How Should Companies Talk to Customers Online?

More and more consumers are engaging with customer service through digital channels. In 2017, only half of customer experiences with companies involved face-to-face or voice-based interactions, and digital interactions are expected to represent two-thirds of customer experiences within the next few years. The vast majority of customer service interactions around the world begins in online channels. Despite the convenience and speed of such interactions, they lack some of the most important aspects of offline customer service. Our research focuses on personal pronouns (I, we, you), which psychologists have linked to critical personal and social outcomes. Our research shows that simple shifts in employee language can enhance customer satisfaction and purchase behavior. The usual prescriptions and practices of referring to the company as "we" and emphasizing "you," the customer, fail to reap the benefits that managers expect. It's more effective when agents speak from a personal, singular perspective -- treating customer interactions as one-to-one, rather than many-to-one, dialogues.