What Customers Really Want Out of Customer Service
As today’s customer becomes more empowered, customer service strategies must evolve to meet their rising expectations.
The digital landscape provides customers with a wealth of information. Armed with data, customers can demand more from companies or choose a competitor when they’re not satisfied.
Invest More in Customer Experience
Customers expect a seamless user experience. Software as-a-service (SaaS) companies must rethink traditional customer service and invest more in their customer experience (CX) initiatives.
Nearly 80%
of customers cite speed, convenience, and knowledgeable and friendly service as the most important elements of a positive CX
48%
of customers say they expect specialized treatment and experiences for being a good customer
84%
of customers are willing to pay more to guarantee a positive CX
Self-Service
According to Forrester, the best CXs embrace emerging technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Businesses should continue to invest in capabilities like AI self-service platforms to stay ahead.
67%
of customers said they prefer self-service over speaking to a company representative
14%
increase in web self-service options in 2018
70%
of customers now expect a self-service application on a company’s website
Big Data
Increased accessibility to customer data allows organizations to better understand their customers, giving organizations the opportunity to personalize their CX strategy for each customer.
58%
of companies report customer analytics increases customer retention and loyalty
63%
of senior decision-makers in organizations cite big data and analytics as the most important emerging technology for enhancing CX
83%
of enterprises say the ability to translate data into actionable insights is the most important driver of real-time, data analytics adoption
The digital landscape has raised the standards for customer service. To keep up with expectations, companies must leverage these tools to provide a customer experience as seamless and engaging as possible.
Sources
Accenture, “Put Your Trust in Hyper-Relevance” 2017
Acquire, “12 SaaS customer support best practice to deliver perfect customer support” April 6, 2019
eMarketer, “Better Data Analysis Is Critical to Improving Customer Experience” March 16, 2018
Forbes, “How to Improve Customer Experiences with Real-Time Analytics” July 8, 2018
Forrester, “Top Customer Service Trends 2018” February 28, 2018
Forrester, “2018 Customer Service Trends: How Operations Become Faster, Cheaper — And Yet, More Human” January 24, 2018
GetVoip, “The Critical Importance of Customer Self-Service in 2018” July 19, 2018
Harvard Business Review, “Real Time Analytics” March 2018
PWC, “Experience is Everything: Here’s How to Get it Right” 2018
SuperOffice, “The Value of Customer Self-Service in the Digital Age” June 25, 2018