In addition to providing opportunities for new service offerings, technology is providing vehicles for delivering existing services in more accessible, convenient, productive ways. Technology facilitates basic customer service functions (checking account records, bill paying, questions, tracking orders), transactions (both business to business and retail), and learning or information seeking. If you study a bit, you will understand how, through the eras, evolving technologies have changed customer service forever. Companies have moved from face-to-face services to telephone-based services to widespread use of interactive voice response systems to internet –based customer services and now to wireless service. Interestingly, many companies are coming full circle and now offer human contact as the ultimate form of customer service.
Technology also facilitates transactions by offering a direct vehicle for marketing purchase. In the financial service field, Charles Schwab transformed itself from a traditional broker to an online financial service company that currently conducts more than 70 percent of its customer transactions online. Technology giant Cisco Systems offers virtually all its customer service and ordering functions to its business customers via technology. Over 90 percent of its transactions with customers are completed online. On the customer side, online shopping and transactions have already revolutionized the music and book business. Predictions suggest that online ordering will also rewrite the rules for purchasing jewelry, real estate, hotel rooms and software. For example, more than 70 percent of home buyers shop online before completing a home purchase, compared to 41 percent few years ago.
Finally, technology, specially the internet, provides an easy way for customers to learn and research. Access to information has never been easier. For example, thousands of websites currently offer health-related information. Many provide answers to specific diseases, drugs, and treatment questions. In a study of online health care usage, the Pew organization found that among Americans with internet access, 62 percent had looked for health or medical information on the web.
Technology enables both customers and employees to be more effective in getting and providing services. Through self-service technologies, customers can serve themselves more effectively. Via online banking, customers can access their accounts, check balances, apply for loans, shift money among accounts and take care of just about any banking need they might have – all without the assistances of the bank’s employees.
For employees, technology can provide tremendous support in making them more effective and efficient in delivering service. Customer relationship management and sales support software are broad categories of technology that can aid frontline employees in providing better service. Thus, in this modern era, technical knowledge is a must to build a business career. Business careers do not only mean being a business owner but also being a business executive or manager in established companies. So, technical knowledge is a part and parcel now a days for successful business career.
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