Instead of digital deflection, offer digital ridealongs

While digital deflection strategies can serve as efficient gatekeepers, they often fall short of delivering the exceptional support and personal touch that customers crave.

In this blog post, we'll introduce an alternative approach that has the power to transform the way businesses engage with customers, enhancing support and fostering stronger connections: digital ridealongs.

What is digital call deflection?

Digital deflection is essentially the process of steering customer questions and problems away from talking to live customer service reps and toward self-help digital tools. The idea behind it is to lighten the load on human agents and make customer support smoother by nudging customers to look for solutions on their own using FAQs, chatbots, or knowledge bases. Implementing effective call deflection strategies is crucial to optimize contact center operations, reduce call volumes, and enhance customer experience.

Definition of digital deflection

Digital deflection refers to the process of redirecting customer inquiries or issues from traditional voice-based customer service channels to digital channels, such as chatbots, messaging platforms, or self-service portals. This approach aims to provide customers with a more efficient and convenient way to resolve their issues, while also reducing the volume of inbound calls and improving the overall customer experience. By leveraging self-service options, businesses can offer quick solutions to common problems, freeing up customer service agents to handle more complex and personalized customer interactions.

Limitations of digital deflection in customer service

While digital deflection can be an effective way to manage customer inquiries, it also has its limitations. One of the main limitations is that it may not be suitable for complex or emotionally charged issues that require human empathy and understanding. Additionally, digital deflection may not be effective for customers who prefer to interact with a human customer service agent or who require personalized support. Furthermore, if not implemented correctly, digital deflection can lead to customer frustration and dissatisfaction, particularly if the digital channels are not user-friendly or if the issue is not resolved promptly. In such cases, the lack of a human touch can leave customers feeling undervalued and ignored.

When digital deflection falls short of customer satisfaction

Imagine you’re a customer who encounters a technical issue with a product you recently purchased. Frustrated, you visit the company’s website for assistance and are promptly greeted by a chatbot. After a series of automated responses, you realize the chatbot can’t address your specific problem. You’re then directed to a knowledge base, where you spend precious minutes searching for a solution to no avail. Finally, you decide to call the customer support hotline, where you’re transferred through several menus and put on hold before reaching a representative. This scenario highlights the importance of effectively managing customer calls to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

In this scenario, the company’s digital deflection efforts may have deterred you from reaching out to live assistance, but at what cost? Your frustration grew, and your problem remained unresolved. Implementing an interactive voice response system could have redirected you to self-service resources more efficiently, improving your experience. This is a clear example of how digital deflection can alienate customers and lead to subpar experiences.

AI and chatbots have an important place in CX, but they aren’t a cure-all. Customers want to be helped, not deflected. A strategy that was meant to decrease workload can instead create frustrated customers. It puts you on the defense, trying to send your customers away when you should actually all be on the same team.

Frustrating customer experience and its impact on customer satisfaction

A frustrating customer experience can have a significant impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. When customers are unable to resolve their issues quickly and efficiently, they may become frustrated and dissatisfied with the service they receive. This can lead to negative reviews, complaints, and ultimately, a loss of business. In contrast, a positive customer experience can lead to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. Therefore, it is essential for businesses to prioritize customer experience and ensure that their digital deflection strategies are designed to provide a seamless and efficient experience for their customers. By focusing on customer satisfaction, businesses can build stronger relationships and foster long-term loyalty.

Inefficient use of customer service agents’ time and resources

Inefficient use of customer service agents’ time and resources can be a significant challenge for businesses. When agents are handling a high volume of inbound calls, they may not have the time or resources to provide personalized support to customers. This can lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction and an increase in agent burnout. Digital deflection can help to alleviate this issue by redirecting routine inquiries to digital channels, freeing up agents to focus on more complex issues that require human support. By optimizing the use of digital channels, businesses can ensure that their customer service team is more effective and that customer queries are resolved more efficiently.

Instead, take your customers on a digital ridealong through self service channels

A concept we'll call digital ridealongs offers a more customer-centric approach to resolving issues and providing support. Instead of deflecting customers away from representatives, companies can empower their agents with guided CX tools like co-browsing and video chat to offer real-time assistance and personalized interactions. 

This doesn't mean you need to axe your chatbot. Instead, get smarter about when and how you use it. The moment it's clear that a customer needs support outside of what a chatbot or self-help resources can provide, have an agent meet them where they are.

Here's what that can look like: In the same scenario above, a chatbot gives you a couple of automated responses. But it quickly becomes clear that your situation is a little more complicated, and you need help.

*Cue triumphant horn*

Right on your app or screen, an agent meets you. They have all the context they need, not only from your history and chatbot conversation, but also from your screen — because they can see it. Using co-browsing technology, they can easily guide you through your technical issues and even help you fill out any necessary forms.

64% of customers will spend more if a business resolves their issues where they already are. (Zendesk CX Trends Report 2023)  

Definition of digital ridealongs and their benefits

Digital ridealongs refer to the practice of allowing customers to interact with customer service agents in real-time, while also providing them with access to digital channels and resources. This approach can provide several benefits, including improved customer satisfaction, increased efficiency, and enhanced personalization. By providing customers with a seamless and integrated experience across multiple channels, businesses can improve customer engagement and loyalty. Digital ridealongs ensure that customers receive the support they need, when they need it, without the frustration of being bounced between different service channels.

How digital ridealongs improve customer experience and engagement

Digital ridealongs can improve customer experience and engagement in several ways. Firstly, they provide customers with a seamless and integrated experience across multiple channels, allowing them to interact with agents and access digital resources in real-time. Secondly, they enable businesses to provide personalized support to customers, tailoring their experience to their individual needs and preferences. Finally, digital ridealongs can help to reduce customer frustration and dissatisfaction, by providing them with a quick and efficient way to resolve their issues. By leveraging digital ridealongs, businesses can improve customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention, while also reducing costs and improving operational efficiency. This holistic approach to customer service ensures that every interaction is meaningful and effective, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Empower customer service agents with the right tools

Nearly three-fourths of representatives say that having access to more tools and data will give them more opportunities to personalize interactions through lower cost digital channels.

By incorporating the right guided CX tools, companies can transform customer interactions into collaborative ridealongs rather than solitary journeys. Customers receive the assistance they need, agents gain a deeper understanding of issues, and both parties enjoy a more meaningful connection.

Here are some examples of guided CX tools that support both customers and representatives:

• Cobrowse: See what your customers see and assist their navigation in your website or desktop app: securely, in-person, and in the moment.

• Mobile app share: Representatives join customers inside your mobile app - all customers do is accept a simple prompt - to see only what they’re seeing inside that app and guide their actions.

• Video: Add live video chat to any Cobrowse or Mobile App Share experience to augment onscreen interactions with powerful, personal, face-to-face collaboration - right in your current website or app and with nothing for users to download or install.

• Mobile camera share: With no app to install, invite customers or colleagues to share their mobile cameras and see what’s in their environment for troubleshooting, advisory services, or issue resolution.

• Screen share: Secure screen sharing technology lets representatives see any screen, browser tab, or app on a customer’s computer.

In a world where digital interactions are becoming the norm, it’s crucial for companies to rethink their customer support strategies. Utilizing other digital channels, such as SMS, live chat, and messaging platforms, can provide customers with alternative methods for interacting with services. Instead of relying solely on digital deflection tactics that may leave customers frustrated, consider embracing digital ridealongs using guided CX tools. This approach not only enhances personalized customer service by tracking interactions across various channels but also allows agents to better prepare for conversations.

Offer a balance between digital convenience and human connection, ultimately elevating the customer experience and strengthening brand loyalty.