E-service

As user-experience designers, we often preach the value of our work by citing the “free” self-service opportunities we can create. Yet how many of us have actually examined the foundations of customer service? And can we still learn from the service gurus of the 80s? Having helped develop several service-training programs—and indirectly turned two mediocre carriers into “Airlines of the Year” — I think customer service might just be the UX motherlode.

The concept of “customer service” has been kicking around for over a century. More recently, we’ve seen it morph into “Customer Relationship Management.” Basically, we’re talking about the design and execution of a system of activities—people, processes, and technology—that ultimately build brand, revenues, and customer satisfaction.

In this presentation, I will review the basics of customer service and show:

• Why 90% customer satisfaction isn’t nearly good enough.
• Why most service metrics don’t address the real customer pain points.
• Why service redundancy is usually way better than corporate synergy.
• Why sometimes we shouldn’t listen to our customers.
• How we, as UX designers, can start to create robust service experiences that build real trust and increase conversion rates.