Are You Real?

There are so many options for companies to choose from when it comes to communicating with customers.  Our sales team received an email from a prospective customer that it kicked off a long discussion at a staff meeting. This is what the message said:

 

 “I understand what you are, but I want to hear an audible voice, so please call me.”

 

We are living in a time where there is so much talk about Artificial Intelligence, Robots, Chat GPT, and other technologies that is causing humans to really think about and ask if they are emailing, chatting or talking to a real person.  Humans like to be connected to each other.

I think we all can relate to when telephone customer service turned into an endless conversation with an automatic voice that sounds like Rosey the Robot from the Jetsons telling us to press a sequence of numbers to get to the information you need just to find out that you need to be transferred to another automatic message.  How many of you just want to talk to a real human to answer a quick question??

 

 

This also reminds me of the mid-to late ‘90s when the Internet was just coming of age, and everyone thought all newspapers, magazines, and books were going to be replaced.  It was all in the news that no one was going to buy paper again if they could read the same information on just one device.  

 

 

I think we all can agree that even though the volume has decreased – people still buy books, get magazines and even read newspapers.  Amazon was originally founded to sell books, libraries are still full of books, and those tabloid magazines are still in the grocery store checkout line!  Newspapers are still out there, and according to the article, Do People Still Read Newspapers in 2023?,

 

“With so much free news on the internet, it may come as a surprise especially to many millennials who’ve never read a newspaper, that although declining, millions of people still read newspapers every day.”

 

All of this is to say that all this new technology that is exciting and fresh will settle and have a fantastic purpose, however it will not replace human interactions fully.  There always is so much hype when new tech initially comes out as everyone wants to try to be the first to implement or test it for their company.  Humans are slow to change their habits, and companies are even slower.  We have clients that have sought us out, because their customers are looking for a virtual sale option on websites.  

 

 

The chat box sales channel has been the most affected by the different chat technologies.  Between chat bots, AI, and Chat GPT – people do not know who they are talking to, however the numbers do not lie.  

 

By adding a live and real person to your chat box, online sales increase 30%.  

 

There definitely is room for automation in chat boxes, for example by identifying if the customer is there for a sales question or customer support, then sending them to the right person, is great.  In addition, Chat GPT will have a function as well.  However, if you are looking to increase your online sales, getting your real human employees trained on how to drive a sale through the virtual sales channel is a necessary step.

 

How Conversation Couture Can Help

Conversation Couture understands that moving to an e-commerce space in the retail market can seem daunting at first. Indeed, it’s challenging to maintain customer relationships and brand consistency with all the multi-channel options. That is why we offer certification courses for existing sales associates and managers that are designed, tested and proven to drive greater sales, improve customer engagement, and sustain brand loyalty within a virtual shopping experience. Yes, it can be taught! 

Check out our Online Learning Center to check out our Certification Courses, or head over to review our Services and Offerings.