In the past, service deliveries and quality of services were evaluated mostly based on direct human interaction. This fact is no longer valid because technology is actively changing how most services are delivered and designed. There are many different trends that can be mentioned in regards to the way in which technology is changing services so let us explore some of the trends.
Moving To Self Service And Automation
Whenever looking at service delivery in the past, there were personnel that had to be met in order to start the customer journey. Nowadays, there are many more options available, mainly because of the evolution of automated solutions and self-service.
A very good example of this is Shift. The logistics platform uses technology to pair people interested in deliveries with free spots available in fleets. This means that there is no longer a need to interact with a human and the entire service becomes automated. We can also mention retail stores and their self-service lanes, supermarkets, gas pumps, and airline check-ins as wonderful examples.
In addition, when you call customer support, you are often met by automated operators. At the same time, many language software programs are responsible for the responses you receive via email to some queries.
Automated services and self-service technologies are very beneficial for consumers. This is because the service that is received is more accurate while time is not wasted in queues. Simply put, inquiries are being processed much faster than ever, all while operational costs are decreased. Services can easily be offered at lower costs right now.
More Services Available
The internet practically eliminated boundaries. Technology drastically expands the potential reach when it comes to servicing customers. Just some years ago, this was just a dream.
Most of the services we consumed in the past were local. Nowadays, with a few clicks, transactions and services are becoming accessible across countries and even continents.
Most of the services that can be delivered across large distances are digital. This is actually an opportunity for companies that can focus on this as opposed to having to rely on physical inventories that are very costly. We just need to think about services like Netflix and Amazon to realize how valuable this is.
Consumer Data
When technology started to influence service delivery and availability, a large part of the criticism that appeared was that human touch was lost. This did not happen. We now have access to many different online tools that allow businesses to gather a lot of consumer data. In fact, it is much easier to get consumer data on the internet than in a face-to-face scenario, especially when referring to wishes and needs because the online world also offers anonymity.
On the whole, the most important thing is that technology increases automation and reduces costs for businesses. At the same time, customer data can be gathered really fast so that it is analyzed with the purpose of meeting the needs of the customers. Companies have to stay ahead of the curve and adapt.
