As far as current marketing buzzwords go, few have had as much traction as “frictionless.” There’s good reason for that. Consumers have far different expectations in today’s “one-click ordering” digital marketplace. Plenty of evidence proves that speed and convenience are the key to keeping today’s extremely online customers satisfied.
To achieve a truly frictionless experience, you need up-to-date technology that may include artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots, and other automated communication tools that replace an actual human interaction. While these digital instruments have greatly enhanced many aspects of customer service, some business experts are wondering if some of these experiences are too frictionless.
The movement toward robotic process automation (RPA) may streamline customer interactions, but increasingly the human touch points that bond consumers to brands are being lost. If you’ve ever yelled “representative” into your phone during a frustrating experience with an automated customer service system, then you understand the limitations of RPAs. Some interactions demand human-to-human connection.