Understanding Your Customer's Contact Preferences

So, I like to use my family as customer examples whenever possible in my presentations. This is the first time I am actually documenting them online – so not only have I entered into a new realm of exposing my fun and dysfunctional family, but I am undoubtedly going to get a phone call…but not from my niece. She will SMS, Tweet, Facebook, or email me (and if I don't respond within 60 seconds she repeats – she is all about the immediacy).

My father (in his golden years…has a PhD and worked in the actuarial industry...) dislikes call centers. This includes telephones. He likes to talk to me on the phone but that’s about it. This loathing has lead to fantastic heated Thanksgiving dinner discussions along with lengthy customer experience debates.

My father called me two days ago. His credit card company called him. Live agent outbound survey call.  Per my father, this is what occurred:

Call Center Agent: “Is Fred home?”
Mary’s Dad: “What?” {hard of hearing – but doesn’t admit it}
Call Center Agent: “Is Fred home?”
Mary’s Dad: “Who is this?”
Call Center Agent: “I am sorry, but is this Fred?”
Mary’s Dad: “Who the h*ll is this and what do you want?”
Call Center Agent: “This is Susan with your bank calling for a customer survey”
Mary’s Dad: “Well Susan – 15 minutes with my daughter and she would convince you to change careers or tell you to automate this call”. {hostile hang up}

Susan, I apologize. I don't believe you need to change careers. My father called me within seconds after hanging up on you. My father couldn’t understand why he had to talk to someone. I explained to him that perhaps his bank was calling to understand what his communication preferences were. He thought about this for 2 milliseconds and came back to me with exactly what I knew he would say – “Well…if that was the case,  they should automate the preferences survey.” There is no doubt where my DNA comes from.

On the other hand, if there is one thing my dad loves talking about, it’s his health and how he manages himself. My father has gone through a bit of medical trauma over the last ten years. He is now incredibly healthy after battling cancer, brain surgery, and several heart attacks. And he would love to be attached to an automated communication wellness program. He wouldn't mind speaking to nurses or agents in the call center, either. This, I assure you, is a first in my 17 year call contact center career with my father…

I share these family facts with you as inspiration to take a step back and look at how you are communicating with your customers and in what ways automation can help. Automation can facilitate your understanding of how your customers wish to be communicated with (i.e. automated communication preference survey) – and then  help you execute those communications – automatically, across multiple channels whether it be mobile, voice, or email. And then you may be able to reach those golden age dads that are hard of hearing in a language that they understand.