In this episode of Cards Against Complexity, Jan engages with Torsten Frühling, Head of Customer Service at Hawesko, to discuss the evolving dynamics of customer service in the digital era. With a career spanning 35 years, Torsten shares insights on how technology and human expertise are shaping the future of customer experience in the wine retail sector.

Key Takeaways:

• A Robot Can't do Wine-Tastings: Torsten discusses Hawesko’s use of AI-driven tools like virtual sommeliers and voice bots to enhance customer service, while emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human expertise in creating personalized and trustworthy interactions.

• Focus on the Customer: From handwritten order tracking to advanced cloud and ticketing systems, Torsten reflects on how customer service at Hawesko has transformed over decades to meet changing expectations and improve operational efficiency.

• The Role of Expertise and Adaptability: Highlighting the importance of ongoing employee training and wine education, Thorsten underlines how customer service teams can deliver authentic experiences while adapting to technological advancements.Wine as a very haptic experience and kind of "emotional product" serves as an exciting playing ground to figure out in which ways new technologies can be used in customer service.

Wine as a very haptic experience and kind of "emotional product" serves as an exciting playing ground to figure out in which ways new technologies can be used in customer service.