Disruptive Changes in Customer Service?

SWISS CONTACT DAY The digitization of customer service was the theme of the tenth Swiss Contact Day, which took place on January 13 at the Kongresshaus in Zurich.About 170 specialists and executives from the call and contact center sector attended Swiss Contact Day, which was organized for the 10th time by the industry association Callnet.ch.

Callnet.ch President Dieter Fischer (center) with Michèle Hasler of UBS Card Center and Kerim Jamal Aldin of Swica Health Organization.Management BuzzwordThomas Ramge, technology correspondent for the business magazine „brand eins“ and author of the bestselling non-fiction book „Data unser,“ addressed the question of just how disruptive digitalization really is in his keynote speech. “Disruptive” is currently one of the most popular buzzwords among managers. The agents of disruption, especially in Silicon Valley, repeatedly cite the story of David versus Goliath to illustrate this point. By doing so—with a focus on digitalization—they are describing nothing other than the principle of “creative destruction” proposed by economist Joseph Schumpeter. Ramge is convinced that disruption occurs much less frequently than is claimed today. By now, even savvy Goliaths (large and established companies) have figured out the game of digitalization and are creating their own digital platforms, both small and large.Five Areas of ActionDr. Stephan Sigrist, head of the Swiss think tank W.I.R.E., also took a critical look at digitalization. He identified five areas of action for shaping customer relationships: 1. Redefining information in the spirit of „less is more.“ 2. Digitalization leads to standardization. Differentiation requires more human interfaces and skills. 3. Differentiated use of artificial intelligence: digital for efficiency, analog for trust. 4. Customer segmentation should be based on customer behavior, not demographics. 5. Define innovation more broadly, with a focus on the interface between humans and machines.The Swiss Contact Day took place for the first time in a new format at the beginning of the year. Callnet.ch President Dieter Fischer expressed his delight at the large turnout in his opening remarks. The event, which included presentations as well as four parallel workshops, was moderated by TV personality Anna Maier.