86 percent of global customers say a company is only as good as its service, according to a new benchmarking report from Genesys.
Yet, this is only one statistic from "The State of Customer Experience" study that showcases how little patience customers now have for poor customer service experiences.
Another suggests that 77 percent of consumers would switch brands after one to five negative service interactions. Just think about how quickly they get to five digital interactions today…
The biggest annoyances include dropped calls, dead ends, and customers having to repeat themselves multiple times during a service interaction.
The causes? Disjointed technology and poor journey design.
Thankfully, businesses can avoid many of these issues by reimagining CX through digital transformation, personalization, and employee engagement.
Making the following four shifts to reinvent the customer service experience may help, as surfaced within the report.
1. Connect Channels and Data to Transform CX
Consumers surveyed for the report say they want a speedy resolution to their issues, ideally during the first interaction. Siloed channels, data, and systems impede this. Providing seamless omnichannel journeys will help organizations meet these customer preferences.
Yet the survey finds that digital transformation is lagging. Just 13 percent of organizations have a fully connected, omnichannel approach.
In addition, more than half are taking a "multichannel" approach, which offers a variety of customer interaction channels that operate separately or have only partially connected underlying technology and data.
As a result, almost half of organizations can’t transfer customer context across channels, which means customers reach dead ends or need to repeat themselves.
Therefore, it is perhaps unsurprising that providing convenient and frictionless interactions is a top priority for business leaders. Indeed:
- Nearly three-quarters plan to implement a customer experience platform that integrates systems such as CRM solutions and unified communications over the next two years.
- Half plan to connect data and technology to deliver an omnichannel experience.
These changes will enable organizations to create fluid and personalized end-to-end customer experiences that continually reinforce loyalty while improving visibility into business performance and lowering costs.
2. Personalize Experiences Across Digital and Voice
More than 80 percent of consumers say they’d purchase more from companies that consistently personalize the service experience.
More than half, including two-thirds of Gen Z consumers –the planet’s largest population – would pay a higher price.
Yet, what does personalization mean to consumers? They believe it is most valuable for:
- "Receiving the services I need at any time and in my preferred channel of choice."
- "Being connected straightaway with the right person to help me."
This highlights the need for deep customer understanding; a fully connected omnichannel approach; fast, effective escalation paths; and highly trained, engaged employees who are ready to assist and equipped with all the information they need.
In today’s experience economy, anything else makes the customer feel as if they’re not a priority.
Other than making the complete shift to an omnichannel approach, organizations can leverage a suite of tools and technologies to deliver on these customer requirements.
The most important strategic priorities for CX leaders Genesys surveyed are:
- "Real-time insights, analytics, and reporting"
- "Data and AI for customer understanding and personalization"
Real-time insights enable organizations to optimize customer journeys in the moment, as well as provide agents with the information they need to resolve customers’ issues quickly and completely.