Digital transformation must not lose its customer focus

The digitalization of companies is an increasingly common process in the market. Care must be taken, however, so that in this transformation companies keep, at all times, what is fundamental: the focus on the customer.

We all recognize several sensational changes that new technologies have brought to the way we consume and relate to providers of products and services. But in some cases we notice that the changes, instead of offering a better customer experience, end up creating new friction.

The big problem is that some of these companies are “migrating” to digital environments the same problems they already have in the real world, without solving their causes.

An example of this is customer service processes using automated methods, such as bots used in chat or voice channels. Many banks and providers of pay TV, internet, telephone services, etc. now have their virtual assistants.

I recently needed to use one of these services, and my experience was extremely frustrating. I began navigating the menu of options, which were the only ones offered. None of them represented my problem, which was actually simple, and I was redirected several times in circles to the same point, unable to get out of a veritable maze and without the slightest sign that my problem would even be understood. After many minutes of trying, the machine “got tired” and offered me the possibility of talking to a person, who finally handled my request.

Who has never been through something similar, interacting with an automated system that gives answers that have nothing to do with what you were looking for? On the internet, comedy sketches about these situations abound, but when they happen to us, we cannot find the slightest bit of humor in them.

We know that call centers have become extremely expensive for many companies, with enormous numbers of people needed to maintain this service. First, because their processes have many problems. Second, because many customers do not have their issues resolved on the first call, due to deficiencies in processes and in people's training, creating a snowball of ever more complaints.

For me, as a customer of this company, the feeling I was left with is that it did not direct this digital change (automated chat service) with the objective of improving customer service. Of course these technologies are evolving and will improve a great deal, but then their implementation should protect the customer while they still cannot meet even minimal expectations. That is not what I experienced. The impression I was left with is that, in this case, the company's main purpose was to drastically cut call center costs, creating an almost insurmountable barrier.

If the priority were really customer service, before creating this barrier they would have run more experiments, waiting for the artificial intelligence behind the system to evolve and offering options until the system was more robust. And even more importantly, they would have worked on the root causes to improve the processes that generate the recurring complaints and refined the ways of promptly solving the various types of problems reported.

Digital technologies are evolving ever more rapidly. And of course they will continue to make many things in our lives easier. And they will open up many new possibilities for organizations to improve and innovate their businesses and processes.

However, we cannot lose focus: promoting digital transformations only makes sense if they add value for customers; if they improve experiences in the relationship with providers of products and services. Any deviation from this purpose makes customers feel even more frustrated. Unfortunately, that is what I experienced. Don't let this happen in your company; pursue an effective digital transformation, which needs to have the customer at the center and process improvement as a prerequisite.

Lean digital consulting helps companies use technology intelligently, reducing costs, increasing efficiency and delivering real value to the customer, all in an agile, innovative and sustainable way. Visit and check it out!