Discover how customers really make decisions and what to do about it
Your Customers Want Self-Service, And The Reasons Why Might Surprise You
Many organizations bust their backs trying to deliver excellent Customer Service. However, it might surprise you to learn your Customers want self-service—and the reasons why might surprise you even more.
Attest is a company that does consumer research, and they've got several great reports that I've been reading. In particular, two stats from their US Food and Beverage Report from July 2021 emphasized to me how essential a topic this was. We discussed them on a recent podcast:
Self-service has been one of the most significant trends in all business in the last two decades. So, why? What's the human thing behind it? When do people want more or less human interaction?
Self-Service Versus Full Service
The first stat above suggests a generational shift from a traditional way of doing things. It could be that younger people want to do things a new way.
Reference Points also play a role here. People who have been shopping for a while (e.g., older generation X, Boomers, and Silent Generation) form Reference Points about what that interaction should be like. For example, if you're used to full-service checkout, anything different from that might bother you. You might feel self-checkout is extra work. However, the full-service checkout isn't as ingrained into your expectations as a younger shopper (e.g., younger Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z). So, you might have a more positive reaction to self-service than older people.
For me, I would use self-service sometimes and not others. It's a tradeoff between speed and efficiency. For example, if I have a full cart of groceries at Publix, self-service would be a no-go because it would be a hassle. However, at McDonald's, I would probably use the self-ordering screens to speed up the delivery of my heart-stopping meal. In both cases, my choice to use or not use self-service has to do with how easy it is for me.
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Customer Experience Information & Resources
LinkedIn recognizes Colin Shaw as one of the 'World's Top 150 Business Influencers.' As a result, he has 290,000 followers of his work. Shaw is Founder and CEO of Beyond Philosophy LLC, which helps organizations unlock growth by discovering customers' hidden, unmet needs that drive value ($). The Financial Times selected Beyond Philosophy as one of the best management consultancies for the last four years in a row. Follow Colin on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Click here to learn more about Professor Ryan Hamilton of Emory University.
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