“I like stepping into the future. Therefore, I look for doorknobs.”

As we look ahead to what will affect and change our customer service priorities in the year ahead, it’s interesting to note the strange tug-of-war going on between digital mastery and the human element. As consumers increasingly spend more of their lives online, businesses and organizations are competing to become a part of it.

Like the customers they serve, brands will begin to be on Facebook and Twitter and available via smartphone at all hours rather than just business hours, and they’ll look to connect as a friend rather than a company, using the information you provide as their ticket in, and technology as their means to continue and evolve the relationship. Here are six customer service trends to watch that merge technology with the timeless need for human interaction:

1. Impact of Connectivity – Even as the population exponentially grows, we continue to see through the eyes of social media, that it really is a small world after all. As we become more and more connected by family, friends, professions, common interests, and even the products and services we use and love, we will continue to see the growing impact of connectivity.

The quality and care of customer service representatives will become increasingly important as people look to make a human connection in the digital world, even with those things un-human. Read More