuring every customer interaction. And working in this field, it makes me question whether it truly adds value. I don’t know if you’ve experienced this, but every time I make an inquiry at a call center or make a purchase at a supermarket, I immediately receive a survey. Just the fact of having to do it every time already influences my willingness to respond. Does this sound familiar? I’ve lost count of how many surveys I receive weekly, and I’ve ended up ignoring them. Tools like CSAT or NPS can be useful, of course, but only if used properly. We don’t need to measure every interaction, right? Maybe it’s time to pause and focus on using these metrics more strategically, gaining insights that are truly valuable.
The overuse of AI in calls
Artificial intelligence has incredible potential, but I’ve noticed that its excessive use in automated calls can be counterproductive. It was already annoying to receive unsolicited calls offering products or services I wasn’t interested in. Now, with bots calling for anything and sometimes dropping the call, the experience becomes even more frustrating. Technology should improve the customer experience, not complicate it. Don’t you think? A useful application for AI would be to remind brands of those calls we leave on hold and never get answered. That’s where there’s real value and, above all, differentiation.
Reflection
Technology and satisfaction metrics are essential, I won’t deny that. But it’s important that we use them intelligently. Sometimes, following trends just because they’re popular can make us lose sight of what’s most important: the customer experience. It’s crucial to ask ourselves how our actions may be causing friction, and how we can improve them in an authentic and effective way. If we do this, I’m convinced that not only will we add value, but we’ll also improve the relationship with our customers.
Claudio Zelada.
Director of Experience at Ki Technologies | IT Project Management