A big question brewing with the digital paradigm shift of CS is if customer support software is the right direction to go, and how much control and relegation should be given unto it, versus good old fashioned free-thinking, home grown humans. Well, that’s a very good question actually, and you know what? It actually entails some ethical self-evaluation, which is something I feel we don’t touch on enough in these business pieces. So, we’ll actually discuss the ethical ramifications of this along with everything else.

The first, and most important questions is, is customer support software right for you? Well, take a look at the state of your customer support division, and then you tell me. Do you have 98% first call resolution averages? Do you have an average hold time of under 7 minutes? Is your call center under budget in expenditures either way? Of course, your answer to at least 75% of these questions was a resounding “no”, like any other mortal business in this galaxy.

So, customer support software, in some level of use, is actually quite helpful to almost all.

The question becomes, how much do we rely on it? And here comes that ethical question right along with that. If we entirely entrust software for most customer service needs, and completely dispose of all but a couple control agents, then we’re destroying a profession a couple generations of people have made their way through life working with. We’re destroying jobs in a world that needs more to be created. So, ethically, is it really right to completely deprecate human customer service? I’m not you, and I respect your right to have your own opinion, but I personally see this as a not particularly philanthropic thing to do, really.

Fortunately, you can’t eliminate a decent team of agents, because while software for customer service needs is quite powerful, it’s not AI, so it messes up, or breaks form time to time as even the best software inevitably will.

So, what control do we give to this software? Well, I say, give it power over the things it’s best at solving problems with, like routine things that customer service shouldn’t be bothered with. This is done by implementing deeper self service into your customer support through dynamic FAQs and perhaps an onboard suite like WalkMe or similar, which can deduce problems and guide a user, in realtime, through resolving issues or performing tasks they once couldn’t be given the power to do on their own.

This alleviates a lot of load on your call center, and makes them more efficient in the process, which is of course a positive development.

So, is customer support software right for you? Yeah, the question is entirely how much you use. Remember, relying too heavily on machines can be folly, but at the same time, if we have the technology and power at our disposal, to not use it at all would be a greater, ignorant folly as well. As in most things in the universe, balance is the key. Trust your judgment, and trust your conscience and only aim to improve that which can be improved without being a detriment to the life of someone loyal to your company.