In 2009, Jasper Meerding started a customer contact organisation. He is reviving the knowledge he previously gained in the field of lead generation. The trigger is formed by the introduction of the Do Not Call register on one hand, and the lack of flexible and personal service on the other. He believes this causes people to adjust their standards and have even higher expectations. I asked Jasper questions about this vision.
Why should organisations invest in a customer service that is available seven days a week when I can create a concept where one team remotely takes care of personal customer contact and organisations only invest in the contact moments?
From Amersfoort, ContactCare quickly wins the hearts of entrepreneurs and organisations that choose personal remote customer contact. Nowadays, Jasper is frequently asked whether technical developments pose a threat to the human aspect of his organisation. The entrepreneur is not afraid of these developments; he is a fan of them. He is convinced that technology belongs to humanity and even makes us what we are. He believes it causes people to adjust their standards and have even higher expectations. I asked Jasper questions about this vision.
Can you describe your vision as concretely as possible?
Sure, I guess I would fall under the category of transhumanist and consider it a right to use technology to create a better life. It's quite logical; we have always developed as humans and that will not stop. Technology is shaped by humanity. I advise everyone to embrace technical developments rather than debate them.
If I understand you correctly, technology does not undermine human customer contact?
No, the role of the Customer Service Representative is not displaced by data and technology. Of course, we also experiment to create real-time interaction in the field of service. I see that chatbots sometimes take on part of the customer queries and result in satisfied customers. Consumers are somewhat satisfied with a chatbot but always have a need for personal contact. I believe that developments in the field of cognitive knowledge systems will lead to a world where self-service becomes a standard concept, and we can directly route customers to the appropriate department or contact person.
Technology will increasingly assist
Customer service employees will deliver service at a higher level because they will only deal with callers who have complex issues or want to share a feeling. The involvement of the customer service employee in the first line will occur less frequently. See it as the robot developed to harvest tomatoes: a large portion of the tomatoes in a greenhouse will be harvested, but humans will continue to pick the difficult-to-harvest peppers. Technology will increasingly assist us, humans. This way, technology allows us to make contact even more personal. We increasingly have information available from previous contact moments that we can use.
This is how systems and technology also contribute within ContactCare to convenience, and our distinguishing capability is created by humans: employees offer a listening ear, are empathetic, and can provide customised solutions.
How do you turn a tech-driven organisation into a human organisation?
I am an advocate of digital and technical transformation. I love numbers. Measuring is knowing. Within ContactCare, we use dashboards both internally and externally that provide insight into almost all elements. We have knowledge about revenue, contact ratios, marketing statistics, feedback from our customers, the balance between manpower and hours, and know the status of both customer and employee satisfaction. This is how I know the added value we provide, where the priority lies, in which area we lead, and can make decisions. If I only focus on data, the human innovative and creative force we have in house can only lead to optimisation of what already exists. Therefore, “we keep contact personal” is our motto. After all, it still comes down to the fact that no computer has invented a better computer yet. Technology forms the basis, the human makes the difference.
How important is empathy within an organisation according to you?
Every organisation should be able to map its technical and human side. What things can't we measure? That is emotion. My left brain will never be as smart as a computer, but my right brain, that’s where a computer can't compete. The team within ContactCare needs the emotional capacity and creativity in the right hemisphere to excel and develop a complementary customer relationship where technology and humanity empower each other. We can automate the customer relationship with technology and strike a chord with a personal approach.
How will the customer relationship of the future look like?
The customer relationship of the future is a digital and human relationship. Innovation is needed on both fronts. The perfect digital relationship is a new form of operational excellence; customer-focused where rationale is automated and service is elevated to a higher level.
Can you formulate a message?
My motto? Embrace change and encourage curiosity in every person within your organisation. This way, colleagues show each other where opportunities lie and technical connections are made that are not obvious. Exchange knowledge and experience so that tomorrow we can achieve even more than today.
Curious about the future of customer contact? Read more about our Intelligence Tools here.
