Mein apne hisab se bana ke du?

“Mein apne hisab se bana ke du?” (“May I serve you an option that I feel you would like?”) was the first thing the owner of a famous sandwich shop in Mumbai asked me when I tried to place an order. He asked me some basic questions about my likes and taste preferences and crafted a glorious sandwich that was simply delicious. I’ve been going back for over 15 years now, and each time, I leave it up to him to decide what I should have today. 

This level of personalized service, where someone intuitively understands your preferences and suggests a solution that suits you perfectly, is what makes the experience memorable. It’s the kind of human-like interaction that can turn a one-time visit into a lifelong habit. 

In the realm of Digital Customer Experience (DCX), we often find ourselves leaning heavily on the collective wisdom of marketing and UX teams. Their experience, while valuable, doesn’t always equate to a superior experience for the customer. The assumption that more experience or more refined designs will naturally lead to better customer satisfaction is flawed. We need to look beyond traditional boundaries and embrace solutions that truly understand and cater to the nuanced needs of our customers through human support systems. 

Consider a well-designed bookstore with an easy-to-use computer kiosk at the entrance. Despite these features, customers can still end up feeling lost or frustrated, unsure of where to begin or how to narrow down their options. Similarly, at a McDonald’s outlet, self-serve kiosks intended to streamline the ordering process often go underutilized because customers find them confusing or impersonal. In both cases, the customer experience falls short of expectations, leaving customers feeling unsupported, even in environments designed with care and technology in mind. 

Now, in reality (thankfully), both of these places already rely on human assistance to help customers make better decisions. In the bookstore, a staff member asks about your preferences and guides you to a relevant section or recommends a specific book. At McDonald’s, employees often assist customers at the kiosk or even place the order on their behalf when needed. These human interventions ensure that the customer experience is smooth and satisfying, preventing potential frustration. 

These instances highlight the importance of having support systems that do more than just perform tasks—they should be able to understand and respond to customer needs in a way that feels natural and supportive. By integrating human-like support into digital platforms, we can create experiences that are as intuitive and helpful as interacting with a knowledgeable staff member in a store. 

Implementing human-like support systems means integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning that can interpret and respond to customer behaviors and inquiries in real-time. These systems learn from interactions, adapt to preferences, and provide personalized assistance that feels engaging and supportive. The goal should be to create a digital experience that feels as supportive and responsive as interacting with a knowledgeable and attentive human assistant. This approach acknowledges the diversity and complexity of customer needs, providing a flexible and adaptive support system that enhances satisfaction and fosters loyalty. 

Embracing human-like support doesn’t mean eliminating human roles but rather augmenting them. It allows human support staff to focus on more complex and nuanced customer interactions while ensuring that routine queries and needs are efficiently managed. This synergy between technology and human insight creates a robust and resilient customer experience framework. 

I feel, it’s time to move beyond traditional, one-size-fits-all approaches to digital customer experience. By integrating human-like support systems that understand and anticipate customer needs, we can bridge the gap between technology and empathy, providing experiences that are not only efficient but also deeply satisfying. Let’s not leave our customers feeling unsupported online. Instead, let’s offer them intelligent, responsive, and compassionate support that truly elevates their digital journey. 

Author – Ketan Kasabe, Co-founder: mPrompto